Running improvement?

Question

I'm looking for basic pointers to improve my run time. Right now I'm somewhat out of shape and my run time stands at around 18 minutes for 2 miles. I have a pt test in exactly a week were the minimum passing time is 16:30 and am looking for tips (what to eat, exercises to do etc...) that will give me a little extra boost to shave off that extra minute and half in just a week.

Answer 1

Not to get you down, but 1:30 is a lot to drop in a week. You should make sure you are hydrated, take a light jog the day before to loosen up and eat light if your test is in the morning. No Carbs or dairy the morning of. That will leave you with cramps. The race itself is a mind game. Don't get caught up with the people who sprint out at the beginning. find your pace and stick to it. If you need 8:15, then you should shoot for a 4 min half mile. If you are ahead or behind, adjust your pace. Keep track with your watch if you have to. Be sure to kick hard for the last 1/4 mile. Other than that, train better for the next one. 2 miles at 8:15 each is not too difficult, so you will just need to run 3 times a week for 4 miles or so to get in good enough shape to do well. But you will need to work on increasing your stamina. 9 Minutes isn't bad, you just need to pick up the pace during training. Think about adding some intervals to the mix. Try running 4 miles on monday, a hill workout on tuesday, 1/2 mile intervals on thursday and a 5~6 mile run on saturday. You will dominate the race the next time you run it! Good luck. I wish you would have asked this question about a month ago.

Answer 2

eat healthy stuff like apples and bananas. EAT WATERMELON my brother told me they are higher in potassium then a banana. also run 2 miles every day and when the race is go faster then normal don't stop and push your self to the limits (thats how i got under 14 minutes) also don't go to fast because you might run out of air. also DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT DRINK VITAMIN WATER OR GATORADE they make you sick and the calories are very high and it actually slows you down. drink water and plenty of it it has no calories and high in vitamins.

Answer 3

Run intervals instead of distance to get speed. and the night before your text eat spaghetti because its carbs and my cross country coach always had us do that for some reason it helps and it burns off faster. EAT HEALTHY!!!!

i hope i could help.

Answer 4

If you are looking to improve your mile time, train by running shorter distances to build your speed. Like if you normally run 1600m try running 800m 2-4 times a week. Just eat healthy and don't eat 2 hours before you run, it will cause a sidestich.