Running 12 minutes is very tricky. If you start off the test with a sprinting run, you'll burn out quickly and will not be able to keep the pace. If you run too slowly, you will not achieve a good distance in the alloted 12 minutes. So the key to running this successfully is to keep a nice and constant pace that can see you through the 12 minutes.
The following table is a guide to determine your fitness level based on the distance completed in the 12 minutes.
| Age | Very good | Good | Average | Bad | Very bad | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-14 | M | 2700+ m | 2400 - 2700 m | 2200 - 2399 m | 2100 - 2199 m | 2100- m |
| F | 2000+ m | 1900 - 2000 m | 1600 - 1899 m | 1500 - 1599 m | 1500- m | |
| 15-16 | M | 2800+ m | 2500 - 2800 m | 2300 - 2499 m | 2200 - 2299 m | 2200- m |
| F | 2100+ m | 2000 - 2100 m | 1700 - 1999 m | 1600 - 1699 m | 1600- m | |
| 17-20 | M | 3000+ m | 2700 - 3000 m | 2500 - 2699 m | 2300 - 2499 m | 2300- m |
| F | 2300+ m | 2100 - 2300 m | 1800 - 2099 m | 1700 - 1799 m | 1700- m | |
| 20-29 | M | 2800+ m | 2400 - 2800 m | 2200 - 2399 m | 1600 - 2199 m | 1600- m |
| F | 2700+ m | 2200 - 2700 m | 1800 - 2199 m | 1500 - 1799 m | 1500- m | |
| 30-39 | M | 2700+ m | 2300 - 2700 m | 1900 - 2299 m | 1500 - 1899 m | 1500- m |
| F | 2500+ m | 2000 - 2500 m | 1700 - 1999 m | 1400 - 1699 m | 1400- m | |
| 40-49 | M | 2500+ m | 2100 - 2500 m | 1700 - 2099 m | 1400 - 1699 m | 1400- m |
| F | 2300+ m | 1900 - 2300 m | 1500 - 1899 m | 1200 - 1499 m | 1200- m | |
| 50+ | M | 2400+ m | 2000 - 2400 m | 1600 - 1999 m | 1300 - 1599 m | 1300- m |
| F | 2200+ m | 1700 - 2200 m | 1400 - 1699 m | 1100 - 1399 m | 1100- m |
Since I fall in the 40-49 age bracket and I am a male, I need to run more than 2500 meters to get the "Very Good" grade. Based on my run data that I post regularly to Nike website, I knew this was possible; if I increased the tempo of my runs.
I decided to give this test a try. To prepare for the run, I stopped running for 2 days to ensure that my body is fully rested. I went early morning on Saturday and did a nice 30 minute warm-up run. There were no aches and pains anywhere, so I decided to give it a shot. I hit the treadmill at 14kph and started my run.
Once I crossed 8 minutes, I knew I could hold the pace for the remaining 4 minutes, and perhaps even increase it in the last 2 minutes. And that is exactly what I did. I increased the speed to around 14.5 after 10 minutes, and really let it go in the last minute by cranking the speed up to 15kph.
How did I do?
2.85 KILOMETERS!!!
That distance is good enough to get the "Very Good" grade even if I was half-my age. That is just incredible. I am patting myself with self-congratulatory taps and high-fiving imaginary friends.
The run did come with a very harsh lesson. Since I was using my iPhone 3GS to time the run and the distance, I needed to shut it down exactly at 12 minutes. The iPhone is a touch-screen device and it has no hardware buttons to act as a stop-watch. This mean I need to swipe the keyboard to unlock it, and then hit the stop button. It would be quite dangerous to do something like this while running at 15kph, so I decided to stop the treadmill (instead of gradually reducing the speed). Big Mistake!!. The sudden deceleration messed up my head. I could see things slowly going dark. Instinct made me hit the speed button on the treadmill so that I could start walking again and I slowly started walking again. It felt like I was in some kind of a dream and when I opened my eyes, I had no idea where I was and what I was doing there. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened. I was this close to falling over from the treadmill.
If I am to do this test again, I will only do with with someone else timing me - and after ensuring that he/she has an oxygen pack handy.
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