Ten Mile Training-Part I

There seems to be a common misconception that members of the military are all extreme athletes, who can out run Flo Joe on any day of the week.  This is simply not true.  The military might be a more physically fit institution than perhaps, fast food employees, but the average Soldier is not an Olympian.  We are generally fit, perhaps even more so than the civilian sector.  However, it's not impossible to be overweight, slow, and weak in the military.  The military takes measures to prevent such atrocities from infesting our fighting forces, but some slip through the cracks, and Soldiers' physical abilities vary as much as their personalities.

Despite the fact that I have served in the Army, on active duty, for over ten years, I have never been an Olympic runner, but I definitely used to be faster. I also used to be more toned, stronger, and about 10 pounds lighter. To fight the weight gain and weakness, I had begun spending an additional 30-45 minutes in the gym, prior to conducting physical training with my unit.  The weight was coming off, and my strength and tone were coming back (slowly), but my run time just didn't seem to improve.  None of the cross fit style cardio machines seemed to help, despite what they did for my cardio vascular fitness.

Then recently, I ran into a Master Sergeant who had participated in the annual Fort Bragg Ten Miler last year. I spoke with him briefly and the Good Idea Fairy bestowed upon me a wonderful idea.... I could train for the ten miler.  I called the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center to inquire about registration, rules, etc.  I learned that there were no team competitions, the fee would be fifteen dollars, and the run would take place on June 3rd, 2011. The top male competitors an the top four female competitors on the installation would go on to compete in the Army Ten Mile event in Washington, DC.  I didn't intend to place first, I just wanted to finish alive and uninjured.

I didn't have much time, but I knew I wanted, rather, NEEDED to take on this challenge.  I wandered around my unit, asking other Soldiers to join me.  I wasn't going to train (suffer) alone.  When I was convinced I'd have at least ten Soldiers willing and able to participate with me, I called my First Sergeant, asking for permission to train separately from the unit for the event. Permission was granted, and I became excited, albeit somewhat nervous. Ok, terrified.  I spent that weekend creating a training calender that incorporated distance runs, sprints, and strength training.  It was a good thing I created the calender, because my Battery Commander decided he wanted to see a schedule. He also decided that he wanted to participate with us during our training.

It's always nice to complete a task before it's given and to give your higher-ups the impression that you have the situation under control.  It's especially nice when deep down, you really have NO idea what you're doing.  I have never in my life ran ten miles without stopping.  I have walked ten miles on numerous occasions, but walking is not effective training for running. The only thing that improves your run time is more running.

During our first day training, I planned to run four miles. I underestimated the distance to our turn around point, and ended up running six miles that day.  When I say "running," I don't necessarily mean that I honestly ran the entire distance, only that I covered six miles on foot. I was initially discouraged at how long it took me to run four miles.  When I realized I ran six, I was mildly impressed.  I expected my lower body to be extremely sore the following day, but I only felt slight discomfort. This let me know that I could have gone even farther.

My original plan was to start at four miles and add a mile each week, but I changed my calender slightly beginning at six miles, based on that first day's mishap. However, I was still sucking wind at six miles.

I solicited the advice of some of my more fitness savvy friends and was referred to a friend of a friend, who happens to be a true runner.  She even has a coach.  I sought her advice, and was told to run slower, but farther.  She explained that speed would come with time, but that sprints and stride often cause injuries.  Being that my goal was to complete the run without injuries, I heeded her advice.

Fast forward to today.  I am still sucking wind at six miles, but I'm running farther into those six miles before feeling like I need to stop.  I am still getting stronger, and no one who volunteered to participate with me has backed out. Each of these factors motivates me to continue. 

I am still nervous about the event, but not terrified.  I can honestly say these are good nerves.  This of course may change on race day.  What won't change on race day is everything I will have gained (or lost if you're counting weight and body fat in this equation) from training for the event. I am extremely confident that I will accomplish exactly what I set out to accomplish, and that I will be grateful for the experience in the end.