Goal 6 minute mile (Read 6319 times)

    Wow. That was surreal.

     

    I just spent the better part of my night in reading the entire thread hoping for a few pointers on how to reduce my mile time. I certainly got a few pointers, all right. And then some.

     

    MF - I too rather arbitrarily set myself a 6 minute mile goal a short while back and then started aiming for it by cutting back on my mileage to focus on speedwork (halfs, quarters, etc). From the majority of comments on this thread it seems that I might end up sacrificing more than I gain. So maybe I should mix speedwork into distance, rather than treating it as a separate training activity.

    But good luck with yours, or with your 5k, whichever comes first.

     

    My mile race will be in September:

    http://www.runningwithdavid.com/sections/events/run_derbys/midweek.html

    I ran this last in March (only a few months after taking up running 'seriously') and got 6:42. Today I ran 4 halfs averaging 3:10 ish, so I hardly seem to have dented my previous time. Guess I need to start putting the slow miles in too.

    Never been to the Americas, but how many of you guys have ever been to Derby?

     

      Wow. That was surreal.

       

      I just spent the better part of my night in reading the entire thread hoping for a few pointers on how to reduce my mile time. I certainly got a few pointers, all right. And then some.

       

      MF - I too rather arbitrarily set myself a 6 minute mile goal a short while back and then started aiming for it by cutting back on my mileage to focus on speedwork (halfs, quarters, etc). From the majority of comments on this thread it seems that I might end up sacrificing more than I gain. So maybe I should mix speedwork into distance, rather than treating it as a separate training activity.

      But good luck with yours, or with your 5k, whichever comes first.

       

      My mile race will be in September:

      http://www.runningwithdavid.com/sections/events/run_derbys/midweek.html

      I ran this last in March (only a few months after taking up running 'seriously') and got 6:42. Today I ran 4 halfs averaging 3:10 ish, so I hardly seem to have dented my previous time. Guess I need to start putting the slow miles in too.

      I know this is an old thread too but it caught my eyes so here I go...

       

      First and foremost, the important thing is to assess your goal based on your current ability.  This is something far too many people don't do.  They seem to pick some bogus number of round number as their goal (like 4-hour marathon or 6-minute mile) and make that their goal.  If you do that, you are bound to get disappointed or get over-trained by chasing something you are not capable of (at the moment) and force yourself to do the training that might make sense in order to achieve this goal.  If you're running halves in 3:10, there's little chance that you could achieve 6-minute mile.  

       

      Most "runners" today have plenty of endurance/stamina but most never done any "speed" training in a true sense.  Poinsoned (for lack of better term) by marathon training information or phrases like "No Need For Speed", they might even do Yasso 800 as their "speed training" for miling or 5k training.  If they are running 12-minute-mile pace, doing Yasso 800 in 5:45 per half is not necessarily a "speed" workout.  They would benefit so much more if they do workout like 6X120-200 and learn to RUN FAST while relaxed.  For some, even 100m might be too far to run fast and need to cut it back down to, say, 30 or 40m to begin with.  But you've got to learn to get up on your toes, bring your needs up and run tall.  For so long, runners didn't want to talk about "speed".  It was a four-letter-word (?).  They'd rather do 3, 4 or 5 hours of slogging, never learn to run fast and turn around and say; "I'm not fast..."

       

      Running lots of slow miles is important--that's the foundation.  But, if you never learn to run fast, you'll never be able to run fast.

        I think Ciaran meant half mile in 3 min 10 sec.  That should be a good basis to go for a 6 min/mile.


        Lazy idiot

          I think Ciaran meant half mile in 3 min 10 sec.  That should be a good basis to go for a 6 min/mile.

           

          I think he got that.  But if I'm running a 3:10 800+, I'd full expect to run in the mid to high 6's for the full mile.

           

          Who knows how close a sub-6 is for Ciaran, though?  Training smart, running relaxed/fast intervals, and continuing to drop weight: maybe it's sooner than some might think.  As many of us know/remember: for folks new to running sometimes the gains can come very quickly.  Then again, sometimes you train like crazy and nothing seems to happen.

           

          I know it took me time to get from 6:28 to 5:58.  About 16 months, but I wasn't training for the mile (or sometimes much at all, it would have seemed).

           

          I found it helps to enjoy the process (last two months notwithstanding), because sometimes the result is far from what you expected/intended.

          Tick tock

            I ran a few 92-94 second quarters mile intervals on a hot humid day (440 yd track) 1:32/1:30/1:33/1:33/1:34/1:30 with 90 sec rest, and the coach timing us indicated that if my life depended on it I could run 6:15-6:20, I think on the right day I can run a 6:15.  Will see.   Took 2 years to go from a 7:00 shape to about where I am now.  

            jEfFgObLuE


            I've got a fever...

               

              Running lots of slow miles is important--that's the foundation.  But, if you never learn to run fast, you'll never be able to run fast.

               +11.068

              On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

                When I was younger I was a sprinter. By no means notable but I always had a kick. In my later years I took up 'jogging' (which only recently has become 'running) and settled for a longer distance pace. I don't know how realistic a 6 min mile pace is for me right now, but since I opted for this goal and now having done a fairly minimal amount of speed training I feel that my body is already remembering what it was like to be young. The 6 min mile might not be within my grasp but it is not beyond my reach. If I steadily increase my weekly mileage and mix in a bit of speed training then I might stand a chance of getting there sometime soon. It might not be September but it could be :-)

                Never been to the Americas, but how many of you guys have ever been to Derby?

                 

                  Obviously I am talking about a 6 min mile pace for 1 mile only. A sustained 6 min mile pace will hopefully come a bit later.

                  Never been to the Americas, but how many of you guys have ever been to Derby?

                   

                    I did not read this whole thread, so this could have been posted already.  

                     

                    To me speed is the key.

                     

                     I was fairly fast many years ago.  I ran sprints, but was never elite.  I could run under a minute for a quarter and around 2 for a half.  But, my endurance was not good.  I ran cross country my senior year and started getting some endurance.  One particular day we ran mile repeats on the track and my first mile was 5:20.  This time surprised me, because I didn't feel like I was really pushing.  There were other guys who were in better condition, but my speed allowed me to win in my group.

                     

                    I think you need to really work on speed if you want to run a good mile.  I know everyone is blessed with varying degrees of speed and I think you need a certain level to get a sub 6:00 mile.  I would think that you would need to feel comfortable running repeat 80 second quarters.  You need to get the feel for that speed.

                      UNC Men's Basketball ran the mile the other day.. Joel James is listed at 6-10, 260. 

                      1. Luke Davis - 5:14
                      2. J.P. Tokoto - 5:30
                      3. Jackson Simmons - 5:34
                      4. James Michael McAdoo - 5: 40
                      5. Reggie Bullock - 5:45
                      6. P.J. Hairston - 5:46
                      7. Desmond Hubert - 5:52
                      8. Brice Johnson - 5:53
                      9. Marcus Paige - 5:54
                      10. Leslie McDonald - 5:55
                      11. Joel James - 5:56

                      And we run because we like it
                      Through the broad bright land

                      WayneMott


                        What's up runners?  New forum member here.  

                         

                        I started running regularly again this past August.  I ran XC 9th and 10th grade of HS (02-03) and I'm trying to get back to where I was then. 

                         

                        My current PRs:  5k - 21:59. 1 mile - 6:00

                        My goals are: 21:00 and 5:30

                         

                        I've decided to focus on middle distance training for a little while because I have IT band issues that flare up when my mileage gets up.   So I'm considering the next couple of weeks an active recovery, if you will. 

                         

                        My workout today was. 

                        400 - 1:12.  60 second rest

                        800 - 1:29/1:39. 90 second rest

                        800 - 1:35/1:38

                          What's up runners?  New forum member here.  

                           

                          I started running regularly again this past August.  I ran XC 9th and 10th grade of HS (02-03) and I'm trying to get back to where I was then. 

                           

                          My current PRs:  5k - 21:59. 1 mile - 6:00

                          My goals are: 21:00 and 5:30

                           

                          I've decided to focus on middle distance training for a little while because I have IT band issues that flare up when my mileage gets up.   So I'm considering the next couple of weeks an active recovery, if you will. 

                           

                          My workout today was. 

                          400 - 1:12.  60 second rest

                          800 - 1:29/1:39. 90 second rest

                          800 - 1:35/1:38

                          Your goals should be attainable and realistic based on something concrete; not just "I want..."  Just a quick look at your post, as someone who's as young as you are and for someone who ran XC about a decade or so ago, to be blunt, 21-minutes 5k sounds a bit weak.  In fact, for someone who runs 6-minute for a mile, it IS a bit weak.  That shows, to me, that your basic fitness level is not quite adequate (=your aerobic base is weak).  With that in mind, the type of workout you are doing (or just had done today) is not quite appropriate.  

                           

                          So many people make a mistake of just throwing some workouts together and hope some great performance will someday emerge.  There are different ways to train but the surest way is to pick the race that you want to do well and put together a physiologically sound training plan.  For one, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, then you are heading for the winter.  Unless you have a plan to do some indoor competition, why in the world are you doing some race-specific training?  And, even for that, why in the world you blast out with 72-second 400m to begin with only to see your pace continue to deteriorate throughout your workout?  If you don't have any plan on competing in the indoor races, you should take advantage of winter (assuming you live NH) and do some easy mileage, more like an hour to an hour and a half of easy jogging.  The fact you can run 72-second quarter from the get-go, it is quite apparent that you DO HAVE speed to run 5:30 for the mile.  What you lack is the staying power and doing fast repeats is not going to get you there.  Besides, if you're going to have some active recovery weeks, why in the world are you doing a tough repeats?  It seems like a bunch of crap shooting training.  You need to sit down and put together a sound training plan that makes sense.

                           

                          Plus, I don't believe ITBS flares up by going far as long as you keep it nice and easy.  I don't believe doing the type of workout you just did would actually help ITBS either.  Check to make sure you have the right shoes--most of ITB problems are actually caused by overly built-up stability shoes.

                          WayneMott


                            Your goals should be attainable and realistic based on something concrete; not just "I want..."  Just a quick look at your post, as someone who's as young as you are and for someone who ran XC about a decade or so ago, to be blunt, 21-minutes 5k sounds a bit weak.  In fact, for someone who runs 6-minute for a mile, it IS a bit weak.  That shows, to me, that your basic fitness level is not quite adequate (=your aerobic base is weak).  With that in mind, the type of workout you are doing (or just had done today) is not quite appropriate.  

                             

                            So many people make a mistake of just throwing some workouts together and hope some great performance will someday emerge.  There are different ways to train but the surest way is to pick the race that you want to do well and put together a physiologically sound training plan.  For one, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, then you are heading for the winter.  Unless you have a plan to do some indoor competition, why in the world are you doing some race-specific training?  And, even for that, why in the world you blast out with 72-second 400m to begin with only to see your pace continue to deteriorate throughout your workout?  If you don't have any plan on competing in the indoor races, you should take advantage of winter (assuming you live NH) and do some easy mileage, more like an hour to an hour and a half of easy jogging.  The fact you can run 72-second quarter from the get-go, it is quite apparent that you DO HAVE speed to run 5:30 for the mile.  What you lack is the staying power and doing fast repeats is not going to get you there.  Besides, if you're going to have some active recovery weeks, why in the world are you doing a tough repeats?  It seems like a bunch of crap shooting training.  You need to sit down and put together a sound training plan that makes sense.

                             

                            Plus, I don't believe ITBS flares up by going far as long as you keep it nice and easy.  I don't believe doing the type of workout you just did would actually help ITBS either.  Check to make sure you have the right shoes--most of ITB problems are actually caused by overly built-up stability shoes.

                             

                            My ITB pain is actually worse on an easy paced run.  I can run a 5k at full pace (7:05-ish) and have no pain.  If I do the same mileage with an 8+ minute pace, I have pain.  Trust me, if I could be logging more miles without pain, I would, but until I get through the ITB issues, I am going to work on my speed.  I did try cycling today for the first time in a while and had no pain after a 30 minute ride so I'm going to start pushing the distance a little more each ride and that should help with my overall aerobic base.  And when I say "active recovery" I mean, giving my ITB some time to get the inflammation down because intense speed work has no negative effects like an easy 3-4 miler does.  

                             

                            My shoes are Brooks PureConnect which have been a lot better than the Brooks Ghost 5 I was running in.  These force me to have a midfoot/forefoot strike which lessens the impact on my knee.