Why can’t I break 5 minutes in the mile???

Sorry, I should clarify, do you add weight to these core workouts you do? Also, what exercises are you doing? Many of them can probably be enhanced by adding a tiny bit of weight 1-3 times a week.

I do strength training. I do planks, crunches, side planks, crossfit situps at least 4 times a week. I do squats (6x20 35 pounds), step ups (20 each leg, 25 pounds), glute bridges (both legs, then each leg alone, 30 sec each). Am i doing enough strength training or should i do more? Should I add upper body work? I mean I usually do 5x20 pushups around 3 times a week but by the last couple sets of pushups I'm barely going down far at all.

A. 6 x 20 is great but if that's what you're doing every time then you hit diminishing returns, it's not going to do a thing for you. Up the weight. 35 pounds is basically nothing that won't do a thing for you. At least bump up the squats to something like 75, step ups to 35.

B. Doing if 4 times a week is great consistency but with such low weight and weak rep range you might as well add 5 miles to your weekly mileage and get some aerobic benefit. Either do your current routine daily or up the intensity of what you're doing. Honestly, given your current status, do BOTH.

C. If you're failing by the last couple sets you're not doing pushups. Try maxing out now and then or adding clapping pushups, doing dips, diamond pushups, etc. Change it up. Same for lower body - add in lunges, deadlifts, hip thrusts.

D. How long are you going for these planks? If its 60-90s then make it continuous with the side planks or at least go up to 2 mins.

You don't need to double on 40-45 mpw. I'm a d2 runner in college doing about 60-65 per week and it is very rare that I double, even doing 20 more miles. Great benefits to being on your feet for a long period of time. Don't lower your mileage, honestly because its pretty low as it is. Lift less and run more. If you can run a CD faster than 7min pace then why did you not exert that effort into the workout??

You def have potential to break 5, you just need to be smarter about how you go about doing it.

My 400 is 65 and I have run a 4:30 mile. I know that is not fast however some people are born as a pure endurance type. I can't run fast middle distance but i can run fast in the half and full (1:13 and 2:29).

OP, focus on longer distances.

Maybe in time you will be able to run a sub 5 mile, or not. But I am sure you would do great in the longer distances. Nothing wrong with that.

First off, its impossible to break 5 in the mile if you are only running 1600 meters.

serious reply - your problem is likely mental - you are fit enough to break 5 right now. Pacing seems to be the issue in your last race.

Other advice - put on some weight, a couple pounds of muscle would do you good.

hank jr wrote:

First off, its impossible to break 5 in the mile if you are only running 1600 meters.

serious reply - your problem is likely mental - you are fit enough to break 5 right now. Pacing seems to be the issue in your last race.

Other advice - put on some weight, a couple pounds of muscle would do you good.

Exactly why all fast runners are huge! NOT! Don't do weights. You don't "need" weight training or more muscle to run fast. You can easily run low 4:00 range without touching weights. Running fast is about running a lot of mileage.

jojorunner wrote:

Week of 2/25-3/3:

Monday: 8 mile fartlek, pickups to 6:00 pace, averaged 6:28/mi

Tuesday: 5.3 mile recovery @ 7:13 pace

Wednesday: 3 mi pre meet+ strides + 3.3 mile morning shakeout

Thursday: meet day, 3200m race (ran 10:41) total mileage= 4.8 mi

Friday: 6.2 mi recovery @ 7:13 pace

Saturday: 12.1 mile long run @ 7:08 pace

Sunday: 4.3 mi recovery @ 7:38/mi

Total mileage: 47.1 miles

Bekele would run 10 minute pace on easy days. Ryan Hall was doing 7 minute pace. If they are running as fast as they run, why on earth are your "recovery" days at 7:13-7:38/mi? Be honest with yourself: that is NOT easy. Slow down. Hard days must be hard, easy days must be easy. In fact, ditch the watch on your easy days. You should be running no faster than 9:00/mi. Easy days arent for building more fitness, they are about recoverying. you build fitness over time, in workouts, in total mileage.

I am out of my element here, but I will post my personal experience.

I am 5’10”/180-185 lbs and lean, and I did a 4:58 mile pretty late in life. When I did it, I was doing 400’s in 60s easily, but with long 3-4min rest in between. My guess is that you should work on your basic speed, which probably means turnover, assuming your stride is reasonable.

You might consider re-wiring your running brain to a higher cadence, just by doing faster 400m repeats; to that end, I think more rest between reps is reasonable to keep you fresh and able to maintain the increased turnover.

While maintaining whatever longer distance you feel is appropriate, of course. I used to do occasional 5-10k’s.

I assume that you are capable of faster 60’s—if not, my guess is that you are too weak, as others have said. Do lunge-walking, step-ups with good weight, dips, and bicep curls with palms perpendicular to the floor. Just really specific stuff.

Good luck , you will get it, you have everything going for you.

Also, IMO the hill sprints suggestion that somebody made was right on the money.

1) Why are you running 7:00 pace on your easy days? My mile pr is almost 1 minute faster than you ( 4:08) and I'll usually run between 6:40-7:20 on easy days. You'll be able to go a lot harder in workouts and improve your top end speed (which seems to be your weakness) if you aren't run down from pushing your off days too fast.

2) Go out way slower next time, even if it means you lose contact with the pack. You don't need to run perfectly even splits but you should never be going out 5 seconds faster than your goal pace.

3) Slowly gain some weight. Don't stuff your face but slowly gaining 3-4 lbs over the next month should improve your power/weight ratio.

As others have noted, you lack speed. Getting more comfortable at sub 5 pace will help, and I think you can build that by doing more strides or short fartlek pickups on your easy days. This means you can work within the limits of your high school coach's workouts instead of trying to do your own thing and not follow his plan. By the way, your 'recovery' days are NOT recovery days at the pace you run. I would suggest you slow down the recovery run to about 8:00-8:15 pace, BUT put in 8-10 x 20 second pickups during the run, working on race rhythm for the pickups. Easy 40 seconds in between the pickups.

Other suggestions might be doing short hill reps for a little more leg power instead of doing the fartlek pickups, once a week to 10 days or so. Just 6-8 10-15 second hill reps at 800-1600 race effort with walk down rest. Neither the pickups or the hill strides are going to make the workout a 'hard' day, ESPECIALLY if you slow down your runs on those days.

Hey OP make sure you come back in and let us know how it’s going

With JS your dream will come true. I guess it takes him 2-3 months to get you reach sub 5 min .

5:02 or 4.59 who cares,all the same shitty times bro

too fast on easy days wrote:

jojorunner wrote:

Week of 2/25-3/3:

Monday: 8 mile fartlek, pickups to 6:00 pace, averaged 6:28/mi

Tuesday: 5.3 mile recovery @ 7:13 pace

Wednesday: 3 mi pre meet+ strides + 3.3 mile morning shakeout

Thursday: meet day, 3200m race (ran 10:41) total mileage= 4.8 mi

Friday: 6.2 mi recovery @ 7:13 pace

Saturday: 12.1 mile long run @ 7:08 pace

Sunday: 4.3 mi recovery @ 7:38/mi

Total mileage: 47.1 miles

Bekele would run 10 minute pace on easy days. Ryan Hall was doing 7 minute pace. If they are running as fast as they run, why on earth are your "recovery" days at 7:13-7:38/mi? Be honest with yourself: that is NOT easy. Slow down. Hard days must be hard, easy days must be easy. In fact, ditch the watch on your easy days. You should be running no faster than 9:00/mi. Easy days arent for building more fitness, they are about recoverying. you build fitness over time, in workouts, in total mileage.

I think it is unfair and not logical to bring K Bekele and Ryan Hall into a sub-5 one mile discussion. When I first raced sub-5 for one mile, I had no easy days and I never ran slower than 6:30 per mile. OP's 400m speed is the issue. OP would have to pace it perfectly with 67.xx 400m speed. The first time I raced sub-5 one mile, my first 440 yard split was 66.xx. I am sure there are some aerobic monsters who can race sub-5 one mile with only 67.xx 400m speed. That lack of foot speed makes it tough. Jogging slower on easy days isn't going to help OP's 400m speed.

that's not why ... wrote:

I think it is unfair and not logical to bring K Bekele and Ryan Hall into a sub-5 one mile discussion. When I first raced sub-5 for one mile, I had no easy days and I never ran slower than 6:30 per mile. OP's 400m speed is the issue. OP would have to pace it perfectly with 67.xx 400m speed. The first time I raced sub-5 one mile, my first 440 yard split was 66.xx. I am sure there are some aerobic monsters who can race sub-5 one mile with only 67.xx 400m speed. That lack of foot speed makes it tough. Jogging slower on easy days isn't going to help OP's 400m speed.

Running slower on recovery days is going to help the runner be ready for the next hard workout. Running too fast on recovery days does absolutely nothing for one's top end speed- it just makes the athlete plateau and stop improving after too many weeks of moderate to hard days every day. Sometimes slowing down in training actually leads to faster race times.

u need more mind muscle focus, imagine your legs are like pistons chooga chooga CHOO CHOO

Prime95 wrote:

No offense, but it's because your speed sucks. You won't be running sub 5 with PRs of 67/2:23.

Drop that to a 64/2:17 and the sub 5 mile will come.

I was able to break 5 with those PRs. I just never raced the shorter distances seriously