6 Tips for Passing the Army 2 Mile Run

6 TIPS TO PASSING YOUR 2 MILE RUN

Every time we set up for a PT test the company expels nervous grumbles about the run. It seems to be the weakest point for a lot of military athletes. The Army loves to make its soldiers suffer so my guess is that it will NEVER go away. The technical reason why the Army and other military branches include a 1-2 mile run is because of studies showing that events longer than 12 minutes provides a good indicator of aerobic fitness. So why 2 miles versus a one mile run? Because the Army wants to make you suffer.

Now it is time to accept your responsibility as a soldier to complete this job dependent task. I have SIX tips to help you prepare and pass that next run assessment:

TRAIN FOR IT: This is simple but most over complicate it. You really won’t get better at the two mile run event without actually running. There are two common pitfalls in most soldier’s training, especially Reservists. The biggest item is simply not running or running enough. Active duty soldiers have to attend regular physical fitness training which includes at least one or two days of running per week. Reservists and National Guard members don’t have that required physical training so they simply don’t run enough. The second pitfall in the majority of soldiers is proper and specific intense training. 60/120s will only get you so far and that isn’t very far if over used. There is a time and a place for 60/120s. Soldiers need to include more prolonged interval sessions like ½ mile repeats at race pace. So:
- If you never run you will never be ready
- You can be prepared to pass the run on less than 10 miles a week. Just be smart about how those miles are spent
  - Race pace training for prolonged distance (1/2 mile repeats)
  - Shorter intervals at a pace faster than goal pace
  - Distance run (4-5 miles) to develop endurance
Figure out what pace you need to run and stick to that pace: Don’t shoot off the starting line. It is easy to run fast when you are fresh, like at the start of the run. If you run too fast at the beginning your energy stores will run out and your breathing won’t be able to recover fast enough to finish. You will end up hurting much more than required and creating a tougher mental battle to fight in order to keep pushing.
Run your own race: There is a saying we have in the endurance world “Run your own Race”. This means that you need to block out what other athletes are doing so you can focus on what you have prepared to do. Don’t get caught up in what the soldiers are doing around you. You know what you have to do in order to hit your run time. Just do that!
Use remaining time left as a motivator: After a mile of running you will be suffering. Your breathing will be elevated, muscles hurt, feet hurt, and thoughts of quitting or slowing down will start to trickle in to your mind. The trick to push through this is to think of the remaining time left. An example is “only 8 minutes left of hard running. 8 minutes is nothing compared to all of the remedial I will have to do if I quit now.” The two mile event isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. Remind yourself of that and you will be able to prevail.
Positive self-talk: There is enough research in the athletic world showing the benefits of positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is just pepping yourself up through phrases like “I will finish this run”, “I am strong”, “I am fit”, “I’ve practiced for this and I am ready”. Using these pep talks have been shown to reduce your perceived effort of the task. Negative self-talk, most commonly seen form of self-talk in soldiers, increases the feeling of the effort therefore making the run suck even more.
Tell yourself to relax and focused: Finally, if you are struggling and starting to lose the battle repeat two words over and over until you have control of your thoughts or you finish the run. Those two magical words are…. “Relax, Focus”. Just keep repeating those two words to yourself and you will feel better about your situation.