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[AllThingsLive]

Hello everybody, I'm a sophmore in highschool, and the state of California requires every highschool student to take 2 years of P.E. if you pass the fitness test, or 3-4 depending if you pass it as a junior, or at all. Just to give you some background information,

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I was born and raised fat. My whole family is fat. I never was even introduced to sports, so I don't like them, nor did I ever play them ( I wish I did like sports, they're such a great hobby to have ). Since the 6th grade I started cutting out my lunches, I know that isn't the healthiest thing to do, but it sort of worked, I dropped about 55-60 lbs. by the time I got to highschool. Now I'm almost average weight, and we will have to take the fitness test sometime late this year. It pretty much consists of stretching, running the mile, and doing a pathetic amount of push ups / sit ups. The sit ups and push ups are a breeze, stretching isn't a problem, but running... Oh jeezus.

I haven't been able to ever to run anything shorter than a 10 minute mile, and for my BMI, I need to run something like a 7:30 - 8:00 minute mile. So, enough waffle, how do I improve my mile time? I feel like I'm really trying, but after jogging about a 1/4 mile straight, my lungs start to really burn, my legs get a bit tired too, but it's really my lungs burning that is the obstacle. I have friends in the cross country team that run like 13-15, miles every practice, and they act like it isn't a big deal. I don't get how they do it, the pain/exhaustion is just too much for me, and I'll really like to fix that.
So, how do I improve my mile time? I need all the tips and help I can get, and I have plenty of time to start practicing, so please let me hear your suggestions.
Thanks for all the help, I know this topic was much longer than it needed to be, but hey, I like to ramble.
P.S. How bad are your legs/lungs supposed to hurt during a mile? On a scale of 1-10, by the time I finish a little more than a quarter mile, I'm at about a 8/10, maybe 8.5/10 on the exhaustion/pain scale, how much do you guys feel it is for yourselves?

[Lectorog]

Agh, running the mile... I haven't had to do that since 6th grade. (Granted, that's only 5 years.) I can truly sympathize with you here.
I've always been terrible at running. My best mile time was 12 minutes, but most were somewhere around 16. It was more of a mile jog for me.
Pain was pretty intense. I wouldn't say 8.5, but it would be about 7 for me. This is due to 3 things: I near-literally never run; I have slight asthma; My feet are ridiculously flat. Leg ache was the most serious problem for me.

Quick question interruption: If you pass the test as a junior in high school, how can you take 3-4 more years of PE? And what happens if you don't pass?

This isn't going to sound pleasant, but the only way to get better at running is with practice and exercise. You'll have to run to improve your leg muscles and endurance. Things like bike riding, leg exercises, and general aerobic exercise can help, but running itself would be best.
You should also look into cardiovascular fitness, which running could help with. Making sure your body is keeping itself in control when you're running might help with the pain.

I hope this helps, and I'll help more if I can. I also hope someone who knows more about exercise and fitness will post here!

[AllThingsLive]

No I meant if you don't pass it as a sophmore you have to take P.E. junior year. If you don't pass it as a junior you have to take it as a senior. If you pass it sophmore or junior year, you're good for the rest of high school.

[Mushroo]

This might sound counter-intuitive, but my suggestion is to practice running a little slower! Concentrate on mechanics, efficiency, running pain-free. Try practice runs at a 4 or 5 on the pain scale instead of an 8. If you have friends who run track, have them watch you and give tips. There really is a "right" way to run.

Also cross-training is good for your cardio: swimming, cycling, dancing, etc. Running too hard too fast can cause injuries, be careful!

[Lectorog]

Oh. Sounds like a good system. Except, you know, that you have to take a lot of physical education.

And while I'm posting, Mushroo's got it. If you're not good at something, try it slower until you get better at it.

Running with friends could also be slightly more enjoyable, if you have some that are willing to do so, and match your pace.

[Strife26]

Improving runs like that is a tough thing to do, but it's certainly doable. For you, the best thing to do (as far as my knowledge runs) is going to be cycle training. Get a decent pair of shoes and a nice track. Just start walking. Once you've done a lap or so, start switching running and jogging, call it 30 seconds of a light jog and 60 seconds of walking. Keep doing that for a reasonably long time. It'll suck at first, then really suck around the second week, but this is about as fast a way to improve as I know of.

Also, be sure to leave your ego behind, you're improving yourself, sure as sure, fuck everything else, especially your own weakness and the opinions of others.

[AllThingsLive]

30 seconds of a light jog with a minute of walking in between? I'm not that physically unfit, surely a good paced jog for a minute 30 and then a  45-60 second walk would be a bit better.

[Heron TSG]

As far as I know, the only thing that will make you run faster is more practice. You can probably gain some benefit from increasing general cardiovascular and respiratory fitness, though. Breathing exercise and biking?

As for form: the faster you swing your arms, the faster you can take strides. Don't overstride, keep your center of gravity ahead of your forward knee if possible. (If it's ahead, your foot will act as a brake.) Swing your arms front-to-back, not side to side. (Definitely don't allow your hands to come close to passing in front of your sternum.) Run upright, not hunched over. Keep your shoulders loose, as scrunching them up will cut blood flow to your brain.

[Virroken]

30 seconds of a light jog with a minute of walking in between? I'm not that physically unfit, surely a good paced jog for a minute 30 and then a  45-60 second walk would be a bit better.

Don't time yourself. Just walk/jog for as long as you feel you can push your stamina.

[Strife26]

Nah, that's what the army's saying is the best way to train at first nowindays, consider changing it from light jog to heavy jog or sprint if you'd like.

[Neonivek]

It really is about getting in shape.

The key about the 8-minute mile is that it is about stamina more then anything.

Losing weight would probably help a great deal.

Other then that getting used to running while tired can also improve your time. One thing people out of shape often do is confuse being tired would "I must stop".

[TheMasterTurtle]

Not really sure about this but I am gonna need this later this year.

I am a sprinter not a long distance runner though, but sprinting does help endurance. Practising form I guess would be most important.

[webber]

CONSCRIPT REPORTING (spell this with your best fake Russian accent )

Okay, I have a few questions. First one: what "mile" are we talking about? 1.6 kilometers? Just to be sure.
Second one: OP, what is your current weight and height?

Later I`ll tell the story about my own running achievements. And now I can only give an advice, but following it is potentially harmful and I do not take any responsibilities:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

F**k your lungs, overcome the pain, keep running! Do not reduce speed until reaching the finish line!

[AllThingsLive]

Yeah, 1.6 kms, and I weight a bit over 160lbs, (Around 73-74kilos I believe) and I'm about 170cm tall. (5 foot 7 inches)
And as for just fucking my lungs, today we had to run half a mile in P.E. to start the class, and when I finished, my lungs were just murdering me, and I only finished at 4:30 something, a 9 minute mile if I kept that pace the whole time ( Which would be ridiculously grueling to do )
I guess a certain technique for improving is what I'm asking for in my question, obviously running and trying to push my time would help, but I'd like a specific, timed way to improve. My friend in cross country said that I should run 1 mile at a pace that I can maintain the whole time, and do that for a week, then the next week try to decrease the time I finish at by 15 seconds or so. Rinse and repeat, this sounds like a decent plan, but I just want to hear other suggestions.

[webber]

Wow. Expected you to be heavier, you really achieved serious results with your diet

So, about my army experience. My height is 173 cm, and I weighted 86 kg at the beginning of a young soldier`s course. And wasn`t really into sports too.
The first obstacle wasn`t even tiredness or low strength or something... Boots! I`ve never worn something like army boots in my life, and they ripped the skin off my feet really fast - literally, 3-4 holes on each foot. Combined with physical weakness, this resulted me being last in every run - even in usual morning jogging with the unit. Just imagine - you are running last, and your formation is farther and farther ahead... Feels bad.
At the end of the course (2 weeks) I weighted 75 kg. My feet were still killing me, but at least I learned to keep with the formation. But the FUN was in future - I was distributed to the batallion with the craziest officers in the whole regiment. For some unknown reasons they ALL liked "march-throws", long speedy crosses with all available equipment.
So one winter morning (approximately after one month of service) we just took everything and ran to nearby forest. And this is where I felt the lungs hurting... After like 3 kms I was breathing so loud that it could be heard in another end of a column, and somebody of the seniors said "Looks like we`ll be carrying his body back soon". He was wrong
Soon I realised that running in the head of the formation is more profitable, because of short stops to wait for guys running last, while when you are last you are always chasing the formation and never stop for rest. To make a story short, there were 8 young soldiers running, nobody was specially trained before the army, and one month is obviously not enough to develop some serious stamina and muscles. But we all managed to endure all 15 kms, though one guy almost fainted near halfway and we took part of his equipment.

My advice is still the same - overcome the pain, you can always endure more than you think. In your age and with your constitution it is very hard to be killed with a single mile