4:45 mile bet: Can I make it by the end of the year?

One more thing - in case anyone's wondering why the time of 4:45 was chosen, it's because it came from Huck Seed's bet that he could get a 4:39 mile by the end of the year.

The closest 15 second interval (4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, etc) time to 4:39 was 4:45, so we just chose that.

If your planning on doing it all on a bet, I seriously doubt you'll last more than a couple weeks.

If you manage that, you would have to have some serious talent to go from a 5:42 to 4:45 in less than 4 months of self-coached training.

I think you should take your $100 back if it's not too late, lol.

How can I get in on this bet? I'll be will to throw down 100 dollars. How do I get into this? I will run a TT tomorrow afternoon, running one mile, I will then report back here what my time is on 09-13-09. I am 47 yo, about 165-172lbs, ~ training in the last 6-8 weeks about 27-34 miles per week, have a number of running related nagging injurgies (hip, feet, low back), have run 5;04+ over 3 years ago. I'll bet you I run under 5 by the same date.

Ender wrote:

I think you should take your $100 back if it's not too late, lol.

The payoff is huge, though. I only have to risk $100, but I'll get 5 times that much money if I can pull this off.

In the meantime, do you have any training advice?

Start running 5(or more) miles a day 6 days a week, and run a 10 mile run(or as far as you can go) once a week. Do this until December 1st. Then start doing some speedwork. I'll tell you what speedwork is on Dec 1st.

Update: Just ran a 2:21 800 an hour ago. If I can keep this pace up for another two laps, I'll win the bet.

Does that 4:45 look probable? Keep in mind that I've only run an hour a week at most.

If you have talent. YESIf not. NOTempos will be key to continue that pace for 2 lapsId try 2, 4 mile tempos a week and a long run (8+), strides after easy days. Mid November start racing/adding speedwork.

not a kenyan wrote:

Update: Just ran a 2:21 800 an hour ago. If I can keep this pace up for another two laps, I'll win the bet.

Does that 4:45 look probable? Keep in mind that I've only run an hour a week at most.

Do you have an email address you feel safe posting?

If not get a yahoo or some free account temporarily.

I'll send you a few Oregon workouts that were used to get guys in sub 4min shape FAST.

Adjust the paces for your goal, and you're golden.

Oregon Runner... wrote:

Do you have an email address you feel safe posting?

If not get a yahoo or some free account temporarily.

I'll send you a few Oregon workouts that were used to get guys in sub 4min shape FAST.

Adjust the paces for your goal, and you're golden.

Why don't you just post it here? Is there something secretive about those workouts or something?

Besides, the OP will probably need to adjust mileage as well as pace - he probably won't be able to handle a 15 mile long run if he's just starting out.

Id like to see those workout if you don't mind..

johnnyxquickx@yahoo.com

I want to see them too, cant you just post them here?

You guys seriously underestimate the human will. This guy has his 4:45 in the bag, especially since he has until December.

Fjat will probably do it within a month.

Back in '06, I was a pack-a-day smoker, heavy drinker, overweight guy who hadn't run since '01.

I quit smoking/drinking and started training for a November 10K in late September.

I ran hard almost every day and could barely walk some days after. Had to ice the legs a lot, and was probably close to a stress fracture, but I got myself to a 6-minute per mile 10K in two months (around 37:00).

I know the time sucks but it shows how fast someone can get into decent shape by pure will.

It all depends on your level of talent.

You will have to be very talented to manage this. I doubt you are based on what you've said. You have some talent, but it doesn't sound like you're a genetic world-beater.

With that said, if you can't get out of it:

1) Run a lot. Spend the first two months slowly building up to 50 or so miles per week starting at 8:30 pace and getting a faster, never too hard.

2) Starting in the third month, do one tempo run per week (comfortably hard) and one long run (say, 12 miles). The rest of the days run at your easy pace. Keep your mileage at 50-55 mpw.

3) Starting one month before the race, replace 1-2 easy days each week with a speed workout: 16x200 meters all-out with full recovery in between, or 12x400 meters with one minute recovery. Run twice a day three times a week. Your mileage should go up to 65-70 mpw at your peak.

4) Two weeks before your race, start reducing the lengths of your runs to drop back to 45 mpw. One week before your race, drop way back to 20 mpw, with no tempo run or long run (just the speed workouts and easy running). On the day before the big race, do 20 minutes easy jogging and then a few quick strides, maybe 8x100 meters.

5) Race hard.

Good luck.

Hunted wrote:

Your mileage should go up to 65-70 mpw at your peak.

You're telling someone to increase their mileage from 10MPW to 65-70MPW in three months? That's asking for injury.

I ran 4:50 for 1600 as a freshman and I had been running a LONG time. At the beginning of the season we had time trials in every event. I did a 29, 64, 2:23 (72/71), 5:06, 10:55.

Shortly after I went 5:00. It took until the end of the year to get to 4:50/10:20. So my point is that you have the speed to make this POSSIBLE.

When I was running 59 for 400 I was able to run 2:03 and 4:30.

If you live in a warm part of the country I would just try easy mileage to start and then do some intervals for 4 weeks before it.

3 miles/day to start -- 5 on sunday.

Then move up to 4 / 6 on Sun.

Then ... 5 / 8 on Sun.

If you need to take a day off do some other sport.

Then around November 1st start this:

WU, 8 x 200 in 33-34, :45 rest, WD

WU, 4 x 400 in 70-71, :70 rest, WD

... on Tues/Thur or something

Then add 2 reps for 10 x 200 / 6 X 400 for a week. Then add 2 reps for 12 and 8 for a week.

Then after 3 weeks if you feel ready just try a 1600 TT, if you fail you will know how close you are and what you need to work on.

After that (if your TT is > 4:45) I would do this:

WU, 800 in 2:22, full 2:00 rest, 800 in all-out, WD - TUES

Then do an 8 x 400 interval WO the other day of the week.

If you can do 2:22/2:22 then you have a good feel for the race. Reduce the rest each week by :30, or until you have run 4:44 on a separate day in a TT.

Run at a moderate and consistent effort on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun.

If you don't beat it early or easily, if you do as I have said, you will reach December 12th having run ~40 mpw (for 12 weeks) and reached 8 x 400 in 71, 2 x 800 in 2:22/2:22 with a :30 rest, and you will have 16 days to try a TT every 3 days or whatever your fatigue allows.

I doubt you will get it though. When I was a sophomore and running 4:45 at the beginning of the season, teammates would tell me that our 10.9/21.9 sprinters would be able to join our 3200R and run 2:00 and run a 4:45 in the 1600. I told them that I had been running for 5 yrs and 60 mpw over the winter and they said, "It doesn't matter."

They did run the 1600R and they ran 51.X consistently. They ran a trial after State Meet to settle a bet and they ran 5:14 and 5:16.

To the OP:

What is a "prop bet"? and who is "Huck Seed"?

newname wrote:

What is a "prop bet"? and who is "Huck Seed"?

See this:

if you put in a half decent effort at training this should be very doable for you.

luigio wrote:

if you put in a half decent effort at training this should be very doable for you.

Doable, but it will take a full decent effort.