Getting in shape for Selection

[Dustin03]

Originally Posted by Razor

Is there perchance a road nearby? You could always ask a family member/friend to drive you on the road, and you could jump out at selected intervals (based off the vehicle odometer) with some marking tape to put on a nearby tree/phone pole, or with spray paint to hit a couple rocks so you know how far you've gone, and when to turn around. You could do the same thing by borrowing a buddy's bicycle with an odometer. Get your pacecount for 100m (go use a local football field), then use that to measure distance. That'll be good practice for land nav, and give your mind something to focus upon besides pain or boredom. Go to mapquest.com and enter your address and a couple local addresses, then use the 'get directions' feature to tell you how far away they are (by road). In essence, find another way to solve your current unknown distance problem; there are plenty out there if you think about it.

Sir the only problem I see with him using a football field, is that there is a slight difference in yards and meters (1 yard = 0.91 meters) which would make a 100 yard football field = 91.44 meters. Now if I remember correctly, and the lines are still marked, starting from the back of the endzone (not always the goal post either) and going to the end of the opposite endzone would make 110 yards, resulting in 100.5 meters. That has got to be the nerdiest thing I ever figured up, courtesy of www.onlineconversion.com

Also, basically what the professionals are saying is....think outside the box. You have an obstical, are you gonna let it stop you or will you see it as an opportunity for success? The ball is in your court, now get creative with it. I'll give you an example. At first I thought all I had to run around here was 1/4 mile tracks, or long flat marked trails. Well one day I was going to camp with some buddies in the local state park. Everything is pretty much flat here. Well, I get to the park and I'm driving through, and I notice that there are some serious hills. My 4-banger ford also let me know that these weren't small hills either. Next I noticed markings on the road, so I investigate. Sure enough, they where markings for 1 mile intervals painted on the road, to double check i set my odometer between marks. I also knew that local cross country teams at area high schools have meets out here, and that the trail extends all the way around the lake, covering hills, dirt, sand, gravel, pavement, and only half of the course is in shade. Where do you think I spend my time running/rucking now?

Sorry if i'm over stepping my small boundries gentlemen, standing by to push accordingly if needed.

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

BTW lksteve, so you mean fartlek runs will help you if say, you can only run two miles, fartleks will help you run that two miles faster, but fartleks won't help you gain the endurance for running more miles?

well, you'd be hard pressed or hard corps to do three or four miles of fartlek...look at the variety of workouts on the website i posted...there are differing speeds that you can run at...when i was a platoon trainer in IOBC, we would start off with the first mile at about an 8 minute pace...second mile would be at a 6:30 pace, third mile back down to 8 minutes, fourth mile at 7 minutes, last mile at 8 minutes...within about a month, we were starting at a 7:30 pace, dropping down to sub-six minute miles, slowing to seven minutes, dropping down to six minutes, maybe six and a quarter, then slowing down to 6:45, with a cool-down mile at seven and a half minutes...i used to get called on the carpet because my platoons didn't call cadence...that's life at the Infantile Center...at the end of an IOBC class, my 32 year old ass was hard pressed to push a bunch of 23 year old lieutenants who had been trained by a sadistic SF type, but that was part of the reward...

that's one way to use the technique...another way is to run a mile at an 8 minute pace then run quarters alternating between a 1:30 quarter and 2:00 quarter...do that for two miles...run another mile at 8 minutes...after you toughen to that, up the pace, increase the distance...run a mile and a half at a 7:45 per mile pace, run a quarter at 1:25, another at 1:50...whatever works for you...the trick is you have to identify a training site to facilitate this...the distances don't have to be exact...you can run fartleks by time, especially if you have one of those beeping watches with interval timers...you can use fire hydrants, crosswalks, trees, any landmark to start and end your intervals...

if you do six miles of speed interval training, varying your speed, you will increase your speed over six miles provided you never run slower than your current speed...you can cheat yourself doing fartleks...i know some guys that run a really smoking interval, but will slow to 9 minutes between intervals...this isn't going to get you where you are going...fartleks are all about pushing your limits...if you normally run 7:45 miles, you can slow to, maybe 8:15 between intervals, but you'd better be pushing 6:45 or 7:00 to get anything out of the enterprise...

if you can find a track, or since you use a baseball field for speed work, you can do this...run four laps (on the track or six laps around the warning track on a baseball field) at a warm-up pace...spring the straight aways-foul lines, run the curves...do this for sixteen laps on a track (24 laps on a baseball field)...add this regimen to your workout once a week...

another option...time yourself around the track or the baseball field, while you are running at your PT test pace...on a track, you should be able to determine your mile speed...anyway, if you are running 7 minute miles, you need to jog a quarter at 2:00, run a quarter at 1:30 (your target speed should be no slower than 6:00 miles)...on a baseball field, you are going to have to adapt...maybe if you are running a 7 minute pace around the field, you'll finish a lap in 1:30...those are you base speeds and you need to proportion your speed work to hit a 6 minute mile...that would be a 1:15 lap around the baseball field...

fartleks are a sloooooooow way to build endurance, but an effective way to increase speed...to gain speed and endurance, you have to alternate your work outs...i don't know how far you are from reaching your speed goal, but i'd incorporate fartleks into my training a couple of days a week...one time do a mile at a quicker pace than normal, then next time you do them, increase the speed but shorten the distance for you speed intervals...

for goodness sake, if you are aiming at a career in SF, you are going to have to learn to improvise...take a can of spray paint...pace off 400 meters, make a mark...pace off another 400 meters, make a mark...do this along a route you normally run...

another $0.02 observation...quit looking at the obstacles and start looking for solutions...a Special Forces soldier spends most of his time overcoming inconvenience to get things done...no time like the present to start doing just that...

i hate to sound crass or coarse, but i got mine...you need to figure out how to get yours...but keep us posted, we can help...you are in a situation where you need to be creative...that should help in the long run...

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Dustin03

...starting from the back of the endzone (not always the goal post either) and going to the end of the opposite endzone would make 110 yards, resulting in 100.5 meters.

Exactly.

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Dustin03

Sir the only problem I see with him using a football field, is that there is a slight difference in yards and meters (1 yard = 0.91 meters) which would make a 100 yard football field = 91.44 meters. Now if I remember correctly, and the lines are still marked, starting from the back of the endzone (not always the goal post either) and going to the end of the opposite endzone would make 110 yards, resulting in 100.5 meters. That has got to be the nerdiest thing I ever figured up, courtesy of www.onlineconversion.com

screw the metric-SAE conversion...go run...do push-ups...make something happen...

[Sacamuelas]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

Well, I have no friends ...

What is this? Did RL take a new username? LOL


BS2004-
You are not showing any aptitude for operating in an ambiguous environment. TO be frank, this topic isn't very ambiguous either. Are you really having this much trouble figuring out how to do your PT... Does it really take the advice of several experienced QP's just to make you sure of yourself?

I'm not gonna give advice about rucking... but I know you have been given enough to do in this thread to keep you busy for a while. When you hit your personal best times (in your opinion), then come back and ask another fifty questions on how to get over the plateau. Until then, you are just typing instead of running/rucking/strength training. If you have any more questions on this topic... I suggest you click this link first for your answer.
CLICK THIS

Good Luck

[Dustin03]

another good link for a lot of the new guys here looking for "the magic trick" is to check out THIS THREAD posted by Mr. NDD.

Did my first 1000M swim today.......bilateral breathing is the friggin' heat compared to what i was doing. thanks again to all the great advice on swimming.

I do have a question about the fartalik(sp?) running. Is it safe to say, you can increase the distance, or the time, or the speed, but never all three at once?

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Dustin03

I do have a question about the fartalik(sp?) running. Is it safe to say, you can increase the distance, or the time, or the speed, but never all three at once?

fartlek....is it safe? you will not explode if you increase the distance, speed and time on the same day...you may not feel like working out the next day, though...it depends...if you are in decent shape and pretty close to your fitness goal (6:00 miles or faster), then you could easily increase time, speed and distance from workout to workout...if you are struggling to gain speed, a more conservative approach should be taken...push yourself, firmly, but gently...then once you start to feel comfortable, push harder...

Originally Posted by Dustin03

Mr. NDD

hell, just go ahead and call him 'Sir'...

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

BTW, Sacamuelas when I click the link you provided, it says I do not have the priviledges to open that page. Do I need permission from a moderator or something?

don't feel left out...same happened to me...

[Sacamuelas]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

BTW, Sacamuelas when I click the link you provided, it says I do not have the priviledges to open that page. Do I need permission from a moderator or something?

I fixed it. You could not see the original, the one now should be viewable.

Good Luck and hard!!!

[sterling]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

Well yeah, that's the problem though, I have no method of transportation right now and I live out in the boonies essentially, so there are no buses or trains or anything, like in a city.

I did walk over to the track though, only to find that it is locked with a sign saying "Trespassers will be prosecuted, blah blah blah" (i.e. Keep out). I don't know why'd they'd lock up the track, though. It's just a track, after all. I'm going to go back tomorrow; maybe it gets locked up around 2:00 or something, but is open earlier in the day. I'll have to check.

I have a great place to ruck, completely out in the sun with very rough terrain that goes uphill; it only goes for about one-half of a mile, but I figure I would just ruck it, then turn around, ruck back, then turn around, ruck back, etc....to count up miles. If I get desparate for running, I'll just use one of the really big fields and run circles around that.

Thanks for the advice though.

Here is an idea. Call the Track Administrator, Track Coach or Athletic Director and ask what the public use hours are for the track. Always remember stay out of the first three lanes, nothing pisses off the track team more than someone they view as just some "Pin Chi" jogger getting in their way while they do speed work.

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

Yeah, I'll have to check into that. Hey Sacamuelas, the link you provided shows a picture of a guy in a pushup position......is that what it is supposed to show?

i see a guy doing push-ups...and i believe that would be Sacamuelas' advice to you...start with 50 or so and keep doing them until i get tired...

[Dustin03]

Is running until I throw-up, then working out right after until I throw-up a good thing? I think it might have been because of the chicken I ate about 45 minutes before, but I haven't worked THAT hard in a long time.

I can usually hold down anything that wants to come back up, but for some reason today was different.

[lksteve]

Originally Posted by Dustin03

Is running until I throw-up, then working out right after until I throw-up a good thing?

no...you need food...you should either PT before you eat or give yourself some time to digest before you work out...were i you, i'd probably do a little research online...do a little Google-fu as TR might point out...

[NousDefionsDoc]

Originally Posted by Dustin03

Is running until I throw-up, then working out right after until I throw-up a good thing? I think it might have been because of the chicken I ate about 45 minutes before, but I haven't worked THAT hard in a long time.

I can usually hold down anything that wants to come back up, but for some reason today was different.

DAMN son, what the hell's the matter with you? Wait at least two hours after you eat before running. Ideally, you should workout before you eat or just eat a little power bar or something if you can't wait. You ate while watching tv and then went to run when the show was over didn't you?

[Dustin03]

no sir, i was sitting here at the computer, eating some chicken fingers, drinking water, and then i decided it's about as hot as it's gonna get today so I think I'll go run. It was all of about 40 minutes from the time I took my last bite to the time I hit the track. I just had a lot on my mind and felt that if I run extra hard, it would relieve some stress. Well, I ran a mile in 6:44....it normally takes me just over 7:14 a mile.

In the gym, I did a totally different workout. I ran into a Warrent Officer that I met through another friend at the bar this past weekend and he asked if I wanted to jump in with him and his buddy.....well me being young, dumb and full of.....eagerness jumped at the oppurtunity. Let's just say I was smoked harder then I've been in a LONG time. We had all the Air Force kids stairing at us like we where freaks. The cool thing is, he actually knew a few people from my unit, and almost joined, but decided flying helo's was better.

Anyway, I feel better now, just tired....more tired then usual. I'm gonna do some research on overtraining, one of my buddies mentioned that to me tonight, because he said I look like damnit and he thinks I might be pushing to hard. Of course, he's in a leg artillary unit...go figure..