Building cardio and lungs

Question

I am 6'3 297 lbs at 37% body fat , it's bad I know I'm only 26 and have smoked 1-2 packs a day for 14 years. As of Christmas 2013 I have stopped smoking completely no relapses or cravings. I was diagnosed with asthma at age 2 and was a chronic asthmatic by age 3, but this has tapered off pretty good even with the smoking.

Now I have decided to join the police academy. But I have to run 1.5 miles in under 15.55mins. I marked it out and gave it a shot made it in 22.32mins thought I was gonna die trying. Please help me. I have 2 months before enrollment test and I have no idea how to build cardio for sombody in my condition.

Answer 1

I can relate to your story here. I'm a former smoker, and I have completely quit smoking now. Stamina is one thing, speed is another. Before you try to hit speed, try to improve your stamina.

I used to struggle to do 1K, but now I do 5K (which roughly 3.1 miles) in under 30 minutes. It's something which comes with practice. I would say start practicing twice at day (AM/PM). Start with a treadmill, and push yourself as hard as you can. Try hitting 6.5mph consistently. It's okay to reward yourself with short breaks during these practice runs. For instance, run at 6.5mph for a mile, and then walk at 3.1mph for 200 meters or so. You should still be able to hit 1.5 miles in under 15min mark with this rhythm.

Get apps which let you track your progress and give you feedback while on the move. I use Nike+, but you can use just about anything you like: Runkeeper, ARGUS are some popular ones.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You sound pretty dedicated, so no sugar coating this - at +30% body fat as a male, you are pretty big and thats going to make this hard.

To achieve your goal there are two things you need to get in order - your diet and your running. Now, I'm assuming your goal is just hitting that timeframe.

There are lots of resources here and elsewhere that cover diets, must first and foremost, start tracking it. Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and aim for at least a 100-200 Calorie deficit every day. Every pound you carry that isn't in your legs will make your running harder. The easiest way to drop your Calorie intake is to minimise your sugar intake. It sucks, but you need to do this.

Now some good news, your target 1.5 miles in 15 minutes is relatively "easy" by running standards - you're aiming for a 10 minute/mile, whereas peak runners do it in under half this. Normally, I'd recommend a nice Couch25K program, but you don't need to run 5Km you need to run about half that.

What you need is milage and consistancy. If you are doing 12 minute/miles there is a good chance you are walking some of the way.

Once a week do a 1.5 miles continuous, no breaks. The aim of this isn't to be fast, but to be consistant. Record your time each week and that becomes your pace to beat. You need to shed 8 minutes off your time in 2 months, which is about 30 seconds per week which is certainly achievable.

Also, three days a week do a the following:

0.5 mile run (fast as possible) / 0.5 mile walk (recovery) * 3 for a total of 1.5 miles of running and 1.5 miles of walking.

The aim of this is to get you used to running fast, so make your runs fast, faster than the pace of your long run.

You'll want to have a day of recovery before your long run, so a program like this:

• Monday - Sprints
• Tuesday - Sprints
• Thursday - Sprints
• Saturday - Long run

This will give your body time to recover and cope with the new stress of running.

There is an argument that running clubs can be handy for motivation, but motivation is mostly an interalised concept. If you want to achieve your goal, you really need to want it. Tracking your runs and weight, will help reenforce your behaviour and build a good habit to ensure that your training is consist, even on rest days.