Are you seeking more information about the acft score calculator? If so, welcome to Nutrition Geeks. The new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is unlike our old APFT. US Soldiers now have to deal with 6 events versus 3 in our previous physical fitness test. What I didn't see online was a course revolved around how to get military members to run faster 2 mile times. I served over 20 years on active duty in the Army. So, understand working a full-time job in the Army and trying to run fast is quite a task. My goal in creating the Army ACFT Embrace the Suck 2 mile course is to help you get that new personal best you are aiming for.
I have run 9:27 for 2 miles, 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35 for the marathon. In addition, am a former member of the US Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). No, it was not easy to be a part that elite unit at Fort Carson. I have been running for 30 years. So, have been at it for a long time. What I want for you is to produce similar or better results than I did following the tactics I cover in this course. The acft calculator is a great tool in that it shows Soldiers what they need to run on their 2 mile event.
ACFT Running Plan
Soldiers in the 17-21 year old category need to run a time of 13:22 or better. Of course, if you are older this the time you will need to run to earn maximum points is shows on the ACFT score calculator. My goal with this post is to share with you some tips on how to be better over 2 miles. In fact, these tactics are universal. So, you can use them from the 2 mile event to the marathon. We have a lot of great races in the military. For example, the Army 10 miler.
What is the Passing Score for ACFT?
You need to score a minimum score of 60 points in each of the 6 events in order to pass. A perfect score if 600 points. My goal in creating the new Army ACFT 2 mile course is to help you max your 2 mile event. Remember, the key fundamental is to improve your body's lactate tolerance. Pace sustainment is the biggest challenge for both military members as well as civilians. So, you have to train at significantly faster paces than your goal 2 mile race pace. First, you need to review the acft score calculator at armycombatfitnesstest.com/calculator.

No, results won't come overnight. That being said, if you change up your tactics you are going to drop substantial time off your 2 mile time. The world's top runners are running between 35 to 40 percent of their weekly mileage at or below the anaerobic threshold effort. Of course, you don't have to run that high of a percentage but you do need to do more than just run easy during the week. Lactic acid tolerance will only be improved by faster, anaerobic training coupled with proper recovery. So, take a look at the acft score calculator, find out your specific goal time and practice that effort frequently.
Focus on Running Longer at your AT Pace
We run between 85 to 89 percent of our maximum heart rate at our anaerobic threshold. So, it is important to start lengthening the duration of your tempo runs. What has been the longest tempo run you have done in the past preparing for your ACFT? 2 miles? 3? I would focus on gradually branching this out to around 5 miles or 8 kilometers.
Remember, focus on aiming to adapt to a 2 to 3 mile tempo for 3 to 4 weeks before moving to a longer effort. The good news is the new running course concludes with a 16-week training plan built specifically for your time goal. So, this will take the guesswork out of your preparation. You will know what workouts to be doing and why you are doing them.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSEArmy ACFT Workout Plan
I know a lot of US Soldiers are seeking an Army acft workout plan. I focused on overdelivering in creating the Army 2 mile running course. As mentioned above, I didn't see an online resource for service members to run faster. So, decided to create the course to teach you what I was taught. Also, to duplicate the exact workouts I was doing to run faster from the mile to the marathon. Remember, the faster you run over 2 miles the more competitive you are going to be at longer distances.
In addition, contains 9 modules consisting of 58 video lessons. I cover every angle of running fast from the mile to the marathon in this course. I was very fortunate to work with and be coached by 3 of the world's top distance running coaches. One of which won the Boston Marathon in 1985 and the Chicago Marathon twice. I highly recommend first on building a strong base of aerobic mileage. I am fine with you doing strides twice per week during your aerobic base-building phase.
The biggest mistake I saw Soldiers making was not running enough. Yes, we would run about twice per week during morning PT. Of course, there are some units who may run more during the week. That being said, higher mileage is not enough. What percentage of your weekly mileage are your training at or below goal 2 mile race pace? How are you conducting your long runs? Are you running long and slow every single weekend? Are you even doing long runs each week consistently?
ACFT Training Plan
Remember, the longer your build up the more prepared you are going to be. As mentioned above, strides should be done twice per week throughout your training plan. The reason is these short 50 to 100 meter sprints will help you work on your form. In addition, your leg turnover. Strides are also great warm-up drills to do prior to the start of your track and road workouts. Also, they will get your heart rate up and get you prepared to run at faster speeds.
There are some tactics I teach in the course that you don't even need to run an extra step in order to drop time. Yes, one specific change you can make immediately that can help drop around 20-25 seconds off of your 2 mile run time. Equipment goes a long way but many Soldiers are routinely getting this one change wrong. I will ensure you don't make the mistakes they are making. The key tactic with this course is to get you to work smarter, not harder. I already know you know how to work hard. Are the hardest workout runners always the ones who get the results?
Not always. The world's top runners focus on smarter training tactics rather than just running high mileage. Easy running is still important. That being said, it won't prepare you to sustain goal race pace over 8 laps of the track.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSEArmy ACFT Run Standards
The ACFT score calculator found at armycombatfitnesstest.com/calculator will show you the army ACFT run standards. That being said, it is surpassing these run standards is what I want for you. Yes, you are going to have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. My style of training is not the norm. Again, if you want to run a fast 2 mile time you are going to have to change up your tactics. You need to be doing 1, vo2 max workout weekly. We are running between 95 to 105% of maximum heart rate at this intensity.
The key benefit of doing speed workouts is they help us to recruit more fast twitch muscle fibers. The more of these we can recruit the more efficient we are going to run. In addition, we will be better able to clear lactic acid faster than it is building up in our body. I highly recommend investing in a heart rate monitor. I use the Garmin 245 regularly and it help me stay in the correct heart rate zones. It is much wiser to be under trained than over trained. A common mistake runners make is running too fast on easy days and too slow on hard days.
Army ACFT 2 Mile Run Time
The new Army ACFT 2 mile running course covers the workouts and why you are doing them. In addition, discusses the proper heart rate zones you need to focus on in order to adapt to the training. Remember, the benefits of your hard training are going to come from within the rest cycle. So, the benefits of the hard workouts you are doing today will be seen several weeks and months from now, not days. It takes between 3 to 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it.
So, great results don't come in a matter of 4 weeks. Focus on a longer training cycle such as 16 to 20 weeks and I promise you that you will drops substantial time off of your current 2 mile time. How often are you focusing on mental training? Do you visualize yourself daily running far below your goal time? Do you see yourself crossing the finish line with your goal time on the clock? If not, now is the time to start doing this. The world's best runners are not just focusing on physical training.
Closing Thoughts
I routinely trained mentally preparing for my races. In fact, am certain this part of my training was the reason I was able to run a 2:19:35 marathon. Yes, it took stressing my body's energy systems consistently for a long period of time. That being said, mental training, in my opinion, is even more important than physical training. So, start taking 10 minutes daily and mentally rehearse running the way you want to run. The best time to do this is either first getting up prior to PT or at night when you go to bed.
Would you like to keep in touch? If so, make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I make new videos there, weekly to help runners such as yourself get new personal bests. I am 100 percent confident that the tactics I teach in this course will help you surpass any time you currently think you aren't capable of.
Lastly, I look forward to interviewing you and sharing your story on the RDA YouTube channel. More importantly, hearing how this course impacting your training and racing. So, review the acft score calculator, find out your goal time and let's get to work.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARMY ACFT 2 MILE COURSE