When Roger Bannister ran the first-ever mile in under four minutes in 1954, his achievement captivated the world and heightened the appeal of the distance. The mile hype continued well into the golden era of Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram and, to this day, the mile is what most of us still use to measure our runs and gauge our progress.
However, outside of club and junior athletics, few people now consider entering a mile race, let alone training for one. Instead, many runners focus on established longer distances such as the 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon.
But we think it’s time to show those 1,760 yards some love – and there’s good reason for doing so, too. Getting in shape for a fast mile will help to improve your leg speed and economy, which, in turn, will boost your 5K and 10K race times over the coming months.
As such, we've designed the following ‘Fast Mile’ guide to help you prepare to run your fastest mile yet. It includes six weeks of mile-specific sessions that you can easily incorporate into your existing regime, as well as some top tips to make your mile really fly.
Lay the foundations
Sessions that are geared toward 5K and 10K races will lead you nicely into your mile training. So, spend a period of six to eight weeks building this ‘aerobic support’ before you get stuck into the more mile-specific sessions we’ve detailed in our ‘Fast Mile’ training plan below.
How to do it
- Try the following sessions:
- 5-6 x 4 minutes at 5K pace, with 120 seconds of rest between efforts.
- 6-10 x 3 minutes at 5K pace, with 75-90 seconds of rest between efforts.
- 5 sets of 4 minutes between 5K and 10K pace, with 45 seconds of rest between efforts, then 75 seconds hard with 2-3 minutes of jogging between sets.
Work on speed
Many runners think of any interval session as ‘speed work’. Genuine speed work, however, is focused on developing more raw speed and power and should be run over much shorter efforts.
How to do it
- Once every 10 days or so, aim to include a session of sprinting. Warm up well before completing 4-5 efforts of 8-10 seconds (but no more) at maximum effort. Take at least three minutes of rest between each effort. To mix things up, try running your efforts on hills. Build up to 6-8 efforts as the weeks go by.
Find your focus
Success at the mile isn’t just about speed – it also requires excellent endurance. While you should keep your easy runs going throughout your training week, remember that the goal should be to arrive at your mile-specific sessions feeling ready to run fast.
How to do it
- Try to stick to an easy, conversational pace for the runs between your fast sessions. These runs should be around 30-45 minutes long, with the exception of an easy weekly long run of 60-75 minutes. Go too quick on your easy runs and you're likely to compromise your performance in your key fast sessions.
Stride it out
Strides are short repeats of relaxed faster running. They can be great for maintaining leg speed without creating excessive stress or fatigue.
How to do it
- Do 4-6 x 80m strides at the end of some of your easy runs. Don’t sprint – instead, focus on executing a relaxed, flowing rhythm, as if you’re running on clouds.
Improve your muscle tension
You know that feeling of ‘pop’ and ‘spring’ you need to feel fast? Well, we call that muscle tension – and it can be improved. To do so, work on developing an ‘active’ foot strike – where controlled stiffness in your muscles and tendons can help you to run faster – with a more dynamic stride.
How to do it
- A ‘pogo’ drill is a great addition to your training a couple of times a week. With your legs straight and feet shoulder-width apart, perform fast ‘hops’ up and down, trying to replicate the feeling of being on a pogo stick. Keep your laces pointing upward when in the air and land on your midfoot or toward the balls of your feet. Complete 3 x 10 seconds of hopping.
Calluse your mind
For runners who are used to racing anything from a 5K to an ultramarathon, probably the hardest thing to get used to is the intensity (and, yes, pain) required to perform well over a mile. The sessions we’ve suggested are as much about psychologically ‘callusing’ yourself to this as they are about the fitness aspects.
How to do it
- In the first couple of sessions, forget your GPS running watch and focus on your rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Work to an effort of 8-9/10 but make sure that you are still running, not sprinting. The goal of these sessions should be to stay as relaxed and flowing as possible while still running fast.
Prime yourself for performance
Many runners try to get away with a five-minute jog and a few strides before fast sessions. But, in mile training sessions, every step counts – so get yourself ready with a complete warm up.
How to do it
- Complete a RAMP warm up:
- Raise your heart rate with easy and relaxed running.
- Activate your muscles with bodyweight exercises such as lunges.
- Mobilise your joints with exercises such as hip swings and hamstring sweeps.
- Potentiate using running drills such as skips and high knees.
Watch the drift
On the track, a mile race plays out over four laps – and it’s often during the third lap when runners start to drift. With this in mind, learn to give yourself a psychological kick to keep yourself on pace when your body is screaming at you to slow down.
How to do it
- Whether you’re doing your fast mile on a track or on a level path, dedicate that third quarter of the mile to someone important in your life and vow to not let them down.
Your 'Fast Mile' training plan
Warm up and cool down well around each of the sessions detailed below.
Week 1
The session
- 8 x 80 seconds at mile to 3K pace, with 75-90 seconds of very slow jogging between efforts (on flat grass or trail) to recover. Run without a GPS running watch or tracker.
The purpose
- This session is designed to switch you off from too much feedback in terms of pace and pressure. Instead, it's about getting you used to running fast, pressure free.
Week 2
The session
- 5 x 50 seconds at mile to 3K pace, with 60 seconds of rest between efforts. Then, 3-4 minutes of jogging, before 8 x 30 seconds at mile pace, with 30 seconds of jogging between efforts (on flat grass or trail) to recover. Run without a GPS running watch or tracker.
The purpose
- The shorter efforts this week are a great introduction to running fast and the feel of a mile pace. Avoid running on the track or a measurable route.
Week 3
The session
- (5 x 90 seconds or 400m) x 2, with 80-90 seconds of rest between reps and 3 minutes of rest between sets.
The purpose
- 8-10 x 400m is a classic miler’s session. Here, that’s broken up into two sets with a longer recovery in between to help make the pace feel a bit more manageable. Aim to run at or close to your goal mile pace. If you feel good, aim to push the final effort of each set faster.
Week 4
The session
- 1km or 4 minutes + 800m or 3 minutes + 600m or 2 minutes + 400m or 75 seconds, with 5-6 minutes of recovery between sets. Start with the first 1km or 4-minute repeat at 3K race pace, then aim to get faster with each rep. Finish with the 400m at a hard (ideally 800m) pace.
The purpose
- This session simulates the fatigue that you will feel in the latter stages of your mile race or PB attempt. The long recoveries between the efforts mean that you need to really focus on giving each rep your full attention.
Week 5
The session
- 4 x 400m at target mile pace (or a second or two faster), with 40 seconds of rest between efforts.
The purpose
- This session simulates the demands of the race and helps you to break down the mile into four periods of mental and physical focus. Aim to run this on the same surface as your mile race or PB attempt.
Week 6
The session
- (4 x 200m or 40 seconds) x 4, with 30 seconds of recovery between reps and 2 minutes of recovery between sets.
The purpose
- This session is a great one to do a week or so out from your race, as it sharpens you up and helps you to get running a race rhythm. The short recoveries within each set will simulate the accumulation of fatigue you can expect on race day.
