Are you seeking how to run a faster 1.5 mile run during your Naval Academy fitness test? If so, I am glad you have arrived here and welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I have run 9:27 for 3.2km (2 miles), 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35 for the marathon. In addition, I spent over 20 years in the US army. So, I do understand the complexities of military life while training to be a good runner. I recently created a resource called the Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course.
It is a running course to help both American and allied military force members to run faster on their PT tests. My goal is to help Naval cadets to perform higher on their Naval Academy fitness test. In addition, to help military members in other branches to run faster on theirs.
The first thing you must do is spend a minimum of 4 weeks running easy, aerobic mileage. Remember, you need to strengthen the ligaments, tendons and muscles of the body first. Hard, anaerobic training takes a lot out of the body. So, you want to minimize the likelihood that you will get injured.
What are the Physical Fitness Requirements for the Naval Academy?
The Naval Academy fitness test requires new cadets to do push ups, curl ups and a 1.5 mile run. So, you have to focus on strength training as well as building your endurance. In addition, you need to also improve your overall leg speed. Remember, the 2.4km (1.5 mile) run is a highly anaerobic event. The event is over in a matter of a few minutes. The end goal of this new running course is to help improve the athlete's lactate tolerance. In addition, to ensure you sustain your goal race pace more efficiently.
Yes, easy running is still important. The real benefits of your hard training are going to come after the workouts are completed. So, giving yourself 48 hours of recovery between hard workouts is a wise move. I would start adding in strides to your routine during your base-building phase. Strides are too short to build up any large amounts of lactic acid. So, you can do these short, 50 to 100 meter acceleration drills without getting fatigued.
What is a Good Score for the Naval Academy Fitness Test?
I would recommend focusing on a 16 to 20 week build up for your all out 2.4km (1.5 mile) effort. Again, you don't want to be in a rush. Anything worth doing is worth doing right the first time. I saw far too many American and foreign troops getting this wrong while I was serving in the military. A passing score is 550 for the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA). The CFA is an important part of your entrance into one of the military service academies. You will only run 1 mile during this specific test.
That being said, you want to make sure you are in race shape in order to do the best possible job. The CFA included 7 specific physical fitness tests you will need to undergo.
- Basketball throw (from a kneeling position)
- 1 mile run
- Sit ups
- Push ups
- Flexed arm hang (females only)
- Shuttle run
- Cadence pull ups (males)
You don't want to start doing sprints, speed workouts, tempo runs until you have first build a strong foundation of easy mileage first. Remember, it takes between 21 days to 4 weeks for the body to adapt physiologically to the stresses you are placing on it. So, you have to prepare strategically for the Naval Academy fitness test. You may even have as a goal to attend Navy Seal training later. Minimum run times for their 4-mile run event is 31 minutes. This new running course can help runners focused on the 2 mile all the way to the marathon distances.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSEHow Fast Do You Have to Run 1.5 Miles in the Navy?
The minimum run times for male cadets for the 1.5 mile run is 10:30. Females need to run a 1.5 mile time of at least 12:40. Male cadets that are aiming on maxing their Naval Academy fitness test run scores need to run a time of 8:15. Female cadets need to run a time of 9:35 in order to max out their 1.5 mile run. So, training a higher percentage of your weekly volume at higher intensities is essential in order to do this. Easy running is still important.
That being said, pace sustainment comes down to how you handle higher lactic acid accumulation. You should be jogging on recovery days. Your hard days should be run anywhere from 85 to 105% of max heart rate. What has been the longest tempo run you have done in the past preparing for your Naval academy fitness test? 2 miles? 3? I would strongly recommend working to lengthen that out to 4 to 5 miles. One, you will improve your body's lactate tolerance. In addition, you will be able to handle your race pace much more efficiently by running further.
Proper pacing is also vital if you are going to drop significant time. I always recommend doing a negative split. So, focus on running that second half of your 3.2km run faster than you ran the first half. You don't want to go into oxygen debt and be forced to slow down missing out on the time you were aiming for.
How Much Do You Run in the Naval Academy?
You will be running several times per week in the Naval Academy. We were running around 3 to 4 times per week during Army basic training and Army Officer Candidate School. The real test is when the Academy training atmosphere is over and you have to stay motivated on your own. Of course, Sailors, like Soldiers and other military members, have morning PT to attend.
You may not have control over the type of PT you want to do in the morning. That being said, you do have control of the other hours of your day. We have 3 choices in this life. We can be average, good or great. I take it you want to be great at running otherwise you wouldn't be here. So, to get better you have to focus on speed development. In addition, building your endurance by running more. I saw far too many Soldiers falling out on ability group runs during my time in the Army. Why?
They simply weren't running enough. In addition, running sufficient mileage at paces that were closer to their anaerobic threshold. We run at between 85 to 89 percent of our max heart rate at this intensity. So, to sustain race pace longer you have to get beyond just easy, aerobic mileage. You can run higher mileage too slow and still not meet your racing goal times.
Closing Thoughts
Would you like to keep in touch as you progress with your military and running career? Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. My focus there is to create weekly content to help runners such as yourself make it to the next level. Perhaps you have as a goal to qualify for the All-Navy team for CISM or another running event. Are you aiming to qualify for the Boston Marathon? There are a lot of running-related resources available here at RunDreamAchieve to help you succeed.
Lastly, make sure you are paying attention to mental training. The majority of service members and civilians neglect this essential part of running success. So, start spending 10 minutes daily during your training build-up visualizing yourself succeeding. In addition, running strong, relaxed and getting across the finish line with your goal 1.5 mile run time on the clock. The Navy PRT standards are there to challenge you. This new running course will help you drop significant time off of that 1.5 mile personal best you currently have.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSE
