How Many People Could Do a 5 Minute Mile with a 55 400?

just to throw a number out there without any evidence (because there is none, no matter how you look at it other than anecdotal evidence) i would say that more than 50% of runners will achieve a sub 5 mile with that speed.

Strange thread. I didn't realize most people struggled so much in the 400. For me, 52, 4:44, 16:55

I'd guess that every single middle/distance runner who can run 55 can break 4:30 (if not 4:20). However, there are a lot of sprinters running low 50's and under who can not break 5:00. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever known a sprinter who can break 5. I'm sure they exist, but I don't know them.

my high school coach thought a 'slow' lap and a fast lap was easy for 800m runner.He made three of us, all around 1:54-56 runners, go out it 53 and try to come back in 65-67 just to see how simple it was.It isn't simple, we all got out in 53.low and 2 of us came back in 65. it wasn't a fun way to run 1:58 at all. for reference, we usually went out in 55 to run 1:55. * i didn't know any 1:55 runner who didn't do the same for all of you "just run even splits" people. it's not that simple. my high school teammate, who won the state 800m my senior year was a 1:54-55 guy. We went out in 57.mid in the final and he just took off and ran a 55 last lap. no one was within 2 seconds of him. it's not normal to run under 57 for the second lap in an 800m in high schoolhe ended up running 1:48 in college

Bad Wigins wrote:

I thought you meant a 5 minute mile with a 55-second lap along the way! And that's a much more interesting question, because there are probably quite a few 4:15 or 4:20 milers who could combine a 55 and a 4:05 1200. That's like 80, 85, 85, 55. Or start in 55 and jog it in.

I challenge all 4:15 or better milers (other than myself of course) to give it a shot.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

go home hobbyjogger wrote:

Then this question isn't for you fatass.

No he's just proved that anyone should be able to run sub 5 off 55 second​ speed

The ops question is a waste of time.

Then why did you bother responding to it. You are a waste of both time and resources.

I quit smoking 1st day senior year in high school right after I went on a two-mile run with the cross country team right after having a smoke (they passed by while I was finishing with the smoke and a friend dared me or asked me to go on the run - I ran it in levis and tenners). I thought I was going to die by the end. I was hacking up black stuff and that was the last day I smoked.

By end of track season, I ran a 4:48 mile, 2:04 880, and 54.xx for the 440.

Next year in college I could do 3xmile at 5:00-min/mile pace with a 5-min recover. Later in college I could do

4-5x400@55.xx

pace. Once did 4x200 at 23.0, 23.0, 22.3, 23.0. Never did post any good times in college though cause I always got sick or injured. Did run a 51 400 at the beginning of a 4x400 workout, and ran 1:58 880 indoors 1st race in January but that is about it.

The 400 was by far the biggest event at my school. Everyone wanted to be on the 4x400 team, even in middle school. To make it, you had to be running under 52 (we were a small school), so there were a lot of 53, 54, and 55 guys who eventually moved up in distance. I think most of them were under 5 minutes within a year.

Every distance runner on my college track team that ran the mile ran "50 point in high school" on the 4x4. I always thought that was hilarious, especially the guys who had no speed.

How many M40+ or 50+ runners can do this? That is a better challenge

Things to consider wrote:

I would agree that most men who break 5:00 in the mile are likely to challenge a sub 1:00 for an open 400m. My experience came from being a high school freshman in 1997 running my first actual sub 5:00 mile which was 4:56 my open 400m at the time was 56. Fast forward a couple of years later as a college Junior I ran 4:04 for an open Mile and at the time my open 400m speed was 49. I think speed is very essential in being able to run a fast mile because the faster you can run over 1 lap indicates how comfortable a painful pace will feel. Most fast college milers can typically run a fast 10,000m as well I ran 29:05 at the longer distance and being that I ran a 4:04 mile the slower 4:39-4:41 pace felt like a fast jog.

I coach a girl who ran 4:54 this year and split 58.6. You definitely don't need to be a sub-55 guy or girl to break 5.

My best friend and teammate in college couldn't break 56 but ran 4:23.

At last year's Kansas City Corporate Challenge I witnessed a friend of mine split 76,76,75,59.xx for a 4:47 mile. Pretty impressive for somebody 7 years out of college and training sparingly.

I have a 54 400m a 2:05 800m and a 4:57 1600m

Many people with a 55 400m are sprinters and most of them don't care about running the mile. Meanwhile any distance runner could squeeze a sub 5 min mile unless we are talking about a 4/8 guy then it is on the dot.

PRs of 4:23 and 54, so at least one. I'm sure there aren't as many people going 54.9 and 4:59, but if you can go well below one of the two barriers in your stronger area (sprinter goes 51-52 or better, distance runner goes 4:40 or better, etc.), you can probably crack the other.