The U.S. Army has two goals for running in its Basic Training for soldiers. The first goal is to establish a base level of cardiovascular fitness to help soldiers maintain their overall fitness. The second goal is to train soldiers to be able to run in minimum time standards for functionality. Combat troops in particular need to be able to get from one place to another on foot as quickly as possible. The most effective way to do that is by running.
Army Physical Fitness Test
The Army has established minimum run time standards through the Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT. This test scores soldiers based on their performance, on a scale from 1 to 300, with 300 being a perfect score. Soldiers are graded on scales that are based on gender and age. The APFT is administered multiple times during Basic Training to determine a soldier's overall level of fitness. Much of group training in Basic is focused on preparing soldiers for this test. The test includes a two-mile run, as well as push-ups and sit-ups.
Run Standards
The minimum two-mile run time for a male recruit under age 22 is 15:54. The minimum two-mile run time for a female recruit in the same age group is 18:54. To earn perfect scores, male recruits under 22 must run the two-mile event in 13:00, and female recruits in the same age bracket have to run that distance in 15:36.
Cardiovascular Fitness and Overall Health
The cardiovascular system regulates the flow of oxygen from your heart to the rest of your body. This affects muscular endurance, fatigue and overall capacity. A stronger cardio system will produce a more durable soldier. Through running, the Army trains a soldier's cardiovascular system, specifically by raising the soldier's heart rate to a stable, elevated level for an extended time. This increases blood flow throughout the body and effectively "trains" the heart.
Run Training
Going to Basic Training with prior running experience will go a long way toward giving you an advantage over going in without prior running experience. Condition yourself to run two miles or farther by first focusing on jogging or running that distance without stopping. Once you are comfortable covering the distance, you should then focus on decreasing your time. One way to do this is to run in intervals, which force you to break down your goal run time into a pace that you can practice over shorter distances. Once you can run half a mile at your goal pace, you can then try running one mile at your goal pace, eventually reaching two miles.
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