Need to Run 3.2km in 15 Mins

Answer by Dominique:

Hi Tony,
Thanks for your question.

The good news: as you lodged your question I was online so I could get onto it right away. For a free service, providing you some help, that is not too bad, if I say so myself....

The bad news: it is hard to rush these things. Regaining fitness does take some time.

Your fitness will come back over time, but I understand you don't have time. I am assuming you need to pass some type of physical fitness test for your job.

Two weeks is very little time for anything to happen, but stranger things have happened and you do have some reasonable speed in the legs with your 2k in 10:20.

The best things to do I think are:

1. Focus on Distance as well as Speed.
2. Exercise Regularly, but Keep Recovery in Mind.
3. Pray to the Norse Gods

See the detail below:

Focus on Distance as well as Speed

You will want to have some running sessions that are slower and longer. Well longer than the 3.2 km / 2 miles. The best way to build endurance is to do lots of slow, easy running.



If you can't cover the 3.2km at once, take a walking break, then run some more.

In addition to the longer, easier, slower stuff, I would also look at doing a few short intervals in runs, e.g. run 1 minute fast, 3 minutes easy and repeat that 3-5 times.

High intensity training can sometimes provide that break through that you are looking for.

This is not what I'd recommend to somebody who has a reasonable period to prepare. Normally, you'd work on building that base for a longer period. Then layer on some speed. However, we only have two weeks.

So, some faster workouts may be needed. However, with this type of "crash and burn" approach you need to be mindful of injuries. You can push yourself all you want, but don't push so hard you get yourself injured.

For more about easy running, check out this page about base running.

For more about running for fitness vs running for health, check out my Running for Fitness page. This talks about the benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) vs the benefits of a more long-term approach.

Exercise Regularly, but Keep Recovery in Mind

The ideal thing to do is to run/exercise every day. You could run four times a week and do walks on the off days.

As per before, run/walks could be a good way to cover more distance.

Clearly, as you are still recovering from illness, you will need to keep recovery in mind. Focus on sleep and nutrition to do the best for your body.

Pray to the Norse Gods

Clearly, this last comment is a bit tongue in cheek, but seriously, two weeks is very little time. If you are not yet religious, this might be a good time to pick it up . As Rocky Flintstone says, put in a prayer to the Norse Gods. It might just help you on your quest.

Wishing you all the best over the next two weeks.
Good luck.
Kind regards,
Dominique