Training for fitness qualification test?!?

[thebeatles193]

I'm applying for a youth police academy course, which will start in early June. I'm not really out of shape, but running has never been my forte. I would really like to attend, but you have to be able to run 2.4K or 1.5M in under twelve minutes before they even consider you. What would be the best way to train for this? How many times a week would I have to run? For how long/far? I have 6 months! thanks for your help!

(PS. I'm 16 years old, and I'm a girl. don't know if that matters!)

 

[baseball_is_my_life]

First of all, I commend you for your interest in the police academy. Not too many young people consider the police force as a viable career option.

As far as running goes, your starting point is entirely dependent on your current fitness level. If you aren't training at all, then even running a mile will be quite a chore for you. What you could do is just go for a jog and bring a watch with you. See how long you can run for (don't worry about distance just yet). Take a day off, then run again and try to go for a minute longer. Wait a day, then do the same thing, and lather, rinse, repeat. You'd be surprised how far you can actually run when you practice it. When you feel like you're finally in pretty good shape, then you should start speeding up your pace and trying to hit 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes. Most trained runners can get there with no problems whatsoever, so I'm confident that you can reach that goal in 6 months.

Good luck!