I have 3 weeks to get good at running. What should I do?

deadshot138

deadshot138

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Surprise physical ability test at the end of this month. I can probably pass it now as the standards are a joke, but what should I do to get as good at running as possible in 3 weeks? I'm guessing running <36>
@Ruprecht can you delete this please? No longer needed lol
 
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To beat this test, you need speed. You don't have any. Your knees are shot so no hard running. You've got arthritis and calcium deposits in most of your joints so road work is out. So what we'll be calling on is good ole blunt force trauma, horsepower!
 
Tempo runs 3-4x a week......run about 100 yards or so for a couple of sets of 8-10
deadshot138 said:
Surprise physical ability test at the end of this month. I can probably pass it now as the standards are a joke, but what should I do to get as good at running as possible in 3 weeks? I'm guessing running <36>
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you answered your own question man.
 
What distance do you have to run? And is it a straight course on asphalt, shuttle run and/or obstacles in the way? You can definitely improve your aerobic capacity in 3 weeks, especially if you've been in running shape before. But the biggest factor after that - and the bigger you are the more it matters, is body weight. Doesn't matter if you're built like Marius Pudzianowski or Fat Bastard from Austin Powers. Distance running is harder for heavier guys.

I'd suggest increasing time on your feet over the next 3 weeks, slow tempo jogs and walking around more. That will both improve your cardio capacity and lead to incremental weight loss - about 10 lbs in 3 weeks is very realistic. Depending how much this run matters to you, I'd also suggest reducing or eliminating heavy barbell lifting. Heavy deadlifts in particular will hinder your distance run times. For distances >1 mile, you want to feel as light and loose as possible on race day.
 
ChickenBrother said:
What distance do you have to run? And is it a straight course on asphalt, shuttle run and/or obstacles in the way? You can definitely improve your aerobic capacity in 3 weeks, especially if you've been in running shape before. But the biggest factor after that - and the bigger you are the more it matters, is body weight. Doesn't matter if you're built like Marius Pudzianowski or Fat Bastard from Austin Powers. Distance running is harder for heavier guys.

I'd suggest increasing time on your feet over the next 3 weeks, slow tempo jogs and walking around more. That will both improve your cardio capacity and lead to incremental weight loss - about 10 lbs in 3 weeks is very realistic. Depending how much this run matters to you, I'd also suggest reducing or eliminating heavy barbell lifting. Heavy deadlifts in particular will hinder your distance run times. For distances >1 mile, you want to feel as light and loose as possible on race day.
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It's a mile and a half in 19 minutes. I know I can probably walk half and sprint half and finish with time left. I just don't want to feel like shit doing it. Will take this advice, thank you
 
deadshot138 said:
It's a mile and a half in 19 minutes. I know I can probably walk half and sprint half and finish with time left. I just don't want to feel like shit doing it. Will take this advice, thank you
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A mile and a half in 19 minutes has you asking for advice? How fat are you?
 
That KB endurance training has to have some cardio roll over. Running will require more oxygen but at least your body is geared for the HR increase
 
deadshot138 said:
It's a mile and a half in 19 minutes. I know I can probably walk half and sprint half and finish with time left. I just don't want to feel like shit doing it. Will take this advice, thank you
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That's 12:40 pace/mile or 4.74 mph which is a fast walk/slow jog. Unless you're in REALLY bad shape you shouldn't have an issue passing but if you want to maximize your performance, I'd do practice runs on the actual course if you have access to it, or otherwise do pace runs on a similar surface and/or on a treadmill to understand the required pace. Running on asphalt/pavement is much harder on your knees and hips than on a treadmill so be ready for that if you don't run regularly. But 1.5 miles is pretty short and if it's a one and done, worst case you go for broke during the race and maybe are a little sore for a few days.
 
Fahcough said:
To beat this test, you need speed. You don't have any. Your knees are shot so no hard running. You've got arthritis and calcium deposits in most of your joints so road work is out. So what we'll be calling on is good ole blunt force trauma, horsepower!
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as long as it rattles his ancestors!

(been so long since i've seen that film, 1-4 i used to watch yearly)
 
deadshot138 said:
I'll run with my 45lbs vest on. I know it's not good for the joints but it's crunch time, a short term fix
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I'd advise against that. It's only going to fuck up your back and knees. I did a lot of timed road marches/runs in the army with ~60 lbs of gear and it's a different event (that's terrible for your body). You won't improve distance run times with a strength training approach (by adding more resistance) because it's the opposite kind of training. I actually improved my road run times more by REDUCING resistance (running on a treadmill faster than race pace while leaning on the handrails) than from running with heavy shit.

Best way to improve running ability is to run. And if you can't easily run continuously for 10+ minutes, jog walk for 20-30 minutes.
 
deadshot138 said:
I'll run with my 45lbs vest on. I know it's not good for the joints but it's crunch time, a short term fix
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I'm by no means an expert on running (or anything else), but why would you do that? It's only a mile and a half. Are you not able to do that now? If not, how far/fast can you go? You're a BJJ guy, right? I'd think you can knock out a mile and a half pretty easily.
 
You answered your own question when you said running. I did a half marathon last year and to prepare, I simply increased the amount of running I did and everything else training-wise took a lower priority.
 
deadshot138 said:
I'll run with my 45lbs vest on. I know it's not good for the joints but it's crunch time, a short term fix
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Bad, bad idea. You may as well just hit your knees and ankles with a baseball bat. It will have the same effect, but at least you'll get it over with quickly.

Your joints will get beat up enough just by running normally. Adding extra weight is a fast track to Snap City.
 
My suggestion would be to simply run 1.5 miles a few times a week. Time your runs and try to improve slightly from run to run if possible. On test day take some stims to improve your performance further if you need. Take 3-9mg of caffeine per kg of bodyweight. If you want to slightly improve further you can take aspirin.
 
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