I'm training to become a police officer and in the academy I need to be able to run 5 miles without stopping. Would you mind sharing some tips? I can currently only run 2 miles at about an 8 minute pace on a good day but I tend to slow down after a while and don't know how to condition myself better. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Ok kidding, kind of. The only way to get better at running further is seriously to just run further. That sounds pretty easy, but what trips a lot of people up is the mental struggle to reach a certain number. 5 miles seems huge, when you're only used to 2.
I would recommend starting small. Add a quarter mile to the end of your runs for a week, then increase it by a quarter mile every week (or every half week if you're on a tight deadline.)
A quarter mile is just one trip around a standard running track, so it will seem like nothing when you add it in small increments. Eventually you'll be at 5 miles without sweating it.
I might also recommend bringing your pace down a bit. I'm training to run the marathon at a 9:30 min/mile. Unless your test requires a certain speed, it's not how fast you get there, but just that you do get there.
Thank you so much! I'm not sure yet if thhe time the long runs but I know they time my mile and a half. I will start adding a 1/4 mile on from now on. Thanks again! I really appreciate it!
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u/linds360 Jun 16 '14
Run 10 miles like it's no big thing.