How can I cut down my mile time...fast?

[Justin98]

I think I've mentioned before that I am currently running track. I'm not doing bad considering that I'm just a sophmore, but I really want to get my times down. My best times this year have been 5:12 for my 1600meter run, and 2:18 for my 800 meters. I really want to get my 1600m (mile) down to 4:45, and my 800m down under 2:00 by the end of the season. The problem is I only have about a month to do It. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do as far as training or diet or anything else? Are these goals even managable in a month?

[Greg Newton]

Whew Justin! You don't set high expectations! It might be best to give it a little longer to push those goals. But, having said that, John or Monty, who coaches track, might have some tips to help.

Greg

[duff]

A college friend of mine said that in high school he became a track star by training not just with the team in the evenings, but getting up at 5am to train doubly in the mornings.

This might be a recipe for overtraining and injury however, so I'd recommend talking with a coach to create a more sensible plan.

[TejasT]

You already blow me out of the water! Man, you're fast! And you want to go faster?!?

I'm not a running coach, so if someone says different listen to them. But I have run for a while. Here's what I've done to improve my speed (I like to run 5K and longer -- but have run milers).

- I figured out the pace I would need to run to make my goal time
- I would then start out running shorter distances at that pace, gradually increasing the distances up to my event.

So, you might start running 1 lap at your goal pace. After you can do that, push it to 2 laps, etc. You would do this until you get to the mile.

Finally, you're going to need to make sure you're not overtraining and getting enough rest. And eat the right foods for recovery.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[JoeJustice]

You already blow me out of the water! Man, you're fast! And you want to go faster?!?


That's what I said! :rotfl:

-Joe

[TejasT]

I really want to get my 1600m (mile) down to 4:45, and my 800m down under 2:00 by the end of the season.

I did some quick figuring:

- To reach your goal for the 1600m, you'll have to run around a 4 min, 45 sec/mile pace.
- To reach your goal for the 800m, you'll have to run around a 4 min/mile pace (or faster if you want it under 2 min)

Those are some booking times. Just practice running shorter distances at those paces and you'll get to your goal.

If those seem to fast (I know they would for me), pick a slightly quicker pace that what you're running at now. Then each time you reach your goal, up the pace starting with shorter distances again.

Good luck! I'm going to start calling you Justin "Usain" 98!

[Charlie]

Hi Justin,

I am not an expert by any means, so feel free to do whatever with this info. My son however, is a collegiate runner and he was close to your fitness level (running times) when he was a sophmore. Unfortunately I dont think there is a quick fix. I dont know where you are presently at as far as base and workout levels, so I hesitate to make specific suggestions. I will, however, highly recommend "Jack Daniels - Daniels Running Formula". This is a fantastic book. It lays out the entire running program (easy, tempo,intervals, and race reps). The man is a scientist and has devoted his life to the sport. He has trained almost every elite runner in this country (Salazar, Jim Ryun, Joan Benoit Samuelson, etc). Nothing is left to chance with his training method. My son ran a 4:30 1600 as a senior only to find out after the fact that he had severe asthma. Bottom line is you cannot go wrong with the Daniels method.
PS. It has nothing to do with Jack Daniels whiskey. ( I would put a smiley here if I knew how).

Charlie

[monty]

Justin 98,
Those are respectable times for a sophmore but I am wondering why you are looking for advice if you already have a coach. I guess I should ask, are you self-coached or do you have a distance coach timing you and giving you workouts.
I do not think it is fair or respectful to your current coach to go over his head looking for advice here.
I am not trying to be mean or disrespectful but if an athlete of mine went over my head to get advice from a website i would be a little unhappy with this.

You need to go to your current coach and ask him unless you are being self-coached. I would also be careful getting advice from any website due to getting many opinions some good some not so good.

Honestly I think your goals are a little steep, you are setting yourself up to be disappointed due to such a big jump in goals.
Do you run cross-country? do you run in the off season? these are big factors when going for personal best.
I am not trying to be hard on you but maybe set some goals that you can get right now, like a 5:00 and a 2:12.
Please go to your current coach and ask him or her, give them the opportunity to help you due to them knowing your persnality, what you can handle, etc.



Monty

[monty]

justin 98,
Just for the record so I do not sound like some old dude who does not know what he is talking about.
I have ben a competitive runner for 40+ years, ran in jr high, high school and college and ran 100s of road races until 40s.
I was a 4:36 miler and 9:48 two miler in high school back when cave man existed. LOL

I have coach high school CC and Track for 23 years and have coached tons of kids to PRs and have coached a number of All-State athletes over the years so please know I have experiience this field.

Off season running is the key to succes in high school Track and CC.

Pesonally I can still muster out a 18:00 5k on a good day which seems like few and far betweenn these days. HAHA!!

Have a great rest of the season.
Monty

[GKC]

The key to running a sub 2.00 800m is learning to tolerate anaerobic sessions and the accumulation of lactic acid. Interval sessions are the key but you do need to be very fit to handle them.

In the mid 1980s I ran a 49.0 400m and a 1.55 800m . Examples of sessions I used to do were 6-8 x300 in 45.0 with 1 min recovery or 12 x 200m in 27.0 with 45 seconds recovery.
However as some members have said you need a coach for the following reasons.

1.He knows you and your strengths and weaknesses.

2.He knows you as a person.When you need a boot up the backside and when you need gentle encouragement.

3.He knows the facilities you have available.

4.He cares about you as a whole person not just some " runner"

Good luck with your goals. Intelligent planning allied to discipline is the key.

[JoeJustice]

Monty, I sent you a PM regarding Justin's coaching situation, did you get it?

-Joe

[monty]

Joe I PMd you back, Thanks!

Monty

[monty]

justin I PMd you, check it out.

Monty

[Wackybaby]

Matt Furey once sent out this tip from his experience with another guy named Justin...

How To Run A Mile Faster

What’s the fastest way to reduce your time in the mile? This is a question I am asked by those who will be tested in this event as part of a sport, the military or law enforcement.

As you know I am not an advocate of long distance running, but I do think a one mile test is valuable, especially when you run it as hard as you can. Running one mile at your top speed is tough and it never really gets easy. Rodger Bannister, the first man to break the four minute mile, reportedly collapsed at the finish line. And he was used to running the thing.

So, what are my suggestions for improving in the one-mile test?
Simple. Just go out and run one mile as hard as you can each and every day (or several days a week). Believe me, this is rough. But it will quickly reduce your time in the mile.

In less than a week Justin Marshall of Brentwood, Tennessee, reduced his time in the mile as follows:

07/31/00 8:45
08/01/00 8:09
08/02/00 7:51
08/03/00 7:15
08/04/00 7:30 (Had a terrible cramp)
08/05/00 6:59

Now, let’s say that Justin hits a sticking point around 6:30 and he needs to break 6:00 What should he do? He should take a break from running the mile and do 1/4 mile sprints instead. Follow that routine for a couple of weeks, then test again. He’ll find his time dropping once more.

[Justin98]

Thanks guys for the advice, This is the first time I've had a chance to get on the forum since I origionally posted. For an update, I brought my 800m time down to 2:12 at my last track meet on Friday.