Running under 4:20 in the mile at age 41

Did you ever feel like you could have run under 4:10 in high school? Did you kind of slack off and still run 4:20? What physical activity have you been up to the last 20 years?

Even considering the best possible responses to all the above, it's a very up-hill battle. I won't say impossible though. Good luck!

i ran a 4:21 in high school (1999) on 30-35 mile weeks and have ran ~off and on over the past 20 years, never competitively until recently where i got into trail running and am running some stuff from marathon to 100k distance this year.

i gotta say I don't think it's very possible for me to get anywhere close to my high school times at this age. but since i was "only" running 30-35 mile weeks i may certainly have left some upside on the table, but going that fast seems pretty much impossible even with a perfect training regimen. Good luck tho I hope you do it!

I ran 418 as a junior for the full mile. Senior year wasn’t great. Overall, I was very inconsistent, but I do feel I had more in the tank. Currently, I race cross country mountain bike and can usually hang with the regional pros or be within a minute or two. I won two NYS series races last year and finished 3rd in a sprint at a Mid Atlantic Super Series Race. I’m usually the oldest in the field. I have some fitness, just not sure if that will translate into running.

Appreciate the support. I haven’t been on the track to get a sense of my speed, just been walking on the treadmill 5 days a week and running on/off the other days. This is on top of cycling 15-20 hours per week. I’m guessing this won’t be sustainable once I start picking up the running pace.

im also ~30 pounds heavier than I was in HS (185 vs 155) so that has to make a huge difference. Plan to get back around 170 this year. Also have not lived the healthiest life in regards to diet, substance abuse etc over time also. I think I could break 4:40 if I trained for it instead of these mountain races but I'm just guessing. 4:30 would be a stretch and i think my 4:21 days are over, in this lifetime at least :)

I’ve managed to stay the same weight and that’s mostly because of working long shifts in a pharmacy without breaks for lunch/dinner. I went to part time last year to focus training and figure out what I want to do next.

ya if you are the same weight that will give you a much better shot, plus there are also advances in shoe technology that can help you shave a few(?) seconds. i haven't paid much attention but im sure there are ppl on here who have

Good luck, I'd say it seems unlikely but not impossible.

Would be very surprised if you accomplish this, but good for you for setting a goal and going for it.

I think you can do it because you've kept in good shape.

My experience with cycling is that it's great for endurance, but not good for running speed and mechanics, because the motion and action of the muscles is constrained and completely different.

That being said, I feel your path would be more productive by doing more running related activities, i.e. actually running and/or using an elliptical to get good running results, instead of using a bike so much.

Reminds of Colin McCourt bet.

runningmagazine.ca

Ex-world-class runner breaks 16:00 for 5K, avoids 17 tattoos as part of bet - Canadian Running Magazine

Tim Huebsch

With PBs of 1:46 for 800m and 3:37 for 1,500m, Colin McCourt, who raced at international events including the Commonwealth Games, won a bet with his friends for breaking 16 minutes for 5K

Open link

Unless your friends order pizza delivered at your house, I say you can do it.

I'm a marathoner, not a miler. According to a Vdot calculator I looked up, a 4:20 mile is comparable to about a 2:24 marathon. If you had run that as a high schooler, I would think doing the same as a 41 year old would be entirely possible. No idea if that translates to the real thing at such a shorter race though. Good luck!

Kudos for making this your vision quest. Not many people get satisfaction riding a bike if they've been a runner. Once I see your form I'll know what's gonna happen. sub-4:20 at 40+ is a feat seldom achieved, especially in the States. Good luck and if you don't have a pair of running shoes, I'd recommend, especially on the track, getting a pair of super-spikes.

I could see maybe 4:40 but I would love to be proven wrong. And don't steal any EPO from the pharmacy!

I’m slowly switching over to running - just starting slow to avoid getting injured. I will definitely work the elliptical in a few days per week if that will help.

Dispensed that when I worked in oncology - I don’t even take supplements, just a balanced diet for the most part.

I’ll definitely get some running videos up on my YouTube channel - doing a TT tomorrow behind a GoPro. I’m guessing the form will take some time.

I hope you can do it! I would especially prioritize single leg lifts in the gym like split squats and RDLs for injury prevention. Also if you can't handle the workouts up front, I like to put a HRM on the bike trainer and get a V02 max session in just shooting for time in the red zone. Fitness is fitness

I'd say sub 4:30 is pretty doable. Especially with your fitness. Cracking 4:20 might take 2 years of dedicating to it and staying healthy. That your the same weight as college is a big help. I ran 4:40 at 44 and was a 4:20 in college. But I had gained like 40 pounds at my max weight but could still crack 17:30 for a 5k. Got back to about 15 to 20lbs over college weight and that made a huge difference obviously. Getting on the track and doing actual speed work was really hard but the improvements happened pretty quick once I did. Biggest thing I learned to staying healthy in my 40s while trying to run fast was to take easy days easy and listen to my body. Cant do back to back hard days like I could when I was younger. 2 workouts a week instead of 3 as well.

Look forward to following this; good luck!

Anecdotally speaking, I think staying healthy while reintroducing speedwork is going to be your biggest challenge. Those 200 reps, etc hit waaaaaaaaaay different after you turn 30. I have a friend that broke 4:20 in his early 30s and had to keep the speedwork to an absolute minimum. Lots of 4x100 glorified strides, building from very slow to ~12" by the end of his training cycle.