Are you seeking how to surpass the ACFT standards 2022 and set a new personal best over 2 miles? If so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve. Are you a member of another branch of the military? Are you a civilian seeking to run a faster time over the 2 mile distance? I am glad you have made it here. I created a running course called the Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mille course specifically for athletes such as yourself. Running fast is an art form and it takes patience and time in order to get it right.
The focus of this course is to help runners train smarter rather than harder. Remember, higher mileage is not always the answer if your miles or kilometers are spent running too slow. So, we have to get beyond that in order to make you a better runner.
The best middle to long distance runners are always seeking how to use leverage. Leverage simply means doing more with less. Have you ever worked with a hard working athlete who still wasn't getting the results they were seeking? Have you ever worked with a highly educated employee who was broke? Why is that? A failed philosophy. Would you rather run 25 miles a week and get a new personal best over 2 miles or 80 miles and miss your goal? I'd rather work smarter.
ACFT 2 Mile Run Standard
The new Army ACFT was only recently implemented. We used to do push ups , sit ups and the 2MR in the older Army APFT version of the test. The new ACFT standards 2022 has the Soldiers participating in 6 different events now. Of course, Soldiers are always up for the task but have to handle more events prior to the start of their 2 mile run now.
The most important thing you can do is to work to improve your body's lactate tolerance. The ACFT standards 2022 are only a guide. You may be reading this post in 2023 or later. The same focus is going to hold true. How to get across the finish line of those 8 laps in record time.
My goal is to teach you everything I know in this course. I was able to run 9:27 for 2 miles, 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35 utilizing the same tactics you will be learning in this ACFT Army 2 mile course. Yes, it is also designed to help military member in other branches, from other countries and civilians alike.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSEArmy ACFT 2 Mile Run Standards
Below is a list of the 2 mile run standards in 2022 you will have to focus on obtaining. The biggest problem I saw in my 20 years of active duty service in the Army with Soldiers was pace sustainment. In addition, improper pacing in the race. The Soldiers were running far too aggressive in the first few laps of the race.
The problem was they were going into oxygen debt too early and then had to slow down significantly in the las few laps of the effort. The same holds true for Marines, Air Force and members of other military branches. It is very easy to get hyped up in the early parts of the run portion of your physical fitness test.
The key is to stay relaxed, be conservative early and attack in the last few laps when everyone else is fatigued and slowing down. It takes patience and practice in order to do this effectively. I would recommend spending 3 to 4 weeks running easy aerobic mileage first. In addition, adding in strides to your routine twice per week. Strides are too short to build up any significant amount of lactic acid.
Strides are short, 50 to 100 meter gradually sprints. They will help you improve your form and acceleration. In addition, are great for warming up and getting your heart rate up prior to doing faster, anaerobic efforts.
Army Combat Fitness Test Standards
So, the goal here is to not get intimidated by the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) run standards. They are there to challenge you and get you out of your comfort zone. The focus is to work your plan and plan your work.
This course will end with a 16-week 2 mile training plan built specifically for your chosen goal 2 mile time. Member of the Marines and focused on a 3-mile run? No problem. You will be sent a 16-week 5K training plan built around your goal 3 mile run time. The training philosophy I teach was taught to me by three of the worlds's top distance running coaches and fitness experts.
- Dr. Joe Viigil – world renowned exercise physiologist and distance coach
- Jack Hazen – My collegiate coach and 2012 Olympic Games mens and women's distance coach
- Lisa Rainsberger – coached me as a professional when I was assigned to the Army World Class Athlete program
Sailors focused on attending Navy Seal training and meeting that 31 minute 4-mile time will get their specific training plan too. Military members and civilians aiming to run faster over 1.5 miles to 2 miles will get theirs. Again, my focus in creating this course was to provide the first internet, online running course built to help you succeed.
Army ACFT 2 Mile Run Time
The Army ACFT 2 mile run is the last of 6 events of the new Army PT test. Yes, the ACFT standards 2022 will test you as you have 5 events to participate in prior to the start of the 2 mile. That being said, if you train at, near or far below your goal 2 mile run time the better off you are going to be. You will have trained at paces that are exceedingly faster than you plan to race at.
What happens here is you recruit more fast twitch muscle fibers. The more of these you can recruit the more efficient you are going to cover the 8 laps of the track. Yes, you may be in a branch of the military that has you run 1.5 miles or 3 miles. The training strategies and tactics in the Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course can be applied to distances all the way to the marathon.
The longer your build up, the better. The reason is you will not rush your fitness. remember, it takes between 3 to 4 weeks for your body to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it. So, you have to build your aerobic base before you start working on 1.5 mile to 4 mile specific training workouts.
How to Run a Faster 2 Mile Time
Focus on building a a strong base of mileage first. You want to minimize the likelihood of injury. In addition, strengthen your ligaments, tendons and muscles prior to starting faster workouts. As mentioned above, start implementing strides into your weekly routine twice per week. You can do 5 to 6, 50 to 100 meter repetitions. Remember, the strides should gradually increased in speed until the last 20 meters are all out.
Work on running longer. A major mistake I saw many military members making is not running far enough. In addition, not running enough, period. You can't run a superior 1.5 mile to 4 mile time running once or twice per week during morning PT. Sure, it is enough to get you in great shape but what about race shape?
Focus on speed development. The athlete needs to be spending a longer period of time running at their anaerobic threshold. We are running at or around 88 percent of our maximum heart rate at this effort. Tempo runs are an example of this. How do you find out what pace you should run your tempo's at? Dr. Joe Vigil states that you should take your best mile time and add a minute to it and that is the effort you want to focus on.
We focus on doing 1 vo2 max workout per week during this course. You will be running at between 95 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate at vo2 max. Your vo2 max is your body's maximum oxygen uptake. It is running so fast you can't clear lactic acid faster than it is building up. The end goal of workouts like this (i.e. speed workouts) is getting your 1.5 mile to 4 mile goal race pace to feel easier.
Closing Thoughts
Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I create new vlog training content there each week to help warriors such as yourself get to the next level. There is much more to write here but take a look at what the Army ACFT 2 mile course has to offer to you.
I have covered every aspect of what it takes to run a superior time over the 2 mile distance and beyond in this course. You are more than welcome to visit the about page if you would like to know more about my racing and fitness background.
Yes, the ACFT standards 2022 will challenge you. That being said, if you follow the fundamentals I teach in this course you are going to set yourself up for success. I am highly confident that what you learn in this course will help you set a new personal best time from 1.5 miles up to the marathon. I look forward to interviewing you after you complete the course and training. Also, hearing about your new personal best.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSE
