Help me get a 5-minute mile!

[BOOEY]

I'm running about a 7 minute mile now and would like to get it down to 5 minutes. I would only be able to do the run once or, tops, twice a week due to my lifting schedule (I only fit in 2 days of cardio per week). But other than actually running the mile over and over again every week, what can I do to get faster and improve my endurance/stamina. I would like to see a significant drop in time before I start bulking up again (mid-October). Thanks!

 

[Synpax]

Get a coach. Seriously.

 

[BOOEY]

You can be my coach ... any tips?

 

[Synpax]

You know how hard it is to get a 5 min mile? You need to hire a coach or join a running club. What's your best 400 time? Go run a 400 and let us know what the time is.

 

[Synpax]

So I re-read your post. It is not possible to cut your 1 mile time from 7+ minutes to 5 minutes by October. I think it will be easier for me to go from a 200 to 300 max bench press. by March than for you to get to a 5 minute mile in 1 year (although I am not fully aware of the potency of cardio-related performance enhancing drugs).

Seriously, I'm not trying to discourage you. Maybe if you were 15 years old and had a good work ethic you could have it by 16.

I would suggest that you set more reachable goals (say, a 6:30 mile within 2 months) - that would probably be possible.

I'd also suggest starting to get into racing. The distances are longer but it is a good incentive.

 

[BOOEY]

I will get it. It's been close to a year since I've done consistent cardio, my first time back on the track and I got 7 min

Anyone else?

 

[little chris]

fastest mile I ever ran was 5mins 45 sec I thought I was gonna die. end I'm very fast. Get a coach, oxygen tent, train in colorado for a year.

 

[txarmyguy23]

As an EX college distance runner I feel certain that no matter how hard you train or the shape you are in that if you dont run more then 2 a week I SERIOUSLY dont think it could be done...Now then again if on your 2 running days if you say did about 3 miles worth of 400 meter repeats starting at a extremly slow pace say 2minutes a 400 and with each 400 meters try to drop2 seconds you might be able to shock your body enough for that many miles worth of repeats to get an idea of what a 5 minute mile would feel like for you....On your 2nd running day I would put in a long run say 5-10 miles....Since your not a consistant runner 5 miles would be a good start for a long run for your 2nd run of the week...now if you were to have 5 days a week to run then I could probably get you a training program that would give you a better chance to do it say 3-4 months time

 

[little chris]

In all honesty get ankle weights (1 1/2 - 2lbs) and try running in the shallow end of the pool. Sprinters do this as resistance training.

 

[mr.cuts]

fastest mile I ever ran was 5mins 45 sec I thought I was gonna die. end I'm very fast. Get a coach, oxygen tent, train in colorado for a year.

you can't be that fast. I average a 5:30 mile when I run a 4 mile clip.

 

[little chris]

played football as a RB and hockey as a winger since I was 9. I'm 5'6" 165-170 at 5-6% BF. My best forty was a 4.38. I do a good amount of weighted resistance wind sprints.

 

[Kroliczek]

I'm running about a 7 minute mile now and would like to get it down to 5 minutes. I would only be able to do the run once or, tops, twice a week due to my lifting schedule (I only fit in 2 days of cardio per week). But other than actually running the mile over and over again every week, what can I do to get faster and improve my endurance/stamina. I would like to see a significant drop in time before I start bulking up again (mid-October). Thanks!

My best time for a mile was 5:24. I am a girl. (although I was a SChamp athlete in the 1600). Men run faster than women. You can most definitely do this. If you are concentrating on the 1600, I would suggest working on your 400 and your 800. I always had a training partner (or team) to push me along. Make sure your endurance is up to par. I was running sometimes around 100 miles per week (my coach was training for a marathon). You will need that endurance combined with the speed for your last 200 m.

Good luck.

 

[PoyeBoy]

it will take a lot more than 2 miles a week to run a 5 flat, high 5's you may be able to get if you are ungodly conditioned and have someone pushing you that is good at running

 

[Synpax]

My best time for a mile was 5:24. I am a girl. (although I was a SChamp athlete in the 1600). Men run faster than women. You can most definitely do this. If you are concentrating on the 1600, I would suggest working on your 400 and your 800. I always had a training partner (or team) to push me along. Make sure your endurance is up to par. I was running sometimes around 100 miles per week (my coach was training for a marathon). You will need that endurance combined with the speed for your last 200 m.

Good luck.

He definitly can't get it in the time frame he gave. But your post is instructional in telling us what it takes to get that low.

Look at Kroliczek. State champ among all the high school girls in the 1 mile. Her time was 5:24. She was training up to 100 miles a week.

See what she had to do to get there? And genetics probably played a part (I am guessing she's an a-cup cutie and pretty skinny /w little upper body development - or at least she did at the time?)

If I'm wrong about any of that, please let me know.

You definitly CAN get to 5 minute mile - IF you are willing to do what it takes.

 

[Kroliczek]

He definitly can't get it in the time frame he gave. But your post is instructional in telling us what it takes to get that low.

Look at Kroliczek. State champ among all the high school girls in the 1 mile. Her time was 5:24. She was training up to 100 miles a week.

See what she had to do to get there? And genetics probably played a part (I am guessing she's an a-cup cutie and pretty skinny /w little upper body development - or at least she did at the time?)

If I'm wrong about any of that, please let me know.

You definitly CAN get to 5 minute mile - IF you are willing to do what it takes.

LOL. I am actually pretty genetically gifted, I would assume. I have always been a good athlete...competitive swimmer. Actually I have a c cup, and I did back then also. I just always wore 2 sports bras. (plus I was SC in 97)

For a girl to get to a 5 minute mile, that's tough. But for a guy...I believe that it is totally possible. He just has to bust his buns. He has to make running his life, blood, and breath for the next few months.

 

[BOOEY]

Hey What's up, I completely forgot about this thread, so sorry I haven't been able to keep up with the replies.

On Oct 10, I clocked a 6:02 mile. So in about a month I was able to get it down a minute and some change. I only allowed myself two days to train each week because I'm very paranoid about losing muscle, I'm sure if I dedicated myself 100% I could have gotten a better time. But what I did was on Day 1, I ran 3.5 miles and on Day 2 I did a shitload of 100m or 400m sprints (I mixed it up each week). I think this combo worked very well because it helped with my endurance and speed. I'm pretty satisfied with 6 minutes. I started to bulk the day after I clocked it, so I won't be training for the mile until I can give it a 100% for a good 5-6 months. But I plan on continuing to run those sprints every so often, I think those helped out the most. Thanks for all the help people.

 

[Synpax]

Sprints are not an aerobic exercise. The mile is about 90% aerobic. 6:02 is a good place to be but each additional second becomes exponentially more difficult to get off.

 

[BOOEY]

Like I said, I'm not training for the mile until I have 5-6 month period to give it my all. If you don't think sprints are good for maintaining or even improving endurance and power, then I tell you to get on a track and try it .......

 

[Synpax]

Like I said, I'm not training for the mile until I have 5-6 month period to give it my all. If you don't think sprints are good for maintaining or even improving endurance and power, then I tell you to get on a track and try it .......

I spend more time on the track - rain, snow, sub-zero weather - busting speed work twice a week (plus road running/trail running/cycling/swimming - hard cardio every day) and I know what the hell I'm talking about. I'm trained by some of the most elite athletes in this country. I can also cite title and verse the racing god Robert Glover. I don't need you telling me what to do to develop endurance.

The sprints are pointless. No training program for the mile uses them other than 40s or whatever and that is to learn proper form, not to develop 'power and endurance.'

Besides, other than olympians and track team members, no one runs the 'mile' competitively. In my index of about a hundred races this month in nation's capital there is one 3k.

 

[txarmyguy23]

I spend more time on the track - rain, snow, sub-zero weather - busting speed work twice a week (plus road running/trail running/cycling/swimming - hard cardio every day) and I know what the hell I'm talking about. I'm trained by some of the most elite athletes in this country. I can also cite title and verse the racing god Robert Glover. I don't need you telling me what to do to develop endurance.

The sprints are pointless. No training program for the mile uses them other than 40s or whatever and that is to learn proper form, not to develop 'power and endurance.'

Besides, other than olympians and track team members, no one runs the 'mile' competitively. In my index of about a hundred races this month in nation's capital there is one 3k.

on a Competive level I dont think you can say that sprints are pointless...being from Houston I had the opportunity to do some summer training for summer track with some very competive middle distance runners like Jason Lunn, competed against Sam Burley, and Jonathan Johnson, david krumnenacker did some training at Rice and the University of houston a few times...Ran against the Hauser twins when I was in highschool but they moved up to the 5k and 10k in track once they got to college...Anyone heard of Adam Davis All American 1500 runner from Rice, He grew up 3 houses down from me and started training for the 800/1600 the summer I graduated from highschool and still today he does 200-1200 meter sprints...You want to develop power your doing sprints plain and simple. Unless your in a location to run hills or Mountains your not going to develop the kind of power needed without sprints ranging from short to longer...Show me a good miler that wins that doesn't have sprinting power...Grant it this guy is just trying to run a sub 6minute mile and he's going to limit his training days then he's gonna have to push his body hard enough that it will be able to handle pushing a pace fast enough to reach his goal. Brandon Rock was a prime example who ran the 800 and 1500 while mainting mostly a sprinting training with 1 10mile run a week...There are 2 ways to develop endurance and though I would personally choose to make longer runs to develop my ability to volumize air, not everyone can take distance to an advantage in running a mid distance race.

Let me ask everyone this what do you think is going to be more beneficial for this runner to put in distance 1-2 days of the week or too do say start out with 3 miles worth of sprints ranging from 100 meters to 1200 meters? 1-2 days a week and adding 1 mile to it every week till he's 6 weeks out when he starts dropping the mileage by a week and lowering his times for each sprint say by 1 sec a rep (ex: running 5 200 meters at 32 seconds with say 1minute recovery then dropping it to 5 200meters at 31 seconds and possibly drop his recovery time to say 30-45 seconds) the last 2 weeks use 1 day for sprints and the 2nd for a 4-6mile run. I mean there are alot of things you can do to reach this goal and it would determine largely with how is body reacts to different types of training.

On a personal note I'd like to know who's training you just to see if I know any of them from my former running days send me a pm if thats cool

 

[Synpax]

(ex: running 5 200 meters at 32 seconds with say 1minute recovery then dropping it to 5 200meters at 31 seconds and possibly drop his recovery time to say 30-45 seconds) the last 2 weeks use 1 day for sprints and the 2nd for a 4-6mile run.

I wouldn't call 32 second 200s a sprint. It's also somewhat silly to do program that depends on running the 200 ONE SECOND faster as though you can control it that precisly.

The mile is 90% aerobic. Sprinting is anaerobic. The workouts should be geared towards increasing aerobic capacity/threshold. Examples of these workouts would be 3x800 at threshold and 1 ominute job, n x 800 at threshold with 34 seconds rest, or Nx400 /w 30 seconds rest, etc.

Case closed.

I'll PM you my trainers. They have some pretty elite guys though I'm more one of those guys who is just doing it for the hell of it.

 

[TiGeRTrAcK1600m]

I just wanted to give you a little moral support and tell you that i was in the sam situation as you and i did it. Last November I was running a 6:53 mile- by the end of May I got it down to 4:57. This however came with pushing myself VERY hard EVERYDAY for like 6 months. I just felt that you outta know that it can be done. (by the way, now ive got the 2ed fasted mile in the school-im a sophmore) Keep go'n hard n u can do it.

TiGeRTrAcK1600m

 

[gmk2805]

First off, I happened upon this forum after doing a search on 5 minute miles on Google and was interested to hear how bodybuilders would get around to completing that task given their training regimen might be somewhat anethama to most distance runners. I am now an advanced level runner able to complete a mile in around 4.45(that was my time today with my first mile challenge) or less given my novice status at this event. There was no way possible to have achieved this time if my main emphasis was on sprints in training. I cannot see how an anerobic activity such as sprinting can dramatically aid an aspiring mile racer in what plainly is an endurance event. Yes, sprints help in getting to kick, but after that the aerobic efficiency of the athlete is what matters most in the mile. As far as the goal of getting to a 5 minute mile, I would say you will have to (unless you are superman) concentrate on getting more days in on the track and work at increasing your aerobic volumizing through more miles put into your running schedule. Otherwise, the sight of a heavy muscled bodybuilder trying to sprint his way through 4 laps of the track would indeed be painful to watch. Consider also that power athletes like decathletes who may incorporate somewhat more aerobic conditioning in their schedule, than say the average bodybuilder, typically despise the mile event : too draining and fatiguing for their powerpacked bodies. I would be impressed if you can achieve your goal of completing the mile in under 5 minutes. Good luck to you if you can get the job done.

 

[jthom44]

Hi I may be able to help ya out. When I was in the Army I had the same goal as you but for 2 miles. A Ranger help me out . Heres what ya do. Get on a tread meal and set a time 1 min lower than your best time and go at it. At no time will you lower the speed. When you get use to it then lower it another min and so on. It worked for me My 14 min 2 mile went to a 10 min 2 mile. The Army thought I was on drugs and had me tested. Hope this works.

 

[Gymgurl]

speed training.....sprints, fartlecks (SP...LOL), 400's

 

[gjohnson5]

I wouldn't call 32 second 200s a sprint. It's also somewhat silly to do program that depends on running the 200 ONE SECOND faster as though you can control it that precisly.

The mile is 90% aerobic. Sprinting is anaerobic. The workouts should be geared towards increasing aerobic capacity/threshold. Examples of these workouts would be 3x800 at threshold and 1 ominute job, n x 800 at threshold with 34 seconds rest, or Nx400 /w 30 seconds rest, etc.

Case closed.

I'll PM you my trainers. They have some pretty elite guys though I'm more one of those guys who is just doing it for the hell of it.

A 32 second 200 is a turtle in a hare's race...

Yeah , I keep reading people talk about running 400. a quarter is a sprint and totally anaerobic. I could run 50 second quarters repetitively but could never run a 5 minute mile much less the 4 minute mile pace I was on the first quarter.