[massphatness]

My 16-y.o. had to pass a physical fitness test to qualify for a leadership academy this summer. He was required to run 1.5 miles in 13:00 minutes.

The Senior Chief of his NJROTC unit recommended he NOT run the full 1.5 miles while trainning. Rather, he had him doing a mile 3x per week and 1.25 miles, once a week. He only ran the full 1.5 miles a couple times a month, and that was only as a progress check.

The other piece of advice he got that seemed to be helpful was to maintain an upright posture. As he would tire, my son would bend his head and toroso forward making breathing more difficult and causing his diaphragm to work harder.

I'm a big fat slob, so I can only pass along what I saw work for my son.

Good luck on the test.