Suggestions To Improve Mile Time?

[un_pajaro]

I have a mile time of 6:30, which is my weakest area physically wise. Any specific training I should check out to improve my mile time over the summer? I only run a couple hours on the weekends early in the morning on a school dirt track before a Cricket team takes over it.

 

[Academician]

I share this article with my students to improve their mile times . . . https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-run-a-faster-mile-2911897

I hope you find it helpful.

 

[Sealion II]

I don't dispute anything in the above article. My most successful training sessions were when I focused on repeats. For the marathon, I did Yasso 800's. Start with reps of 4 and build up to 10. For a mile distance, I would focus on 200 repeats. The key is to push yourself on a consistent basis without adding too much volume week after week. Good luck.

 

[Onenickel]

You need to train your legs to know what speed you are going. I did this in a treadmill. Once I was comfortable with the speed, I moved outside and tried to maintain it. The funny thing is that my fastest mile time ever came after I ran 5 miles with my friends. I averaged 6:15 during the run and then clocked a 5:30 mile. I did this version of speed training to qualify for the Boston marathon. I needed to average 7:01 for my age. I hate treadmills but I couldn’t find anything better to help train my body to feel a constant tempo.

 

[MidCakePa]

I only run a couple hours on the weekends early in the morning on a school dirt track before a Cricket team takes over it.

Good advice above. I’m reacting to the implication above, that you run mainly for long distance or long time. To max your mile time, it does help to have stamina. Hence the need to occasionally run 3-4 miles. But from there, as others said above, you need speed work, whether in the form of fartleks or Yasso 800s or hill work. I was a notoriously slow runner — still am — but I can vouch for all three techniques as being great boosts to speed.

 

[aetosArmy]

Good advice above. I’m reacting to the implication above, that you run mainly for long distance or long time. To max your mile time, it does help to have stamina. Hence the need to occasionally run 3-4 miles. But from there, as others said above, you need speed work, whether in the form of fartleks or Yasso 800s or hill work. I was a notoriously slow runner — still am — but I can vouch for all three techniques as being great boosts to speed.

I'm doing fartleks on hills until I can't sprint anymore. Recommend it.

 

[TheToast]

Maybe even try out 400 repeats. Run your 400m split for your goal mile, and do 8-10 of them with only 90 seconds rest.

 

[AFrpaso]

There are good responses and resources so far. I'll throw in my 2 cents as someone who used to run pretty religiously.

1) It is best to build a "base" of running fitness before you start getting serious on the interval workouts. This would mostly amount to just getting out there and putting in the time/miles. I've had more success running for certain amounts of time vs running a certain number of miles. Personally, I would avoid the monotony of a treadmill or a track. I'd also try to avoid roads or other hard surfaces because they can do a number on the knees. In my opinion, trail running is the most ideal. Definitely make sure you stay safe and inform family or a close friend of your intended route and time of return. Best to run with a buddy!

2) Once you've built a bit of a base of fitness, you can start interval training. There are a million variations and you'll always find someone swearing by their best method. At this point you don't need to worry about finding an "optimal" interval workout. Just find something simple that is easy to follow and makes your push yourself. You can vary the workouts from week to week to keep things interesting. I've found interval workouts to be most productive on a track. Always make sure you warm-up and stretch!

Some extra advice, some of which you are probably already doing:
- Make sure you practice the entire CFA in sequence to get an idea of how tired you will be when you get to the mile.
- Running with other people is usually easier and more fun than running alone.
- Try to talk to the track/cross country coach at your HS to see if they can design a basic workout plan to fit your goals.
- Try to find some decent running shoes and athletic wear.
- Stretch!
- "Drills" can help improve your form. This might be another good thing to check in with a HS running coach. Ask him to watch your form as you run a few laps, at a comfortable pace and sprinting, and he might be able to point about bad habits or ways to make your stride more efficient.
- Keep a log of your runs. Distance, times, pace, routes, etc. Some go so far as to almost "journal" each run and describe in more detail how they felt physically or mentally. This makes it easy to track progress and stay motivated towards your goals.
- Expect to see some substantial short-term improvements in endurance and speed and know that this will level out to a performance plateau. Maintaining at that plateau might be all that you need. Working past it will require more time and effort for less and less running "gains." It's up to you to decide how much you want to put in.

 

[Slippy13]

Aha! I run varsity division one cross country. So, do different types of trainings depending on how you feel and the day of the week. For example, we do a light workout on Monday, consisting of quarter mile sets. You run as fast as you can for a quarter of a mile, then off for a quarter of a mile, then on again for a specific distanice. PLEASE MODIFY whatever I say to your own standards. This is what works for me as a 16 year old female. Do a two mile easy the next day. Wednesday, do a progression run of sorts. They ALWAYS help. I decreased my mile time by 45 seconds by doing progression Runs. And do the runs on uneven surfaces, not just a track. Thursday do a one mile shake out, and do a long run on Friday. Strength train Saturday and rest Sunday.

Just my advice. Do whatever feels best for YOU. Ultimately, if you listen to your body, you’ll do alright. Good luck!

 

[tatertot]

There is a lot of great advice above, but I would say this most important thing is to run everyday. Consistency is key for improving cardio and running. Of course this may not be possible starting out, but if you can comfortably get to 6 days per week where each day you run a few miles non-stop, then you should be fine.

 

[AA787DRIVER]

If you are looking at just lowering your mile time, speed work is where it is at. 400 and 800 repeats and lots of them. Body weight can also help you get speed if you shed some.