Running

[Wolfman07]

I have been running pretty hard almost everyday trying to get my 3 mile run time under 18. Right now its at 19:37, down from three weeks ago when it was at 21:49. Anybody know how to get that run time down or should I just keep doing what Im doing and hope that it will get to 18 before or in bootcamp. Any advice would be appreciated. :thumbup:

[TheBiggness]

Someone told me awhile back to run with water in your mouth so you only breath through your nose. It's sopposed to make you cardiovascular system better.

[SnowPaint078]

I have been running pretty hard almost everyday trying to get my 3 mile run time under 18. Right now its at 19:37, down from three weeks ago when it was at 21:49. Anybody know how to get that run time down or should I just keep doing what Im doing and hope that it will get to 18 before or in bootcamp. Any advice would be appreciated. :thumbup:

As a friend/ poolee once told me, "One brick at a time, then when you can do one brick try going to two bricks." Keeps your mind off the running & helps you get faster. :-P

[BrentAndrew]

Someone told me awhile back to run with water in your mouth so you only breath through your nose. It's sopposed to make you cardiovascular system better.

Yea, I'd choke!

[Wolfman07]

Maybe not any advice, snowpaint. I really didnt want my own advice! ;) Im looking for people who can actually PT without falling out to give me advice, you know what Im talking about snowpaint:p . Haha just kidding man, all advice is welcome, that was seriously some tuff ****. But seriously, Im doing that and Im still getting destroyed. That is my running style and It seems to be working but Im just looking for something more.

[Killa K]

Run 3 miles every other day until May 20th then add on some extra distance and incline. If you live near any hills or mountains then start running those. Train hard and stay motivated and your run time will be below 18:00. You CAN and WILL succeed.

[Killa K]

Run 3 miles every other day until May 20th then add on some extra distance and incline. If you live near any hills or mountains then start running those. Train hard and stay motivated and your run time will be below 18:00. You CAN and WILL succeed.

[Zulu 36]

I have been running pretty hard almost everyday trying to get my 3 mile run time under 18. Right now its at 19:37, down from three weeks ago when it was at 21:49. Anybody know how to get that run time down or should I just keep doing what Im doing and hope that it will get to 18 before or in bootcamp. Any advice would be appreciated. :thumbup:


Don't over do it too quickly. Give your body some time to rest. Killa K suggested running every other day and that is good advice. No one expects you to run a sub-18 minute 3-mile on T-1 day. You're improving well, don't tear something up with only a month to ship date. You might surprise yourself when not running daily. Use the non-running days to work on other things.

I'd follow Killa K's suggestions. They seem sensible. Even if you don't make 18 minutes before shipping, you will have ample opportunity to get there in boot camp. Don't run holding water in your mouth. God knows who dreamed that one up.

I never ran 3-miles faster than 21-minutes. I was slow, but I could run long. At about a 8-minute mile pace, I could run for hours, literally. Remember, speed and endurance are two different things (the tortoise and the hare).

[usmc2007]

well what i did was stop running and ride a bycicle. about 2 months ago i was running 3 miles in about 25 minutes. i stopped and started riding 14 miles on a bicycle everyday for 2 weeks. i started getting those 14 miles in a less and less time, actually getting the last half week in under an hour. well, after that 2 weeks, i got my 3 mile down to 19:56. thats what i did. and i pesonally think that it worked out fairly well.

[Wolfman07]

This is all good advice, thanks. I think Im gonna start running hard every other day and doing tons of other exercises on the "off" days. Running is really not my thing which kinda sucks. Ill probably start next week and hope I dont break myself before the Marine Corps gets it's chance to break me!:evilgrin:

[Qwarkeh]

While we're at it, is there a specific breathing pattern that can be used to make running less painful? I found that I tend to over-breathe (not just with running, I also do it with playing my instrument and among other things) and almost hyperventilate. Yep, I'm terribly out of shape. No better time than to start now.

[HurricaneRJ]

Place a hand over your heart and make sure you can feel it beat.

Get your heart pumping real fast and start breathing in and out with deep breathes.

I found out that after letting all the air out your heart slows down.

Also, get an Ipod and run with some music, some motivating music, music that gets you pumped to take on the whole world type of music. That will break your concentration away from running and time will fly by alot faster than you think.

Once you get to boot camp, you will run in formation singing good ole' cadences which will help out everyone there.

[seanob1]

Intervals also help alot. Say your running on a track, you would sprint one lap, then slow jog the next and keep doing it till u cant stomach it. Also a running partner who could run a 18 min 3 mile would be beneficial. You would be extra motivated to try and keep up

[bigfoot1188]

I run cross country with my school and it seems like you are doing a good job as it is. Although a good way to change things up is go on long runs not just three miles just go run at a nice easy pace for like 30-45 min this will build up your endurance that way you can keep that pace up for a longer amount of time. yeah know what I mean. Then when you finish that long run go do some sprints not to many like 4 or 5 that will keep your speed up.

[Zulu 36]

Bigfoot reminded me of one other little trick I used when getting back into shape after a health induced layoff.

Sprints, but not just short ones. Use the high school track, if available. First you warm up well with a 1/4 to 1/2 mile slow jog. Slow, you're just getting well warmed not exhausted - yet.

Run a 220 meter sprint - fast as you can, full out. Then walk a slow 220, then another 220 sprint, etc. Run about four or five sets. End with a slow 1/4 mile jog. It amazed me how well these sprints added to my distance and time. I did sprints every other running day for several weeks and it really made a difference.

After I was back where I wanted to be, I'd do my normal 3-4 mile run, but end the day with a couple of sets of sprints. Just a couple. I wasn't 18 at the time anymore.

[thezero]

If your trying to cut time for the last 200-400meters sprint, or atleast pick up the pace by alot that can cut a good 5-20sec depending on how hard and how soon you decide to start you sprint for the final stretch. I know it works for Track on of my events is the 1600m or 1mile I ran a 6:33 the first meet, second meet I ran around 6:00min because not only was I in slightly better shape the last lap I picked up the pace then the last 200m I did a dead sprint. Hope this helps

-Matt-

[Qwarkeh]

Whoa, you guys are so helpful. Thanks for the great advice and I'll definitely try them out the next time I go to a nearby track. My high school's track is currently under construction so I don't get the pretty distance markers, but the plain track will still work wonders for me.

[Accord]

Screw running. Go to your local army navy surplus store, buy an old ALICE pack, fill it with bricks, and go on a slow hike for 10 miles. Your enemy at boot camp and SOI will not be running, it will be humping. An 18 minute 3 mile doesn't mean jack when you can't survive a hump. I focused so much on running before boot camp and if I could go back and change one thing, it would be to go on hikes with weight to prepare myself for the humps at boot and SOI.

If you're running a 21:xx 3 mile then you're already ahead of 95% of your fellow poolees and you will be running under 18 by the time you graduate from boot. Focus on hiking.

[PoolieJJB]

While we're at it, is there a specific breathing pattern that can be used to make running less painful? I found that I tend to over-breathe (not just with running, I also do it with playing my instrument and among other things) and almost hyperventilate. Yep, I'm terribly out of shape. No better time than to start now.
Qwarkeh:
What I do when I'm running is start on the left foot (just to get in the habit) and breath in for two steps. (one left step and one right foot) Then I ex-hale for two steps starting on the left foot ....same thing, one left and one right. It kind of makes a beat in your head after a while and makes running a lot easier.

[SnowPaint078]

Screw running. Go to your local army navy surplus store, buy an old ALICE pack, fill it with bricks, and go on a slow hike for 10 miles. Your enemy at boot camp and SOI will not be running, it will be humping. An 18 minute 3 mile doesn't mean jack when you can't survive a hump. I focused so much on running before boot camp and if I could go back and change one thing, it would be to go on hikes with weight to prepare myself for the humps at boot and SOI.

If you're running a 21:xx 3 mile then you're already ahead of 95% of your fellow poolees and you will be running under 18 by the time you graduate from boot. Focus on hiking.

Ya, a PFC that just got back from bootcamp said that he was running a 19:30 and was in the "top" for run times. Im running a 3 mile in 18:18, but as Accord has said, humps will be really tough especially for the thin people. I am about 130 give or take 3 lbs depending on the day. A 50lb pack is more than 1/3 of my body weight, so I in reality I should be less worried about being fast and focus on humps & overall endurance.
-Good advice Accord

[Jrrrr]

Your enemy at boot camp and SOI will not be running, it will be humping.


What's the terrain like at Camp Pendleton anyway? How are the trail grades and total elevation changes on the humps you take in boot camp?

I'm glad you brought this up because I love rucking in the local mountains while I loathe running in the suburbs. Both are aerobic exercise, both make you sweat, but I'm hoping the endurance gained from humping makes up for my dislike for running. Fortunately, it's improving the times I do decide to go running.

I'm using rucking to make up for 1/2 of my running, as well as improve the other half, so I don't want to steer this thread off topic. I think it's a bit of a gamble, but I hope it pays off.

[davblay]

What's the terrain like at Camp Pendleton anyway? How are the trail grades and total elevation changes on the humps you take in boot camp?


In most states the hills have trees and such, at Pendelton, the hills have foot trails! NUFF SAID!:evilgrin:

Good to hear from you ACCORD! Keep up th good work Marine! Ooo-Rah!

[Zulu 36]

What's the terrain like at Camp Pendleton anyway? How are the trail grades and total elevation changes on the humps you take in boot camp?


Here are some photo links of the terrain at CamPen:

http://news.webshots.com/photo/1124944056050758415iIrmUY

http://news.webshots.com/photo/1124944426050758415Awgmwj

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/milsci/gallery/Land-Nav-2002-Camp-Pendleton/aae

Note on photos: Strangely, the best photos I could find quickly had police SWAT oficers in the first two and Army ROTC people in the third. But the terrain you will play on is similar, or worse.

You can also go to Camp Pendleton on Google Earth, or Google Maps and select the satellite photos. Play with the zoom-in/out features and you will get a good idea of the terrain.

[davblay]

http://image09.webshots.com/9/4/40/56/124944056iIrmUY_ph.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/inlinePhoto?photoId=1124944056050758415&src=c&referPage=http%3a%2f%2fnews.webshots.com%2fphoto%2 f1124944056050758415iIrmUY) <script type="text/javascript">writeFlashImage("flash-image", 640, 480, 584, 438, "http://image09.webshots.com/9/4/40/56/124944056iIrmUY_ph.jpg", "http://community.webshots.com/inlinePhoto?photoId=1124944056050758415&src=c&referPage=http%3a%2f%2fnews.webshots.com%2fphoto%2 f1124944056050758415iIrmUY")</script>

Those trails on the hills are not ATV trails!!

[JordanB]

I had the same problem where my run time wouldent get any faster, i keept doing 3 miles at 20 minutes almost on the dot, then my recruiter told me to try altering my workouts more, dont just run 3 miles straight try mabey 2 miles followed by pt thats mostly squats, or like jog one mile, run the next one, and sprint the last one.

[JordanB]

I had the same problem where my run time wouldent get any faster, i keept doing 3 miles at 20 minutes almost on the dot, then my recruiter told me to try altering my workouts more, dont just run 3 miles straight try mabey 2 miles followed by pt thats mostly squats, or like jog one mile, run the next one, and sprint the last one.

[JordanB]

I had the same problem where my run time wouldent get any faster, i keept doing 3 miles at 20 minutes almost on the dot, then my recruiter told me to try altering my workouts more, dont just run 3 miles straight try mabey 2 miles followed by pt thats mostly squats, or like jog one mile, run the next one, and sprint the last one. DOnt

[WalkingMan]

I have been running pretty hard almost everyday trying to get my 3 mile run time under 18. Right now its at 19:37, down from three weeks ago when it was at 21:49. Anybody know how to get that run time down or should I just keep doing what Im doing and hope that it will get to 18 before or in bootcamp. Any advice would be appreciated. :thumbup:

I am a regular runner and PT addict, six days a week (Sunday, I rest).

Two things that I use, that you might find useful:

1) I have a chronographic watch, so I can see how many seconds have elapsed on each lap, as I'm running. So if I know what time I am aiming for on the lap, I know how well I am doing, at any given point.

Also, this points out to me where my pace fails. If I do well on the first three laps, and crash and burn on the last lap, I can better figure out why, and work on correcting the problem.

2) I keep a nice running cadence going in my head the whole time. If the cadence is putting me just a little bit ahead on each lap, then I go into the last lap knowing I have a time reserve, which is a big psychological boost, right about the time I was starting to feel really tired.

[MCWRESTLER2006]

I would personally just keep on doing what you are doing.