Improving 2 Mile Time

[Salim12]

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on improving a two mile time. Right now im at a 14:00 flat and I want to get it down to 13:30. I have about a month and a half to do this.

As of now my training schedule looks like this:

Monday-5 Miles
Tuesday-1/4 mile sprints 4x
Wednesday-5miles
Thursday-1000 meter spring, 800 meter sprint x2, 600 meter sprint, and a 400 meter sprint 2x

[Jake15]

what grade are you in? how much experience do you have? in general if you want to get better you need only a couple sprint workouts, a fartlik and a lot of longer runs and pace runs.

[Salim12]

Im actually 21. But can you go into detail on an exact routine maybe?

[Jake15]

well our high school routine varies. It depends if we are training in the off season or training for races. He keeps us in the dark during the season, im not sure why, but i can give you an aproximation on that.

-Day 1 (Monday): Second hardest workout of week. Intervals, long fartlick.
-Day 2 (Tuesday): Something sort of hard, a PPM or pace run.
-Day 3 (Wednsday): Intervals, usuelly 800's, if your feeling really good 1200s with a break inbetween them.
-Day 4 (Thursday): Long pace per mile run
-Day 5 (Friday): CT, longer millage, but not your longest at a slower pace.
-Day 6 (Saturday): Toughest workout of the week. Usuelly intervals, lots of them with extra millage tacked onto that (example is two 800 intevals, a timed mile, two 400 intervals and another timed mile.)
-Day 7 (Sunday): Long run, the best day of the week! Longest millage at a slow comfertable pace to flush out all the lactic.

WIth this plan I run an 11:58 two mile time as of the end of the 2006-07 season.

That training is hard to keep up for a long time. Im not sure what the training plan is for this summer, as coach is changing it to longer distance. Ill give you a copy of that monday when I get it.

The reason i asked about experience is because if you're justing starting out you will get murdered with this. How long have you been running for? What kind of shoes do you have?

[Salim12]

I've been running since I was a Senior in high school. Not consistently though. I have a pair of nb shoes that are about 3 months old and have around 500 miles or so on them.

I think I know what you're talking about when you refer to a fartlick run. Where you run 3-5 miles and and sprint a distance and then jog and continue till you're done correct? Can you explain what exactly a pace run is? Common sense tells me its just a 7 min mile for 3 miles or something to that effect. And what's a CT?

And also please take into account that I lift weights as well and do ruck runs. Ruck runs are just 3-5 miles with a 40 lb back pack at 10-12 min pace.

[Jake15]

You need to get some new shoes. THat was my problem at first too. I think it's every 400-500 that you need to switch up shoes, or when they become visibly worn out.

We do timed fartlicks. We'll do 10 minutes at our ct pace (which ill get to later), than go at 90% for a minute, than ct pace for a minute, about 6 or seven times, and than go ct pace for another ten minutes. As you get better you can start to increase the "sprint" time.

A pace run, or PPM you got pretty much down. I'm pretty sure you add 40 seconds to your timed mile, and that is your PPM time. You can do any distance you want with these, but the minimum should be three, no two mile PPMs.

A CT is like a longer distance run that is at about 70%-75% effort for 6-8 miles. This should be a relativly easy day. Start low millage with these, start at a two or three mile CT. THey sound easy, but they get hard as the days get hot and the runs get longer.

You can lift weights, I do that as well, but carefull not to overdo leg workouts. Long distance running is very stressfull on your body, and running intervals after you have a tough leg workout is not smart.

THose ruck runs sounds brutal. THey are probabbly very good for you, but I would talk to a doctor about those, they could have consequinces on your knees and back.

[Salim12]

Thanks for all the info jake. And yeah the ruck runs are terrible for your knee's but really its a must for the soldiers as rucking is the bread and butter of the army.

I hope to get my 2 mile time down to below 13:00 before christmas.