Will I notice any improvement from HIITs in 10 days?

Question

I've been recently running to prepare for a PAT for a local police dept. I had never previously been a runner and am still learning lots of GREAT things about the sport in my preparation. I was recently explained the concept of HIIT but ofcourse I'm now 10 days away from the day of my test. Will I see results in these 10 days? I've been alternating my effort runs every other day and 3miles at a slower pace everyother day. How should I incorporate HIIT? My test is next Friday so a training regime would be great if anyone has any suggestions for maximum results in 10 days. TIA

Answer 1

Nothing in 10 days will drastically improve your times.. but HIIT could certainly help.. What's your target time & distance for the test? Where are you at now? And how long are your effort runs for?

My HIIT is generally 8-12sec @ 100% x 90s rest X 15-20.. I have a great concern about keeping my speed, so I keep with shorter bursts. Running at 100% puts me over my VO2 max and has a greater impact on post-exercise oxygen consumption.

Some people who run where I do, do 30s @ 80% x 60-120s x 8-10. These are your more typical runners.

I'd try 25s @ 80% x 60-90s x 6-8.. That's a good place to start, I think. I assume your test is somewhere around 1.5-2.5 miles. Work your way up or down from there. I do my HIIT twice a week and do regular runs twice a week.