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jhust
08-04-06, 12:16 AM
Hi all,

I'm new here and have a question, but first, I'll give some background. I am in the DEP, having enthusiastically signed on June 27th and scheduled to ship to San Diego on Aug 28th. I feel like the Marine Corps is where I belong. I feel like I have the personality for it. I was unsatisfied with my civilian job for several years before coming to this realization. I want to do this more than anything, because it is an experience that cannot be bought for any price. And when I get older I want to have something to look back on, and to know that I was a defender of my country. That I did something difficult and important.

For the past 7 years or so I have been sitting behind a desk with no exercise of any kind, but I'm now getting in better shape than I have been in perhaps even since high school. I'm ideal weight for my height (was always thin, but bulking up now a bit), low body fat, decent muscle, can do 7 pullups (hopefully 10 before I ship, barely 3 when I signed) and am pretty good on crunches, but I am lagging near the end of the PT runs we do every week. I think its about 75% breathing problems and about 25% calves/shins burning, but towards the end I just have to break down and walk/run alternating while everyone continues on running. I was never big on running even in school.

At a typical outdoor track I can do a mile and a half in 15 minutes or so (3/4 a lap running, 1/4 walking) but it is pretty difficult for me to keep this pace after about a mile and by the 1.5 mile mark I am completely destroyed. My default pace at the track is an 8 minute mile. Everyone tells me to run slower and pace myself but I just have a hard time forcing myself to slow down. Its like I just dont know how to jog, like I feel that it expends just as much energy as running.

My body is punishing me for not taking care of it since I was 17 or so (I'm 25 now), but I'm committed to changing that. My legs have gone through several growing pains over the past month - runner's knee, sore ankles, shin splints, but they have all healed much quicker than I could have hoped.

I guess I am wondering if the 4 weeks or so that I have left is enough time to avoid PCP and get up to speed. I feel bad shooting for the minimum run on the IST, and also would feel doubly bad to ask my recruiter for more time to get better, since he has a commitment to ship me by then. I would feel horrible being the weak link in the platoon when it comes to running. And would also be disappointed to have to go to PCP to fix it. I've given myself too little time to build up my endurance base, but I won't use that as an excuse.

Everyone says to run every day, and I would if I could. I was thinking of running 4 times a week and cycling the other three for cardio, since I think the little training booklet recommends it. Easier on the feet that way. I don't want to overdo it by running everyday, since I think that is what caused my shin problems that made me not able to run this past week, and I can't afford to lose any more time if that were to happen again. I'm also worried about this kind of injury once in Boot Camp if I am expected to run every single day.

Does anyone have any advice, words of encouragement, or success stories? I appreciate any. Just reading this forum is very motivating. You guys are great.

marinepride
08-04-06, 12:57 AM
I was always the slow one out of my poolee group before I shipped. I would run three days a week with my recruiter. The first 2 days I would be on a track and we would sprint the curves and jog the straight aways. The third day I would run the 1.5 mi. I noticed a difference the first week. My time kept getting better and better. For me a lot of it was controling my breathing. The sprints helped with that and by the third or fourth week I was able to keep up with the rest of the guys and passed the IST once I made it to boot camp. I learned to control my breathing by using my steps. Breathe out on two paces, breath in on the next two. It worked for me.

Echo_Four_Bravo
08-05-06, 01:01 AM
Everyone says to run every day, and I would if I could.



Why, exactly can't you run every day? It isn't what I would tell you to do, but I don't understand why you couldn't do it.

Anyway, I don't know that you have enough time to really prepare yourself. It should be noted that running 1/4 of each mile is a recipe for disaster. The nice men in the smokey bear hats will not appreciate your effort nearly as much as you might think. If you are not running the entire time, you're going to have issues. That said, the atmosphere alone may be enough to give you what you need.

If it were me in your situation, I would run five days a week, taking off two (example, no running on Sun and Wen.) You aren't making your time now, so slowing down isn't an option when you are on a compressed schedule. So, I would tell you to run at about 8:00/mile pace. Run as much as you possibly can, and then walk only long enough to recover, and then run some more. Be a slave to the watch, make sure you're going fast enough to pass the run. Take one day (Saturday) and go on a long slow run, covering as much ground as possible but not worrying at all about time. Every other workout would focus on speeding up and covering more ground. It isn't going to be comfortable at all. I would be throwing up several times during each workout, and I would accept that as a small part of the price I had to pay for being out of shape this close to shipping. But, if the time slips away, you may find yourself in PCP. That isn't the end of the world either. They know how to get you up to speed, and you'll be in a training company again before you know it. You wouldn't be the first, or the last, Marine to go that route.