Are you seeking how to run faster on your Air Force PT test 2022? if so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I am glad you have made it here. Regardless what year you are training for this post is devoted to you. I recently created the Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course. The focus behind this course was to help not only Soldiers but military members from all branches to run faster on their PT tests. In addition, to help civilians sustain their goal race pace longer.
We as military members are focusing on the 1.5 mile to the 4 mile distance depending on our branches. The Army has the 2 mile and the Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy focus on the 1.5 mile run. The Marines train for the 3 mile run and the Navy Seals must run 4 miles in at least 31 minutes. So, depending on what branch you are serving in, pace sustainment is the name of the game. The question is what percentage of your weekly training are you preparing to run at or below your goal race pace?
A common mistake I saw many Soldiers making when I was serving is they simply weren't running enough. Sure, we would have ability group runs and do sprints once or twice per week but that was about it. Remember, I came from a running background so I knew what was enough and what was insufficient prior to joining the Army. I have run 9:27 for 2 miles, 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35 for the marathon. You are more than welcome to visit the about page if you would like to know about my racing background.
New Navy PT Requirements
The new 2022 Navy physical readiness requirements require sailors to run a 1.5 mile run. My goal as your personal coach and mentor with this course is to help you run as fast as possible. I will be teaching you everything that I was taught by three of the world's top distance running coach. My collegiate coach (Jack Hazen), mentor (Dr. Joe Vigil) and professional coach (Lisa Rainsberger) all taught me that leverage needs to be the top priority. Lisa won the 1985 Boston marathon in 2:34.04 and hold a personal best of 2:28.15 for the marathon. She also won the Chicago Marathon twice. Remember, it isn't just about the amount of mileage you are doing.
There are plenty of athlete who are running high mileage but still running too slow. Athletes can only run faster from 1.5 miles to 4 miles by training significantly faster than goal race pace. The end goal here is to improve your body's lactate tolerance. So, to run faster on the Air Force PT test 2022 edition you need to increase your mileage. In addition, you need to focus more of your weekly training at, close to and far below goal race pace.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSEAir Force 1.5 Mile Time
How many days a week have you been running? Look at your past training and can you honestly say you have been doing all you can? The facts are we can always do more and most of us have never pushed ourselves to our so-called limits. Remember, they once said it was impossible for a human to break the 4 minute mile. Did you know there has been 1 man who has broken 8 minutes for the 2 mile? The world record for the 2 mile was set by Daniel Komen of Kenyan who ran an incredible time of 7.58.61.
Yes, 2 back-to-back sub-4 minute miles. In fact, his world record time of 7:20.67. for the 3000m is seen as the toughest track and field record on the books. A 7:20.67 for 3000m is equivalent to a 7:56 2-mile time. Komen average around 58.7 for the 7 and half laps around the track. How did he achieve such a feat? Of course, the man has genetic talent. That being said, he spent a higher percentage of his weekly training at much higher anaerobic efforts than the average athlete.
I have trained and lived with, been beaten by and outrun world-class Kenyans. They put their pants on one leg at a time and bleed red just like you and I. The trick to beat them or run new personal bests for your chosen distance is to stress the energy systems of the body. The problem is many of us are running to many miles or kilometers too slow. Yes, we build endurance by way of this but stamina and speed development is neglected.
How Fast Does Air Force Have to Do 1.5 Mile Run?
There are baseline run times both males and females within the Air Force must meet. For example, for men with a waist line of 39 inches must run at least 18 minutes and 30 seconds. Females with a 35.5 inch waist need to run their 1.5 mile run in at least 21 minutes and 35 seconds. The military branches are always changing up their standards. The Air Force is not different, respectfully. The slimmer your waist line the time expectations increase.
That being said, the same focus applies when it comes to running. We want to sustain goal race pace more effectively than our competition. The goal of the Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course is to help runners in all branches. The course focuses on the 2 mile distance but what I cover can help runners all the way up to the marathon distance. I highly recommend spending a few weeks running easy, aerobic mileage first. In addition, adding in strides to your weekly training routine. Strides are short, 50 to 100 meter long sprints.
You will have spent several miles or kilometers at sprint paces doing strides over a 16-week training plan. The course itself ends with a training plan built for your goals. In addition, includes 9 modules containing a total of 53 video lessons.
Air Force 1.5 Mile Run Training Plan
I did not see a running course online for military members training for their physical fitness test. So, I decided to share all the tactic and strategies I used to eventually get accepted into the Army World Class Athlete Program. The Air Force also has a World Class Athlete Program and their standards are similar to ours. There are major difference between the All-Air Force team and the Air Force WCAP program.
One is you go to your competition and come back to your Squadron. The other is your full-time job. The Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course is far more than just an Air Force 1.5 mile run training plan. I cover numerous training tactics some of the world's top runners taught me such as…
- Supercompensation theory (what it is and how to use it to your advantage)
- How to utilize heart rate monitor training to get the best results
- Why so few athletes use mental rehearsal and why the very best do
- The proper paces to run on your fast and slow days
- How to minimize injuries and alternatives to training to get the best results
- My top recommendation to run a minimum of 30 seconds faster on your 1.5 mile run changing one aspect of your preparation with no training
- What is needed to sustain race pace longer from 1.5 miles to the marathon distance
- How to improve your hydration and fueling practices for success
- Long run strategies I used to run 2:19:35 (5:19 mile pace) for the marathon and how you can use them on the Air Force pt test 2022
- Tactics I used to qualify for two Armed Forces cross-country teams
- and much, much more
How Do I Prepare for Air Force Run?
You have to get beyond just running once or twice per week during your mandatory morning Air Force PT. I spent over 20 years on active duty in the Army retiring in March of 2022. I saw far too many Soldiers doing just enough to get by, respectfully. You can't drop significant time off of your 1.5 mile run by running twice per week. What are you doing the other hours of your day? How often are you training at or below your goal 1.5 mile run pace?
How long are your tempo runs? I will go in-depth on the proper distance you need to be aiming at to run a faster 1.5 mile time in this course. The longer you can spend training at your anaerobic threshold the easier your goal 1.5 mile race pace is going to feel. More importantly, you need to spend 1 day each week doing speed work. We run at or around 88 percent of our maximum heart rate during tempo runs. In comparison, run around 95 to 100 percent of max heart rate at the vo2 max.
Our anaerobic threshold is the point where lactic acid begins to rise when we are running. Of course, we can run for several minutes or miles at this effort. The Vo2 max is your body's maximum heart rate. So, we can only spend a few seconds to a few minutes at this effort. Both are essential workout efforts to get that 1.5 mile goal time you are aiming for to feel easier on you. No, it won't be easy. The good news is the body always adapts. It takes the body between 3 to 4 weeks to adapt to any stress load we place on it.
Run Longer
What has been the longest long run you have done in the past preparing for your 1.5 mile event? Can you imagine how strong you would be if you lengthened it out to around 10 to 12 miles? Remember, consistent mileage and running more can often times make a significant difference for most athletes. The reason being is most are putting in just enough to get by. What if you immersed yourself in running and perhaps aimed for races even further than 1.5 miles?
The more you focus on working on your speed and improving your endurance the better you are going to be on your Air Force PT test 2022. The Air Force PT test will be around long after 2022 too. So, you have to study from the best runners and find out what they are doing to get superior results.
I, too, have been outrun by many runners. It took me many years to run a 4:22 mile (1609 meters), 9:27 2-mile(3218m), 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35. I also trained at faster paces to eventually run 24:32 for 5 miles, 50:54 for 10 miles and 1:07:06 (5:07 mile pace for 13.1 miles) for the half marathon.
Faster Long Runs
One of the top strategies I used was to start varying the pace of my long runs. I ran under 10 minutes for the 2 mile distance several times on the Army APFT prior to it being changed to the ACFT test. Faster long runs was a part of the reason i was able to do it.
Remember, I have been training for over 30 years. So, fast times don't come overnight. You really have to work hard and want to succeed. I already know you do otherwise you wouldn't have read this far. You don't want to run long and slow every single weekend for your long runs. The majority of the world does this. The top runners are very calculated when it comes to how they train.
I teach in the course the exact strategies I used to lower my marathon from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. In addition, the same tactics that helped me earn a USA Track and Field Olympic Trials “A” standard time in the marathon. The same running tips I share are the same that helped me lower my 2 mile from 11:30 to 9:27 as well.
Closing Thoughts
Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I focus on creating new videos there each week to help runners such as yourself get to the next level in their training. One of the top recommendations I can share is to be patient and be consistent with your training. Remember, the longer your build up the less of a rush you will be in to get into race shape. Yes, it is a process to hold race pace more effectively.
That being said, the body will always adapt if you stress and rest it accordingly. The Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course is a great fit for any military member regardless of branch. The success principles to become a great runner are universal regardless what branch you are in. It is also a great course for civilians seeking to perform better over 1.5 miles and up to the marathon. I am confident that if you follow the tips I share in this course you will set a new personal best on the Air Force pt test 2022.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSE
