Prep for plebe summer running

A

academyinterested

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Jul 7, 2017
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160 days until I-Day! Does anyone have any good running programs that will help improve my running distance and speed? All tips are welcome! Thank you and Beat Army
 
Run lots now ONLY IF you are used to running lots!! You don't want shin splints or a stress fracture now. You have 5 months!! The human body adapts incredibly. I started running as a dumpy 44 year old and within 7 years had run and re-qualified at 3 Boston Marathons. If you are not used to running start small and build up. Don't run every day if you are not used to it now. You must have passed CFA? and will need to pass PRT's in the future so you can use that as goal times. Talk to a running coach if possible. Maximum time is for the 1.5 mile PRT is 12:40 for women and 10:30 for men. So look to do quarter mile intervals at 1:50-2:10 for women or 1:30-1:45 for men but doing 6-8 of them. Go faster on intervals as time goes by if you can. Also include some very short sprints to work on turnover....50-100 yards at 90-95%effort, and Fartleks on other longer runs. LISTEN to your body. You can add a day per week running, every other month, and get to running 6-7 days a week by I-Day. Someone posted awhile ago about Plebe summer being not about huge distances but shorter runs everyday, multiple times a day, and "chopping". Hopefully someone who actually experienced Plebe summer can post about the specific mileages.

Virtually all teens who do not drink milk or take Vitamin D supplements are "D" deficient. So make sure you are getting enough. Vitamin D is the "chairman of the board" for putting calcium and phosphorus together to form strong bones. Always a lot of booted kids for stress fractures Plebe summer.

Someone better like this as I just ruined my Post:likes equality!
 
landlock said:
Run lots now ONLY IF you are used to running lots!! You don't want shin splints or a stress fracture now. You have 5 months!! The human body adapts incredibly. I started running as a dumpy 44 year old and within 7 years had run and re-qualified at 3 Boston Marathons. If you are not used to running start small and build up. Don't run every day if you are not used to it now. You must have passed CFA? and will need to pass PRT's in the future so you can use that as goal times. Talk to a running coach if possible. Maximum time is for the 1.5 mile PRT is 12:40 for women and 10:30 for men. So look to do quarter mile intervals at 1:50-2:10 for women or 1:30-1:45 for men but doing 6-8 of them. Go faster on intervals as time goes by if you can. Also include some very short sprints to work on turnover....50-100 yards at 90-95%effort, and Fartleks on other longer runs. LISTEN to your body. You can add a day per week running, every other month, and get to running 6-7 days a week by I-Day. Someone posted awhile ago about Plebe summer being not about huge distances but shorter runs everyday, multiple times a day, and "chopping". Hopefully someone who actually experienced Plebe summer can post about the specific mileages.

Virtually all teens who do not drink milk or take Vitamin D supplements are "D" deficient. So make sure you are getting enough. Vitamin D is the "chairman of the board" for putting calcium and phosphorus together to form strong bones. Always a lot of booted kids for stress fractures Plebe summer.

Someone better like this as I just ruined my Post:likes equality!
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I appreciate the advice! I can run a mile in the 7 minute range but I have never really practiced for distance. I will definitely start slow to avoid injuries and work my way up as I improve. Thank you!
 
Depending on your goals you should mostly do around 45 minute easy runs with one speed workout and one long run each week. Listen to your body. Some people can run every day, some people can’t. Personally, I just recovered from an injury due to overtraining. After cross country season I increased my mileage from about 25 to 35-40 a week, without working up to it. I payed the price and was injured for about two months. Make sure you’re smart with your training.

If you commit to running and do the workouts, even though they’re hard, you’ll see results incredibly fast. In about a month during the season my 5K time went from 23:28 at tryouts to 19:57 at the conference meet.

If you want, you could also incorporate hill workouts on some of the easy runs. Just find a good sized hill and sprint up then jog down anywhere from 5-8 times.

Again, listen to your body. The last thing you want is an injury before plebe summer. Run at a level you’re comfortable with but will still push you.

Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions on specifics about a plan.
 
Landlock nailed it. Great “how-to” advice. In fact, I feel inspired!!

DS is a current plebe. Was a recruited track athlete. Not distance, middle distance. So he was in shape and used to running going into I-day. He said “I would have run more” when asked if he would have prepared differently (also he would have swam....he’s an aqua rock....but that’s a whole different post). You will run or chop everywhere you go. DS said it equated to about 8 miles a day. They have a feet check every night to keep an eye on blisters, etc. DS still had sore shins initially. But no injuries. Like landlock said, booted plebes are not unusual.

GET GOOD RUNNING SHOES with good support. Cushioned. Not the flexible trendy ones. Go to an actual running store and have a professional fit you. Tell them what you will be doing. This is important! Buying two pair and breaking them both in is a really good idea. You will take one, and your parents can mail the other pair. That way your shoes can adequately dry out between uses.

And here is a tip your parents will appreciate: pick shoes that can be easily identified. Think a neon stripe. Nothing TOO crazy. You don’t want to be ridiculed. But something your parents can look for in a mass of plebes to identify their person. This is seriously important. DS had a brighter blue shoe and I thought I would be able to find him easy. Nope. Next time we will pick a bright neon accent. Or whole shoe.

This is such an exciting time! Congrats to your whole family !!
 
Any thoughts on treadmills? I live somewhere where it snows regularly til April some years... Or just get some good snow proof boots to run in?
 
Treadmills are great to train on. In general you want to have at least a small incline(0.5%-1%) to make up for no wind. I also do intervals on treadmills but BE CAREFULL. I have done up to half marathon on treadmill when weather is awful. I know a marathoner from Alaska who did most of their training on a treadmill. Most treadmills are a softer surface than roads so are friendlier to shins than hard concrete.
 
justdoit19 said:
Go to an actual running store and have a professional fit you.
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Agree 100% on this one. A good running specialty store — not Dick’s or Big 5 — will examine your gait, maybe even taking video of your foot strike while on a treadmill. If you overpronate, you’ll get a stability or motion-control shoe. If you underpronate or have normal probation, you’ll get a cushioned shoe. It makes a huge difference with the mileage you’ll be doing.

justdoit19 said:
And here is a tip your parents will appreciate: pick shoes that can be easily identified.
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This I do not agree with. The right type of shoe, as noted above, should be your #1, #2 and #3 consideration. Now, if the right shoe also happens to come in an eye-grabbing color, then great. But sticking out in plebe summer photos should be the very least of your worries.
 
Run, Run, Run. The heat and humidity will be bad for those from the states that don't experience it on a regular basis. Annapolis can be brutal in the summer.
 
AF6872 said:
Run, Run, Run. The heat and humidity will be bad for those from the states that don't experience it on a regular basis. Annapolis can be brutal in the summer.
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Haha yes I realized that after going to summer seminar. I’m from California so there was a BIG difference. I’ll be in Maryland for a week in May, so I plan on running a lot! Thanks!
 
JJGrizwald said:
Depending on your goals you should mostly do around 45 minute easy runs with one speed workout and one long run each week. Listen to your body. Some people can run every day, some people can’t. Personally, I just recovered from an injury due to overtraining. After cross country season I increased my mileage from about 25 to 35-40 a week, without working up to it. I payed the price and was injured for about two months. Make sure you’re smart with your training.

If you commit to running and do the workouts, even though they’re hard, you’ll see results incredibly fast. In about a month during the season my 5K time went from 23:28 at tryouts to 19:57 at the conference meet.

If you want, you could also incorporate hill workouts on some of the easy runs. Just find a good sized hill and sprint up then jog down anywhere from 5-8 times.

Again, listen to your body. The last thing you want is an injury before plebe summer. Run at a level you’re comfortable with but will still push you.

Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions on specifics about a plan.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the amazing advice! I will definitely use it to train.
 
Last ain't good. Good Luck and Fair Winds and Following Seas.
 
justdoit19 said:
Landlock nailed it. Great “how-to” advice. In fact, I feel inspired!!

DS is a current plebe. Was a recruited track athlete. Not distance, middle distance. So he was in shape and used to running going into I-day. He said “I would have run more” when asked if he would have prepared differently (also he would have swam....he’s an aqua rock....but that’s a whole different post). You will run or chop everywhere you go. DS said it equated to about 8 miles a day. They have a feet check every night to keep an eye on blisters, etc. DS still had sore shins initially. But no injuries. Like landlock said, booted plebes are not unusual.

GET GOOD RUNNING SHOES with good support. Cushioned. Not the flexible trendy ones. Go to an actual running store and have a professional fit you. Tell them what you will be doing. This is important! Buying two pair and breaking them both in is a really good idea. You will take one, and your parents can mail the other pair. That way your shoes can adequately dry out between uses.

And here is a tip your parents will appreciate: pick shoes that can be easily identified. Think a neon stripe. Nothing TOO crazy. You don’t want to be ridiculed. But something your parents can look for in a mass of plebes to identify their person. This is seriously important. DS had a brighter blue shoe and I thought I would be able to find him easy. Nope. Next time we will pick a bright neon accent. Or whole shoe.

This is such an exciting time! Congrats to your whole family !!
Click to expand...

Should I buy a good pair now or wait till plebe summer is closer? Thanks for sharing your DS experience.
 
Get a good pair now as you ramp up your training. You may end up buying another pair in a few months depending on your mileage. And as noted above, bring two pairs to plebe summer.

Getting the right pair now will allow you to train properly and avoid injury. And it will allow your body to adjust to the shoes, which can be quite significant if you’ve been using the wrong type of shoes. Yes, it can get pricey, but well worth it. After all, how much is a “free” education worth to you?
 
This is all great advice, but remember I-Day is 5 months away. At this early point, concentrate on base mileage. There are many sources online for training advice. My son follows Jack Daniels (the running guru, not the distiller). My son is a recruited distance runner. He just ran an easy 12 miles today, nothing too strenuous. Think of the easy base mileage as your foundation at this stage.

Specialty running shops are the way to go. There are kids on my son's XC team that actually have different sized shoes for each foot, based on the measurements taken at a top-notch shop in our area. Not going to get that expertise at Dick's. The shoes can get pricey, so my son will buy a pair, and then but 2 or 3 more pairs of the same shoe online to save $. But he goes through up to 8 pairs of trainers a year.
 
Hal Higdon has good training programs. Anything from a mile to a marathon. You have plenty of time, you could easily start off with one of his lower distance programs and work up to his 5 or 10k program.

You’ll be on your feet a lot during the summer and moving expeditiously from place to place, but the longest straight shot run you do will be a 10k and it’s not until the end of the summer.
 
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