How do I get a good 1500M time in a month?

In a month I have to run 1500 cross country at a competition (literally over-fcking-seas) and I cannot embarrass myself, I am begging. Someone help me.

I am deadass sitting on a 7:00/7:10 (raw dog, no training) run time rn. Some of these girls are pulling 5:30 times out the bag. I’m not trying to get that, but if i could get close to 6:00 (IS THAT POSSIBLE? I DONT KNOW. I DONT RUN) it would literally be a game changer.

I don’t run at all outside of basic jogging round the block, so please help me. How can I train/what should I be doing to get my time as good as possible?

Yours in desperation xx

Reply 1

bl0bf1sh

Original post by av17792

In a month I have to run 1500 cross country at a competition (literally over-fcking-seas) and I cannot embarrass myself, I am begging. Someone help me.
I am deadass sitting on a 7:00/7:10 (raw dog, no training) run time rn. Some of these girls are pulling 5:30 times out the bag. I’m not trying to get that, but if i could get close to 6:00 (IS THAT POSSIBLE? I DONT KNOW. I DONT RUN) it would literally be a game changer.
I don’t run at all outside of basic jogging round the block, so please help me. How can I train/what should I be doing to get my time as good as possible?
Yours in desperation xx

First of all, a 7:00 or 7:10 1500 is a decent time, especially off little to no training, so well done :smile:

In terms of training, you want to be aiming to improve both your speed and your stamina.

To help build stamina: go for slightly longer, but slower runs. If you're not currently doing much running, start at maybe a 15 minute jog, or longer if you feel up to it; if you need to stop and walk for a bit that's ok. If you can get more into the 30-45 minute area that'd be even more beneficial for improving stamina, but don't worry if you're not feeling quite there yet – it's something that takes time to build. Other activities such as cycling or swimming are also great for this :smile:

To help build speed, you'd want to do some interval sessions. Basically this involves a bit of faster running for a certain time or distance, then a short break (either slow jogging, walking, or staying where you are), and then repeating a few times, either with the same intervals or different. So for example, you could do 8 x 30 seconds fast-ish with 1 minute walk between each rep, or 12 x 100 metres, or 6 x 1 minute, etc., vary the length and number of reps and also the recovery between each depending on how you feel/what you feel you're capable of.

A few other things:
Don't do overboard with the amount of running you're doing / don't increase it too quickly as that'll make you more susceptible to injuries.
Make sure you're drinking enough fluids and getting enough salt/electrolytes especially if you're sweating lots in this weather.
Eat enough, don't restrict your intake etc; carbohydrates (including sugar) are your body's preferred source of energy, also important are protein, fats, fruit and veg. Particularly if you're increasing your activity levels you'll need to eat more than usual to fuel your speedy running :smile:

Get plenty of sleep (ignore me posting at midnight oops)
Have a few days off from running each week to allow your body to recover properly
Make sure you do a bit of a warm up and a cool down/stretching etc before and after running, plus if you can do a bit of strength work at least once a week that'd be great especially longer term
Wear decent shoes i.e. proper running trainers, make sure they fit your feet properly, to reduce your chances of getting injured :smile: