**Running with a Weight vest**

[armystrong68w]

Just wondering if it will be beneficial to me. I need to increase my distance as well as speed. Im in the Service and the most we run is about 3miles so I'm not talking about 10+miles a day haha but i would like to increase to about 4 miles at a constant 7-8 min mile. Any idea on training routines and how i should train? Im more of a lifter and less of a running kind of guy. Also the vest is 20lb, with removable weights!
-I also live in NH near MT Monadnock so i plan to hike up that at least twice a week its about 4 miles round trip.


Thanks

[deepintexas91]

Just like anything else, you just need to progress towards your goals each time you train. Seems like you already have your goals and what you are currently capable of doing. So just strap on the vest and start with what you can do without it (if you are able) and then increase pace/distance.

[JoshLV]

Do not run with a vest. Our knees and backs aren't designed to take that kind of impact, and it yields very little results. I know a **** ton of vets that have permanent knee/back damage from running with rucks.

[rbelsito427]

Running with a vest is a terrible idea. But increasing to that distance/pace is very easy, just have days where you go at a comfortable pace for 3-6 miles and days where you run shorter,1-3 miles, for quicker paces than your goal pace, so if it's 7 minute pace you would do about 6 minute pace for these days, the faster days make the longer days easier. Start off slow and every two weeks or so up your distance/pace slightly, in no time your service friends will be struggling to keep up. Running is all mind over matter.

[bazzi]

Do it everyday. One day keep a constant pace, the next day run the same distance but interchange between a full out sprint and jog until you think you will collapse and keep going.

Overtime you will be able to fast jog the first mile, run the second mile, and full out sprint that last mile.

[GeneralSerpant]

I would firstly recommend just training like competitive athletes train for their mid-distance events. A lot of the time they just run the shorter competition distance, and practice at that until the meet comes near, which then they work on competitive pacing for the actual distance.

I don't think running with a vest is that horrible of an idea, but I would only add weight so that you could slightly notice the weight difference. It's a lot more conventional to either just run faster, or run uphill, but even running uphill is a separate exercise.

[supmannn]

Don't run with a weighted vest if you can avoid it.

[JoshLV]

Running with excess weight on your back is a bad idea for your body in the long run. If you want resistance while you run, get a sled to tow behind you. They work really well.

[armystrong68w]

Running with a ruck is MUCH different than running with a FLAK or a vest. Running with a vest on a track or treadmill causes no damage to the knees, back or ankles, its when you run down hill and on uneven ground that cause the problems. But you shouldn't really run down hill anyways! I have no pain from running with the vest. All the things I've read say its beneficial as long as you don't wear it everyday, but to instead use interval training and mix things up. But thats besides the point... rbelsito427 and Bazzi, Ive read about that type of training and i think thats what i will do.

SO i think I will only wear the vest on my hikes and MMA classes and not for my jogs and runs! (wearing the vest while sparing is an intense workout)

Thanks everyone for the advice I'm trying to Rep everyone but i need to recharge first!

[rbelsito427]

I would firstly recommend just training like competitive athletes train for their mid-distance events. A lot of the time they just run the shorter competition distance, and practice at that until the meet comes near, which then they work on competitive pacing for the actual distance.

I don't think running with a vest is that horrible of an idea, but I would only add weight so that you could slightly notice the weight difference. It's a lot more conventional to either just run faster, or run uphill, but even running uphill is a separate exercise.

Actually competive runners run longer distance than the actual race to build up their lactic threshold, then drop their distance and up their pace more and more as the big track meets approach. Also whoever said that thing about being able to all out sprint the last mile in a 3 mile run has obviously never ran a 5k in their entire life because no one can all out sprint even one mile.

[Engineer_Guy]

Just wondering if it will be beneficial to me. I need to increase my distance as well as speed.

In short, no it won't really be beneficial to those goals.

i would like to increase to about 4 miles at a constant 7-8 min mile. Any idea on training routines and how i should train?

Do some interval work to hit your desired pace or faster. This means running quarter or half miles at a faster than 7 minute mile pace. This trains you to run at the pace you need to. Along with this do some distance work at a pace slower than your "race" pace but for a greater distance. This trains you to be able to run the distance you need. To keep it simple you could just alternate interval and distance work each day.

This is basically how cross country runners train for 5k and 10k races.

[GeneralSerpant]

Actually competive runners run longer distance than the actual race to build up their lactic threshold, then drop their distance and up their pace more and more as the big track meets approach. Also whoever said that thing about being able to all out sprint the last mile in a 3 mile run has obviously never ran a 5k in their entire life because no one can all out sprint even one mile.

Actually they use both types of training methods along side running the actual distance for adaptive likeness. That's at least what I'm reading right here, which seems to support more what I was saying about running with weights, but it looks like it says that 800 m runners will train their 400 meter pace along side that.

Who said anything about sprinting here? People that usually say that are confused about the terminology, not the actual intent of running as if you are closing 20 meters. I find it annoying whenever someone condescends another for saying 'sprinting' instead of 'significantly enhancing your anaerobic motor drive'.