Often, the mile is thought of as the best event in athletics. Ever since Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes in Oxford, England on 6th May 1954, track athletics fans have been fascinated by the feat.
Although running a mile under five minutes is considered ambitious for amateur athletes, most modern-day elite athletes strive to run a sub four mile.
The most common question that runners get asked is whether or not they have run a marathon.
” Although UK Endurance coach Malcolm McCausland (coach of two sub-four-minute milers) understands that fads come and go, he still finds the mile distance fascinating. The best way to determine how fast a runner can run is by timing them over the course of a mile. This is referring to the fact that four laps around a standard track is equal to one mile. This is considered to be the perfect distance for runners.
There is an increasing trend of people training for and competing in long-distance events such as marathons. To train properly for different distances, runners need to adjust their training programs. The type of training needed to run a mile is different from that needed to run a 10k, half marathon, or marathon.
What do you need to do to make that dream come true?
Here’s How to Run A 5 Minute Mile
1. 5 Minute Mile Pacing – Train At The Target Pace
The mile distance is based on the imperial measurement system and is the same as 1609m in the metric system. You’ll be trying to run each of the four laps that make up a mile in 75 seconds, which is a pace of 3 minutes and 8 seconds per kilometer.
You can program your GPS to show your 5 minute mile pace by inputting 5.00/mile, or 3.08/km.
To get used to the pace, start by running 10-12 200 meter repetitions at the target pace of 75 seconds per 400 meters (37.5 seconds per each 200 meter effort), taking a 60 second recovery.
This is telling the person to run 300m 6-8 times with a 75 second break in between each run. The next scheduled activity is 6-8 repetitions of 400m, with a 90-second pause in between.
Try running 3 600 meter laps with a 4 minute break in between each lap to help you get closer to your goal of running a mile in under 5 minutes.
This means that you will need to spend more time running at a slower pace to recover from this type of workout.
It’s not only how fast the athlete can sprint at the beginning, but being able to maintain that speed throughout the whole race.
Therefore, the development of speed endurance is critical. You will not have two minutes to rest during the race, so it is not good to be able to run at the target pace in training with long recoveries.
2. Speed Development: Train At Faster Than Race Pace
Working on your speed will help you to reach your target race pace. One way to become faster is to train your body to run at speeds that are quicker than your target race pace.
To be able to run a 5 minute mile, you need to be able to run faster for shorter distances. This means that if you ran an 800m race, you would hopefully be able to run it in 2.20. That is an average of 70 seconds per lap.
If you want to run one lap of the track as quickly as possible, you should aim to do it in 63 seconds or less. If you have a certain base speed, then you will be able to break the 5 minute mark for the mile.
Your goal pace for an 800m race should be 35 seconds per 200m, or 70 seconds per 400m.
Here are some helpful sessions: 10x 200m with a 90 second break in between, 8x 300m with a 2 minute break, or 4x 400m with a 5 minute break.
To build your speed, you can do the following workouts: 5 times 300m with a 4-minute recovery period, and 8 times 200m with a 2-minute recovery period. You should with a 32 second target 400m pace for the 200m and 48 seconds per 300m repetition.
You should take it easy the days after these tough sessions. What this person is saying is that you should remember that your body will be under a lot of stress if you are running at a high intensity and speed. They say that it is important to do a warm-up that includes some fast strides before you start running, and a cool-down after you are finished.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a natural base speed. There are ways to develop it.
3. Building Strength – Work On Your Leg Strength
If you want to improve your speed to be able to run a 5 minute mile, then you should focus on working on your leg strength. two of the most effective ways to improve your cardiovascular fitness are hill running and circuits.
Hills are an excellent way to develop leg strength. There are several different types of workouts you can do. Find a hill that is 100m long with a moderate gradient. -Jog up a hill -Sprint down the hill -Jog back to the bottom of the hill to recover -Repeat
You should focus on maintaining good running form, rather than worrying about racing to the top.
You could find a steeper hill to work on power. After a warm-up, sprint for 15 seconds at top speed, then walk back down to recover. Repeat this three more times.
One unorthodox way to improve your running cadence or leg turnover is to run downhill. Try running 4-6 strides on a slight downward slope.
Generally, you can use any type of gym equipment to do strength training exercises for your legs One way to build specific leg strength is through strength training exercises using gym equipment. Increasing your stride length can help you sprint faster. A few of the most important exercises to do are squats, lunges, burpees, squat-thrusts, one-legged squats, and calf raises.
4. SET A BENCHMARK MILE
A benchmark mile is a mile that is used to determine your baseline. You will go for a run and time how long it takes you to run a mile.
You will need to find a way to know when you have run a mile. You can run around a track, which isn’t too difficult. If you cannot find a track nearby, you can create a one-mile long route using an app such as Strava or RunKeeper. Just make sure you end at the right place!
Heading out along the route and marking your splits with chalk or landmarks can help you keep track of where you are during your run.
5. RUN 400 AT A 5-MIN MILE PACE
Once you know how long it takes you to run a mile, you can work on completing a quarter mile in that time. Your goal is to run one lap of the track at full pace.
You should aim to have a ¼-mile split that is 1 minute and 15 seconds if you want to run a 5-minute mile in a race. That’s 75 seconds.
For this exercise, we are aiming to finish even faster. Assuming you’re capable of it, try to complete this lap in 65 seconds or less. You don’t need to worry if you feel exhausted after this training exercise where you only do one lap at a time.
Start implementing this drill into your training regularly. You should notice that you improve slightly every time. If you can consistently run for 60 to 65 seconds, you will eventually be able to run a 5-minute mile.
6. START TRAINING
If running a 5-minute mile is your goal, you need to train for it accordingly. To reach your goal, you will need to do something every day. Being consistent is vital!
TRAINING TIPS TO REACH A 5 MINUTE MILE
1. IMPROVE RUNNING FORM
The most important thing you can do is to fix your running form. There are small improvements that can be made by everyone which could mean the success or failure of an individual.
Ask a friend or family member to video you while you run in order to easily and quickly find your own flaws. Or you could use a tripod to record yourself.
It’s easy to do this with any smartphone—the quality of the video will be good enough for what you need.
Consider the following when you analyze your own running form on the video:
- Are you striking with your heel, midfoot, or forefoot?
- Where is your foot landing in relation to your hips?
- Are your arms getting “lazy”?
- How far are you lifting your heels on the push-off?
You want to land on your midfoot, with your foot directly below your hips, for the best results. Jump up high enough so that your heels are above your toes and level with your hips, or even higher.
Use your arms to push yourself forward by swinging your hands up to your chin on the forward swing and down to your hip on the backswing.
If you’re struggling to change your running form, you might want to think about hiring a coach, even if it’s just for a brief period of time. Once you have trained your body to run with correct form, you will be able to maintain correct form more easily without having to think about it.
2. BUILD UP YOUR BASE
It is extremely important to build up your base fitness and endurance. Although one mile may not seem very long, being able to run that distance is pointless if you have no intention of running races that are longer.
If you want to be able to run for long periods of time, you need to practice regularly. To see improvement in your speed, you should be training 5 days per week for at least 6 to 12 weeks before adding speed drills.
If you start speed training too soon, you might get injured, which will only make it harder to reach your goal of running a 5-minute mile.
Make sure you allow yourself enough time to complete this goal. You’ll need to be dedicated and consistent. You are more likely to be injured if you try to go too fast through this training.
In addition, after you have increased your endurance, you will be able to do things like 5K races at your 5-minute mile pace.
3. HILL REPEATS
Doing hill repeats can help improve your strength and endurance. If you live near a hill that is 200 to 400 meters tall, then this type of training is ideal.
If it is close enough to jog to as a warm-up, it is even better. If not, that’s okay. If you are looking to get a similar workout to what you would on an incline treadmill, you can use a regular treadmill set at an incline.
Do 4 to 5 repetitions of going up the hill, whether it is on a treadmill or outside. Reach for the stars and go after your dreams with everything you’ve got! After running up the hill, you can jog back down to the bottom and use that time as your rest. Then back to the next rep.
You should work on increasing your reps to 8 or 10 in one session. This type of training is great for building strength in your legs, as well as your stamina and endurance.
4. SHORT SPEED WORKOUTS (UP TO ¼-MILE)
You should start doing speed workouts in your training regime after you have been working on your basic fitness for at least 6 weeks.
Such drills entail completing a set number of repetitions of a given distance. These sessions are typically used to help you achieve your 5-minute mile target pace.
An example of this would be running 200 meters 10 to 12 times. For a 5-minute pace, you should try to run these in 37.5 seconds each, with a minute of rest in between.
It’s best to do these on a track so you can gauge how long 200 meters is. If you cannot do something, you will have to do it yourself to make sure it is done correctly.
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