What mile time can you run off of 20 MPW?

20mpw, pre-cancer? If I was training for a year, specifically for the mile, it probably would have been around 4:20-30ish. Just a guess, I never trained for it and my actual mile PR is 4:54 from a summer during college doing 3 mile easy runs something like every other day. Earlier that year, I had run 5:07 after doing 200m workouts for 2 months. Years later, I ran 2:03 800m off 10 mi/week so that's how I'm guessing it.

Now? Ha. This summer, I'm coming up to 3 years cancer-free, but I was so wrecked by treatment that I'm just now working up to running 1.5 mpw ... lol yeah 1.5, not 15.

David - I agree with the previous poster who suggested more quality miles and less easy runs. Also, at 20mpw, it's possible that you'd benefit from 2 days off per week. Then you could do some 4 mile runs and still keep it to 20 mpw if that's your limit. Include a classic 8 x 400m at slightly faster than your mile pace, or some other workout(s) along those lines and your mile time should come down.

Alternatively, if you are running every day, you could maybe try 3-mi easy runs, with one 2-mile run that starts at easy pace and after 1/2 mi gets progressively faster & faster, plus one weekly track workout that alternates 8 x 400 or 4 x 800m; with a half-mi warmup/cooldown there's your 20 mi right there.

It sounds like your 8:05 is annoying you. But I doubt you're stuck there forever.

david45 wrote:

Nutsack McGee wrote:

You run slow, therefore you run slow. Why do you keep asking?

20 mpw is not that much. If your goal is to run faster and you are only going to run 20 miles per week, then you should run faster. You have no need for "easy runs" if you're only running 20 mpw.

But honestly, no one here will be able to answer your question to your satisfaction. I (and everyone else here) would imagine that any person (except for the elderly or morbidly obese) that ran 20 mpw consistently for a year would be able to run one mile in less than 8 minutes. Your case is a true anomaly.

I guess I am in the top 1% of being genetically unlucky

Not physically, just mentally. Maybe physically too, but I still think you could run an 8:00 mile. You would be able to run faster if you ran faster sometimes. That's all there is to it.

You do have a point about being genetically unlucky though. That seems to limit your reading comprehension.

Nutsack McGee wrote:

david45 wrote:

I guess I am in the top 1% of being genetically unlucky

Not physically, just mentally. Maybe physically too, but I still think you could run an 8:00 mile. You would be able to run faster if you ran faster sometimes. That's all there is to it.

You do have a point about being genetically unlucky though. That seems to limit your reading comprehension.

Then how do people here break 5 on 20 MPW?

I have a pretty good idea what the answer to this question is for me. In 2019 I was injured from March through June. So I was coming off of a significant time period of 0 mpw. During that time I swam a bit and lifted (upper body only). I gradually built up to between 20-30 mpw over the rest of the year. I would say I averaged about 20, some weeks were under 10 but the highest I got to was 35. Most weeks I only ran 3 days with one "long run" of 60 minutes (8-10 miles), one interval session, usually 5x1000, 12-16x400 or 3-4x1600 (none of these were particularly fast) and one easy run (3-5 miles). In December I went to the track and ran an all out mile in pursuit of extending my sub 5 streak to 17 years. I ran 4:42. I also weighed myself the next day out of curiosity and tipped the scales at 208lbs (I'm 6'1 and my college race weight was between 158 and 162). For context, I am 29 years old and my lifetime best for the mile was 4:12 back when I was 19.

Probably a better answer to the question of how fast could a person run off of 20mpw is that it is dramatically different for each individual. I had a teammate in college who topped out at 25mpw when he was in HS and ran 4:10 for the 1600 and 15:25 for the cross country 5k (woodward park). He could never stay healthy in college when he tried to run more mileage. Another teammate of mine ran 3:51 for 1500 off of less than 20mpw but he was an 800 specialist who ran 1:48 that year and split 46.2 on our 4x4. On the other end of the spectrum I had a teammate in HS who ran 100mpw for a while and could barely break 5:00. I bet he would have run over 6:00 on 20mpw.

And I am at 8:05 at 20 MPW

Nutsack McGee wrote:

david45 wrote:

Then how come I ran 20 MPW for 1 year and only ran a mile in 8:05 minutes?

You run slow, therefore you run slow. Why do you keep asking?

20 mpw is not that much. If your goal is to run faster and you are only going to run 20 miles per week, then you should run faster. You have no need for "easy runs" if you're only running 20 mpw.

But honestly, no one here will be able to answer your question to your satisfaction. I (and everyone else here) would imagine that any person (except for the elderly or morbidly obese) that ran 20 mpw consistently for a year would be able to run one mile in less than 8 minutes. Your case is a true anomaly.

It shouldn't take 70 MPW to break 6 in the mile

As a woman, I think I could still break 4:50 and maybe even 4:45 on 20 mpw. I’d do two workout days of 6 miles, 1 eight mile run day, and the other days bike, swim, gym/plyos or elliptical. If NO cross training is allowed..maybe around 5 minutes

still a miler wrote:

As a woman, I think I could still break 4:50 and maybe even 4:45 on 20 mpw. I’d do two workout days of 6 miles, 1 eight mile run day, and the other days bike, swim, gym/plyos or elliptical. If NO cross training is allowed..maybe around 5 minutes

How are you so talented? I am an 18 year old male who can't break 8 at 20 MPW

david45 what is your goal with all of these posts? are you struggling to come to terms with the lack of talent? or are you trying to change something so that you get better? has you done anything constructive/learned anything since you started spamming the boards? have you taken any of the perfectly good advice people have given you? why not start a 'david45 training thread' so people can follow along and help out, I've seen very little in terms of your training just complaining about slow times and low mileage and comparisons to other, neither of which are productive.

david45 wrote:

still a miler wrote:

As a woman, I think I could still break 4:50 and maybe even 4:45 on 20 mpw. I’d do two workout days of 6 miles, 1 eight mile run day, and the other days bike, swim, gym/plyos or elliptical. If NO cross training is allowed..maybe around 5 minutes

How are you so talented? I am an 18 year old male who can't break 8 at 20 MPW

I think you can do it. If you are really struggling to feel good while running, maybe you should consider having bloodwork done (might be tough right now, I know) to see if you have anemia or another nutrient deficiency. It’s not a bad idea to start taking a multi vitamin and make sure you’re eating enough protein.

Poster324 wrote:

david45 what is your goal with all of these posts? are you struggling to come to terms with the lack of talent? or are you trying to change something so that you get better? has you done anything constructive/learned anything since you started spamming the boards? have you taken any of the perfectly good advice people have given you? why not start a 'david45 training thread' so people can follow along and help out, I've seen very little in terms of your training just complaining about slow times and low mileage and comparisons to other, neither of which are productive.

I am struggling to come to terms with the lack of talent

Reasonable, but it really doesn't matter. It doesnt make you any more or less of a person. A lot of people start running because they are bad at other sports. You should just ask yourself why you run? If it is healthy and inherently enjoyable than it doesnt matter how fast you go, if you spend all your time comparing yourself to others then it will not be as much fun.

I know it can be a tough lesson, whether in sports or in academics, sometimes no matter how hard you try or how much you love a sport you can still be bad at it.

I still believe it is worthwhile to post your training so that other can help you maximize your own ability.

david45 wrote:

I am struggling to come to terms with the lack of talent

Please don't do that on LRC. Go somewhere else to mourn. Seriously. It's getting old.

david45 wrote:

And I am at 8:05 at 20 MPW

What do you want?

If it's advice, then run more and do some interval training to get fast. Nobody is running a good mile off 20mpw jogging.

If you want sympathy then you seem to be giving yourself plenty without our help.

I know someone that ran a 4:09 1600 in high school his mileage was usually around 20 miles a week. He was often injured. He had crazy speed and his workouts would be like 3-4 x 1000m in 2:35.One workout a week. Rest of the week he would just warm up and then go home.

david45 wrote:

And I am at 8:05 at 20 MPW

OK. I just gave you 2 approaches that should work, unless you are possibly weirdly doing something wrong, or maybe if you are elderly. How about giving one of them a try for 3 months? You should start running faster 1-mile TTs by then.

800ftw. wrote:

david45 wrote:

And I am at 8:05 at 20 MPW

Nobody is running a good mile off 20mpw jogging.

This.

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

800ftw. wrote:

Nobody is running a good mile off 20mpw jogging.

This.

That is what freshman do in HS XC.

david45 wrote:

Sub-8 Mile wrote:

This.

That is what freshman do in HS XC.

And this is what you have to stop doing. Rule #1 with your new training plan: stop comparing yourself to others. Rule #2: stop thinking negative thoughts. Rule #3: when you feel sad about your progress do not complain or feel sorry for yourself.

It sounds like running is making you miserable right now because you are unhappy with your progress. If you want to keep improving, run knowing that 90% of running is mental toughness. Be really stubborn about wanting to get better, if that is what you want. Yes, some people are lucky and they don't have to do much to be fast because of their talent. But everyone has to work hard to reach their potential. You have no idea what your potential is, so stop selling yourself short.

If you start a thread with your training progression, so many of us will help you. You clearly have our attention.