Sprint Drag Carry | How to Run Faster over 2 Miles

Are you seeking more information about the Sprint Drag Carry and 2 mile events for the Army combat fitness test? If so, welcome to Nutrition Geeks. You have come to the right place. I am a former Soldier having retired from the US Army in March of 2022. So, I did spend several years doing tour older APFT and the new Army ACFT. My goal with this post is to share with you some running tops to help improve your cardiovascular endurance. In addition, provide you with a new resource you can use to help drop significant time off of your run time.

The sprint drag carry event is conducted over a 25-meter lane. It is a highly anaerobic event much like the 2 mile. Pacing is critical for you to succeed in this event just as you need to for the 2 mile run. You have 2 parts to this event. You will be pulling a sled that has a total weight of 90 pounds. In addition, you will also be carrying 2, 40 pound kettlebells as well. So, if you try to complete the 5 back and forth reps of the 25-meter lane too fast you will go into oxygen debt.

Remember, the top score you can receive on the ACFT is 600 points. Are you an enlisted Soldier? If so, this is the score you really want to aim for as you will earn promotion points.There are 6 events on the Army combat fitness test. The 2 mile run is the last event. So, you definitely have to be in superior aerobic and anaerobic shape in order to successfully run a fast time. The fact that you have to get through the first 5 events proves this.

Sprint Drag Carry Standards

As mentioned above, you have two challenges within the sprint drag carry event. You have to pull a sled weighing 90 pounds than swap it out for 2, 40 pound kettlebell weights. You can can view what time you need to complete 5 up and down rotation of the 25-meter lane by reviewing the acft score calculator. The minimum scores you need to hit on each of the 6 events is 60 points. So, a score of 360 points means you passed. A perfect score on the Army Combat Fitness Test is 600 points. Again, very important if you are an enlisted Soldier seeking a few additional promotion points to make the next rank.

I didn't see any resources online regarding the 2 mile run. I have run 9:27 for 2 miles, 14:18 for 5K and 2:19:35 for the marathon. So, my expertise and background is in middle to long distance running. I recently created the new Army combat fitness 2 mile running course. It consists of 9 modules with 58 video lessons. The course also concludes with a custom, 16-week training plan built specifically for your goal 2 mile time. Also, the course is also supportive of military members running 1600m, 1.5 miles, 2 miles, 3 miles and longer.

How Heavy is the Sled for the Sprint Drag Carry?

The sled you will be pulling is 90 pounds. You will be pulling the sled backwards as well. So, make sure you pace yourself properly. Again, you have to do move down the 25-meter lane 5 times. The biggest mistake we make in endurance events is improper pacing. Remember, you have to complete the first 5 events prior to running the 2 mile event. So, it is essential that you focus on improving your body's lactate tolerance. The way you do this is training at higher heart rates. In addition, running for longer period of time at your anaerobic threshold.

Pace sustainment is the biggest hurdle for most athletes when it comes to running. So, you have to train to teach the body to clear lactic acid faster than it is building up. You do this by recruiting more fast twitch muscle fibers. The only way to do this is by doing longer tempo runs and training at your vo2 max. We are running at between 95 to 105% of our max heart rate at our vo2 max. Your vo2 max is your body's maximum oxygen uptake. It is running at speeds so fast you can't clear lactic acid faster than it is building up.

Train Longer at Your Anaerobic Threshold

Speed workouts, fartlek training and hill repetitions are all examples of vo2 max training. What has been the longest tempo run you have done training for your 2 mile? Are you doing consistent tempo runs each week? If not, now is the time to start making that a habit. We are running between 85 to 89 percent of our max heart rate running at the anaerobic threshold. The longer you can extend the duration of your AT runs the better. Remember, it takes the body between 21 days to 4 weeks to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it.

So, the real benefits of your hard training are going to come several weeks and months from now. Great fitness won't occur in a matter of a few days. I would focus on first adapting to a 2 to 3 mile tempo run. You then want to work to get to a point where you can run 4 to 5 miles (8km) at tempo pace. Again, this will take time. I show you exactly how to do this in the new Army combat fitness 2 mile running course. Your first top priority preparing for the 2 mile is spend 4 weeks running easy, aerobic mileage. You don't want to start doing speed workouts and fast ability group runs before you are in descent aerobic shape.

ACFT 2 Mile Run Standard

Of course, you will not have a say in the type of PT you do in the mornings. Do the best you can to build your endurance properly. Soldiers run but not enough to drop substantial time off of their 2 mile. Remember, the faster you run for the 2 mile the more competitive you are going to be in longer races like the Army 10 miler. I have run 50:54 (5:05 mile pac) for 10 miles. I was able to do that by getting my 2 mile and 5K times down as far as I could. Again, always work on your speed development.

The Army combat fitness 2 mile course I created concludes with a 16-week training plan. So, this will take out the guesswork of your preparation. Your platoon leaders and sergeants will make you do your mandatory morning PT. That being said, you have control of the other hours of your day. You can run during lunch or after work like I did for many years. Of course, the fitter you get and the better you perform your unit may let you do your own PT which is even better.

The top time for most Soldiers to earn 100 points is going to be around 13:20. Scroll back up and click on the acft score calculator link to see what run times you need to hit for your age group. The acft 2 mile run standards will vary depending on the age of the Soldier. Are you a member of one of our allied military forces? Are you a civilian? The new Army combat fitness 2 mile running course will help you as well. The training concepts I discuss are universal, regardless of distance and whether or not you are in the military.

New Army PT Test 2 Mile Run Times

Practicing the sprint drag carry event will also improve your stamina for the 2 mile. Speed work is extremely vital to not only run a faster 2 mile but handle the other events successfully. The reason is you are building up large amounts of lactic acid. Again, the end goal with proper cardio training is to improve your lactate tolerance. Higher mileage is necessary but is also not a guarantee for success. You can be running too much aerobic mileage and never drop your 2 mile time.

The reason is you are running too aerobically too often. The world's top runners are running 35 to 40 percent of their mileage at their anaerobic threshold or faster. So, they make it look easy for a reason. It isn't just because they are genetically talented. They also work smart. How often are you focusing on mental training? The vast majority of military members and civilians get this wrong. Are you focused only on physical training? If so, you are only doing 50% of the work. The world's top runners combine mental training with physical training to produce world-class results.

I credit mental rehearsal to my breaking the 2:20:00 marathon barrier. I held 13, back-to-back 2 miles in 10:38 each (or 5:19 mile pace for 26.2 miles) when I did that. That being said, I spent years visualizing myself running that fast. So, start spending 10 minutes daily rehearsing running the way you are dreaming about. Also, getting across the finish line with your goal 2 mile time on the clock.

Closing Thoughts

Are you ready to take your training and racing to the next level? If so, click on any of the green buttons on this page to learn more about the new Army combat fitness 2 mile running course. I'd love to keep in touch. Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I focus on making new content there weekly to help athletes such as yourself to earn new personal bests.

Lastly, focus on staying as relaxed as you can in training. Less muscular and mental tension leads to better results. Also, make sure you are pacing yourself properly in your 2 mile. Far too many runners go out too fast, go into oxygen debt and are forced to slow in the second half of the event. My recommendation is aim for a negative split. So, focus on running the second half faster than you run the first half. Again, the end goal is to be passing people and not to be getting passed. Also, to run a huge, new personal best for 2 miles.

I can guarantee that if you follow the fundamentals I teach in this course you are going to drop significant time. I look forward to hearing about your new personal best. In addition, interviewing you about your success with the course and how it helped you.