Field hockey beginner..tips?

hi. so i want to try out for my highschool field hockey team next year. i have never played before, but i have played street hockey in gym class and really enjoyed it. Field hockey seems like a very fun sport and i bought a cheap stick to practice with. i have about a 8 minute 30 second mile and need to get it down to 7 min by the end of summer for tryouts. Im trying to run every day. tips on how to get faster? good practice drills for beginners? also can you give me some basic rules and/or tips that i should know about the game? thanks so much. sally.