[Jburn1990]

I'm supposed to go to army ranger school in April. Part of the test is 5 miles in 40 mins.

I've always been a slow runner with 2 mile times at around 15:30 - 16:00. In mid August I started doing HR zone running. Specifically, I just completed Matt fitzgerald's 80/20 running 10k intermediate plan. It's a 12 week plan (7 days a week of running, most at zone 2 with 2-3 days of speed work and a distance day at the end of the week where I do 6 miles.)

In sept I was able to do 2 miles in 14:20 (7:10 mile). Im 31 yrs old, I calculated my zone 2 to be between 135-150 but I try to also use the maffetone method for my zone 2 runs so I cap my HR at 145 to ensure I'm not slipping into zone 3.

I've been trying to be patient. When I started zone running my mile times were extremely slow @ around 15:00 min miles. I just chalked it up to having poor aerobic conditioning. But it's been 4 months and I've seen minimal improvement, I now do around a 14:00 - 14:30 min mile.

I did 2.5 miles today @ 7:30 pace. I was able to complete it but was exhausted, my HR got up to 210 bpm. There is no way I could maintain that pace for another 2.5 miles.

So here is my questions:

• anyone have any tips? Should I switch to some other type of running plan?
• does anyone have any thoughts on why I'm not seeing any real improvement?
• I think im somewhere around a 43-45 min 5 mile, is it feasible to get it sub 40 mins in 3 months?
• any other tips that may help me?

 

[Ronin]

For me the 2 main factors that impact my pace are my weight and weekly mileage. So shedding a few pounds and upping load should help.

I’ve also always felt that it’s the long, slow runs that get me race fit and quicker. I believe it’s only on those longer runs that you develop your cardiovascular strength and perhaps more importantly you learn how to manage the pain/discomfort of running faster.

I’ve had a couple of months now of lower mileage before gearing up for 2022 training. If I went out and just ran 4 or 5 miles a handful of times I don’t think I’d see much improvement. It’s those long runs and weekly tally that yield results for me as the weeks roll in.

Good luck - you will do it