Let me start by saying, I do not enjoy distance running…at all.  I do love to sprint, though.  However, the Air Force requires me to run, and I am tested on my 1.5 mile run time.

Not too long ago (less than a year) I was timed at 11:36 for my fitness test.  A run like that and the other areas of the test scored me a decent score, but I was two minutes away from getting the max points.  I have never been a fan of mediocrity and wanted to get a score of one hundred.  The quest began.

Only running two days a week, I was able to drop almost a minute by my next test.  Then the following one five months after my 11:36 run yielded me a 9:54.  Finally, two months after that we tested again, and I was clocked at 9:35, one second faster than my goal.

One day out of the week I ran for distance and the other for speed.  The distance runs were roughly three miles.  I never really kept time because pushing myself has never been an issue with fitness.  I hate to run.  Therefore, I try to finish as quickly as I can in order to make it stop.  I pick a distance and race to the finish.  Some people might find that running for a set time works best for them, not me.

The other run day was filled with sprints…yea!  I would go to the track and run a quarter mile (400 yards) as fast as I could.  Then I would walk a quarter mile.  Usually, I only would do six sets of these.  Afterward, I was exhausted but would still lightly jog a half mile lap.  Doing this forced me to push through the areas of my run when I was exhausted.

This program is so effective because you are developing all of your run muscles, as well as breathing efficiency.  Distance running builds endurance and running twice the distance of the test track ensured I would not get gassed during the test.  The sprint days taught me I could push my body harder than I was willing to do mentally.