So, if you recall, running a mile on the track to see what you can do. You may train for a Half Maraton or IM or whatver, but just curious if you can go above your expectations and see what you have for 1 mile.
Yes it was 1609 metes, just to make my point of running the mile under 5. I am training for a half Marathon in a litte over a month.
results 4:47.03.
Anyone else take up the Challenge?
4:47? Nice run!
for a reminder on the challenge idea: Prior thread
A few years ago I decided a couple months before my 40th bday to set a challenge of running a sub 5 minute mile. I had never run a mile for time but I figured I could get close based off previous track workouts, 5k and 10k times. PR 5k at time was 18:40, 10k 38:40. Not super fast but fairly solid and I had a big base having done numerous Ironmans, marathons, etc…over the years. Take in mind however that at this time I had not raced in over a year. Anyway, I go out to the track several times in the 2 month period leading up to bday and focused on increasing speed with repeat 200’s and 400’s. Man did those hurt, prior to this my only track repeats were the occasional 800’s done at race pace efforts. Afer the soreness was worked out I made some notible improvements and was surprised at how fast I could still run at the ripe old age of 39. A week or so before the challenge I ran some 800’s to get an idea of sub 5 mile possibility. What I found out was, yes I had increased my speed significantly and could now easily run 800’s at a sub 5 min pace but holding the pace for back to back 800’s was going to be highly unlikely. Challenge day arrived and I, along with numerous friends, showed up at the track to give it a go. By chance a kid that ran track for a local college was there and heard about what I was trying, so he offered to pace me stating he could easily hold 5/min pace. Oh joy! Sure nuff he led me at a perfect pace, 1st 400 easy 1:13, hit 800 right at 2:30 but mid way through the 3rd 400 I started coming unglued and at 1200 was falling apart. The final 400 was the worse suffering I had ever felt and I ended up finishing at just under 5:20. We all had a good laugh and headed straight to the bar for some cold beer and celebrated my 40th bday. I was a little disappointed in not making the sub 5 but it was all in fun so I left it at that and never tried again. I will say approaching 45 has me throwing the challenge around again. This time however I will change my training to incorporate more 800’s, 1200’s and mile repeats. I think those will be critical to building the endurance needed to hold the speed. BTW, I highly recommend this challenge to all runners that have never give it a go.
I like the fact you went for it.
I made it a point to see the time line of progression or lack there of from this year forward. I mean I know my results from races past but if my daughter were so inclined to wonder … But also to look back and say I used to, and look at a yearly PR and over all PR. So for this year so far a 1mile time of 4:47 a bit off my better mile days but, I’ll take it. Every year to do an all out 1mile, 2mile,5k,10k, 10mile, half marathon every year until I cant do it anymorre just put it at a yearly best list. I will probably do most on a track so there is no downhill uphill excuse, etc.
Hopefully my daughter if she is so inclined can go for some of those times.
I too think that by doing this I should be doing my repeats faster. I did 4x800 after my mile under 2:40 pace. so maybe all my intervals should b at 5 pace, just keep going faster than what you normally think is practical.
After I fix my torn labrum, I’ll take up the challenge. Ran 4:4x in college. Also ran a 3 mile in 15 min flat. I also have a friend that ran the mile in 4:08 but he was on the college track team.
Right now, I will just be happy to run a high 5 min…lol
Good times 4:47 is nothing to laugh at.
I still run the mile race during the off season just to keep up some speed for tris and get some serious leg turnover. I am a young female, can go under 5, but I wonder whether this kind of training (to be fast in the mile) is actually helpful for extending to oly distance tris.
Haven’t run for a mile time in almost 3 yrs, but my time in high school was low 5:40’s high 5:30’s on a good day. I should be able to break 5:30 now…I hope. I play ultimate now so I’ve developed short explosions of speed rather than the distance aspect.
I went 4:15.07 on an indoor track a month or two ago. I might only have one chance to run a full mile during outdoor but I would like to run a 4:07-08ish mile equivalent in the 1500. I might run a half this summer. I’m not really built for anything that long but I think I should be able to power though 5:20’s pace during base training for cross. That being said, I’m a college runner so I have an unfair advantage right now.
ran 4:40 the other day on the track during a meet…looking to shed more time off that. I have been taking it easy cause i made a massive increase in miles from 0 miles a week to 60 miles a week. My legs were shot!!!
^^ Nice man, that’s flying. What college team do you run for. Man, the college days, I played soccer and was going to run cross country but I had too much on my plate. Now, I wish I would have run cross country.
My only interest is doing sprint tris, so running a fast mile is pretty important, since it’s such a short distance.
Saginaw Valley State. It’s in Michigan. Yeah I love college. I’m really looking forward to the next couple years to see how much faster I can get. The mile is the perfect race. There is something about that distance. Before I got to college I was an 800 and 400 runner as well a a fairly decent xc runner. Then I got to college and started running the 5k and steeple. This year I moved down to the mile and I love it. It’s painful, fast and all around a sweet race.
totally agree, derek, the mile is addictive. I’m now out of college but don’t want to give it up yet. Definitely a thrilling race, but I won’t ever be close to world class at it, especially for the people here who think 15:30 5ks suck for women. So I’m going to work more on my swimming.
4:41 on an indoor track last spring. on < 20 miles a week.
Having never run a mile (bloody weird imperial nonsense!) I cracked one out this morning. Did a 4:57 over the measured distance on the footpath, not a track (gotta love those do gooder YMCA guys who measure and paint this type of stuff, cheers whoever you are) I finished and promptly threw up. I evidently do not like the lactate threshold type stuff, waaaay too fast for me. I shall not be undertaking this particular endeavor again!
^^^LOL, nice.
induced vomiting by running… always fun.
hey I challenge everyone here of another strenuous task (only if you are of age 
))
The Beer Mile
Line up on the starting line on the track with four 12oz beers bottle or can. Chug a beer, run a lap and so on. I started of strong the first lap the last time I did it. first lap was 72… But I finished in 8:57 haha… could be fun with a bunch of friends!
That’s every friday night for me.
I live in the Boston area and up here we are fortunate to have a number of all-comer’s track meets in the winter where anybody can race a mile against people of their general speed. It’s a great change of pace from the long endurance training the rest of the year and it gives you many chances to find out how fast you can go.
If you live in the US, go to the USATF website (http://www.usatf.org) and/or the website for your regional USATF chapter (ours is http://www.usatfne.org) and you will likely find a list of track meets in your area.
I ran a solo mile for the first time in probably 10 years, and did it in 4:27. I was incredibly elated. I haven’t seen those times since I was in high school. I had to post it on here. People that I work with were like “that’s nice” but they’d say the same thing if I came in excited and said I ran a 10 minute mile.
I’ve never run a solo mile. Then again, I just started running this past October. Based on my pacing from 5k and 10k runs, I think I could probably do ~5:45. Not sure how to find a mile distance on a 400m track though. I know it’s 4 laps of the inner lane plus 9.344 meters…I don’t understand track markings enough to know even which start line to use.