advice on training to be able to run 3.2 km in 15m 20s

pwd

I am interested in doing a cadetship
To qualify for one I need to be able to complete an 800m warm-up in 4 m 50 s immediately followed by a 2.4 km run in under 10m 30s.
I worked out a course on a map. At the moment I can run about 3.3 km in about 19m.
Found that I slowed down more because my legs were tired than because I was out of breath. There was a small amount of a gradient in the run but it was circular so the climb should have been compensated for by the descent.

Does anyone have any advice for training for this sort of distance? Would the best way just to keep running that far and trying to improve my speed?

kasintahan

pwd wrote:

To qualify for one I need to be able to complete an 800m warm-up in 4 m 50 s immediately followed by a 2.4 km run in under 10m 30s.

Does the 2.4km have to be done in the 10:30?, or can you use the time left over from 800m?

If you have the full 15:20 to do 3.2km then you'll have no problem.
Just practice a 5k a couple of times a week and you'll fly through it.

NOTE: When I started I couldn't do more than 2km at 10kmph at the start.
Within a couple of months I coasted 5km at 13kmph.

Energy is important, maybe take a couple of glucose sweets (tescos) before hand to keep you going.

pwd

can't use left over time.
What do you think of this info?:

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/testprep.htm

L5

pwd wrote:

can't use left over time.
What do you think of this info?:

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/testprep.htm

i have applied for the cadepship also.
The 800m part would be simple, i take it you qualify as long as you make it inside that time. So id take it easy for the 800m, and try and save your energy for the big one.

Captain Trips

pwd wrote:

I am interested in doing a cadetship
To qualify for one I need to be able to complete an 800m warm-up in 4 m 50 s immediately followed by a 2.4 km run in under 10m 30s.
I worked out a course on a map. At the moment I can run about 3.3 km in about 19m.
Found that I slowed down more because my legs were tired than because I was out of breath. There was a small amount of a gradient in the run but it was circular so the climb should have been compensated for by the descent.

Does anyone have any advice for training for this sort of distance? Would the best way just to keep running that far and trying to improve my speed?

Prob want to start doing 5min run, walk 60 secs then 5 min run and so on, building up to 5km within a few weeks. There's a plenty of sites online to give you parameters for going for marathons, etc., like this. You have a time limit involved so instead of focussing on distance and endurance (no probs is 3.2km) you need to start upping the pressure and get a stopwatch on yourself, timing segments, etc., .

kasintahan

Captain Trips wrote:

Prob want to start doing 5min run, walk 60 secs then 5 min run and so on, building up to 5km within a few weeks. There's a plenty of sites online to give you parameters for going for marathons, etc., like this. You have a time limit involved so instead of focussing on distance and endurance (no probs is 3.2km) you need to start upping the pressure and get a stopwatch on yourself, timing segments, etc., .

2.4km in 10:30 is only 13.71kmph.

That's well managable with a bit of training

TBH I'm rather new to this running thing. I just do it to lose weight. I'd have a look at a few sites and if you see a pattern in the advice then follow it.

pwd

I'm guessing by the references to exact speed sin your posts that you do most of your training on a treadmill.
I know that running on a treadmill is easier than running on ground, because you do not have to push yourself forweard in the same way, so that times/distances achieved on that do not actually show how fast/far you can run.
But do you know if you incline the treadmill to a specific amount, is the effort involved then equivalent to running on ground? A quick google suggests yes:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/235.shtml

but doesn't really indicate whether you can measure how fast and far you can run doing this. Slightly different muscles are probably used even if the effort is the same I guess.
Thanks for your advice/encouragement (the other two posters also)

kasintahan

Yep treadmill and yep it's not the same. It's true to say that treadmills on the flat are easier to run on (less physical effort and less pressure on joints). A degree or two of incline will sort that out though.

The psycolgical stress of being surrounded by heavy, moving, machinery and knowing a fall would hurt something awful can't be discouned though.

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Despite what the forms may say, if you show enough determination to pass you will usually pass any DF fitness tests regardless of actual times. The tests are there not just to see if you can pass but to see if you've made the effort... as silly as the DF are if they see someone has made an effort to pass a test you will usually pass it.

Having said that, in terms of a Cadetship unless you're applying as Gaeilge or have significant RDF/PDF service you'd be best off trying to get as low a time as possible rather than just scraping the minimum.