How To PR in the Mile (Track Workouts)

As a rule of thumb, in the weeks immediately preceding a goal race, focus on the distance right BELOW that of the goal. So for the 5K (cross), emphasize mile-pace sessions in the 2-3 weeks before, while prior to the mile, do some 200/300/400's at 800 pace (and/or a time trial at 800). And remember to get to the start line fresh, don't kill yourself in the workouts.

It is a good idea to schedule at least two attempts, about 3-4 days apart; concentrate on staying as relaxed as possible in the first, then use this experience to capitalize and nail the second. Get someone to rabbit for you, and make sure they know the pace and don't draw you out too fast.

Dude, ya oughta wait until track. You may sacrifice some of your CC prep training for the mile.

repeat quarters low rest (8-15)

In the past four months I have dropped from a 3:51 to a 3:42

The workouts that I found had the biggest effect on that improvement were high intensity/long recovery workouts.

Obviously before doing these I had a good base and lots of LT workouts and long distance/short recovery workouts.

The particular ones I used were:

1:4x600m with 4 mins recovery

2:8x400m with 3 mins recovery

3:800m at 100% (6 mins rest) then 4x300m with 3 mins recovery (I didn't do this one until I was ready to race)

Just telling ya what helped me with such a big improvement, but you have to have the base for it to be effective.

Good Luck

800m at 100% followed 6 mins. rest and then: 4 X 300???? Makes me tired and cranky just typing it out. Is that for real, 100%?

Monty

How will I sacrifice my 5,000 meter X-C performances if I am not attempting this until the season is over?

Some of the lactate tolerance workouts I already planned to use for X-C will help me with this mile, and I just asked for a few ExTRA workouts to use as well.

Thnaks for the suggestions so far. I anyone can, add some more.

To PR in the mile, what I have found that works best is.... just to run a bit faster than you ever did before over a length of one mile. It worked for me. I'll prove it.

before my PR was 5:26

now after I ran faster it is 5:22

See what I mean--It works

Any other advise you need feel free to ask

You are an idiot

Clearly if poor misinformed bastards like El-Guerrouj listened to you the world record for the mile would be two minutes and dropping.

I think he has a point, though it may be laughably obvious to the extent that we don't need to comment on it. A lot of it is just going out there and teaching your body to tolerate more pain. When I first got into running this summer I had my brother give me a time trial (he didn't tell me the splits), I got 4:48. Then the next week I told my dad I wanted to do it in under 4:40. So my plan was to run no quarters slower than 69--sure enough, the plan worked! 69-69-69-67=4:34. Two days later I got injured so I've had to take it easy for a few weeks. Next time I run it I want to get 4:25. So what will my plan be? Simple, do 66 quarters! It's bound to work. By the end of the year I'd like to do them in 64, but I'll wait till I think I'm ready before I try them that fast.

You need to simulate race pace in several workouts prior to tapering for a good effort. It is getting used to the "pain" in a workout, which makes the race effort feel easier. Ideally, in the right situation, you will feel like "floating" until the pain hits you around 1000m. Welcome the pain, and get past it. Workouts that work are your basic 8-12 x 400 at race pace. Hard 1000m followed by a faster 400 and then a faster 200 off of short, short recovery (modeling). Allow for an easy week and you're ready. Goodluck!!

yep Monty, that was for real.

It was one of the best workouts I have ever done and I ran a 3 second PR four days later in the 1500m. The 800m seems short for a 5k runner like me and then the 300's just seem like a cruisy jog in comparison to the all out effort beforehand.

This obviously may not work for anyone else, but it was the perfect session at the time for me.