By: Jason R. Karp, PhD, FitFluential
Published: December 23, 2016
The mile is my favorite race. There’s nothing quite like racing on the track in a pair of spikes, gripping the track with each aggressive step. The mile may be the most complex distance to train for, because it requires a precise combination of endurance and speed. Here’s your CliffsNotes version of how to run a fast mile.
Step 1: Volume
Regardless of the race distance, the number of miles you run each week is the first step to running fast. That’s why the best milers in the world run nearly as much as the best marathoners—because any race that takes longer than three minutes is heavily influenced by aerobic metabolism. Running many weekly miles improves aerobic endurance through increases in red blood cell volume, capillarization, muscle mitochondrial density, and enzyme activity. It also enhances structural integrity, which will prepare you for the intense workouts later. However much you’re running now, systematically increase the volume every few weeks over the next few months by adding one mile (or about 10 minutes) to each day of running.
Step 2: Quality Aerobic Workouts
After you have increased your running volume, include some quality aerobic workouts like hills, fartleks, and tempo runs for a couple of months to improve your acidosis (lactate) threshold, which corresponds to your fastest sustainable aerobic pace. Training your acidosis threshold shifts it to a faster speed, enabling you to run faster before oxygen-independent (anaerobic) metabolism begins to play a significant role. This is important, because it is the muscles’ reliance on anaerobic metabolism that causes fatigue in the mile. So train to increase the pace at which you can run aerobically. Do acidosis threshold (tempo) workouts, like 3- to 5-mile runs at threshold pace or 5-minute reps at threshold pace with 1-minute recovery between reps, at about 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than 5K race pace or about 10K race pace (recreational runners) or at 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than 5K race pace or about 15 to 20 seconds per mile slower than 10K race pace (trained runners). The workouts should feel comfortably hard.
Step 3: Aerobic Power (VO2max) Workouts
After you have done a number of quality aerobic workouts, include some aerobic power workouts for a couple of months to improve your VO2max, the maximum volume of oxygen your muscles consume per minute. During interval workouts at VO2max pace, your cardiovascular system is working as hard as it can—your heart rate and stroke volume reach their maximum values, which makes your heart bigger so it can pump more blood and oxygen to your muscles. Do VO2max workouts, like 3- to 4-minute reps at VO2max pace with 3-minute jog recovery between reps, at 95 to 100% max heart rate—about 30 seconds per mile faster than 5K race pace (recreational runners) or about 10 to 15 seconds per mile faster than 5K race pace (trained runners). The workouts should feel hard but manageable.
Step 4: Anaerobic Capacity Workouts (Speedwork)
After you have done a number of VO2max workouts, drop the weekly volume and include some anaerobic capacity workouts for a few weeks to improve your speed and your muscles’ ability to handle the acidosis that you’ll feel when racing the mile. Do speedwork, like 30- to 90-second fast reps with 1½- to 3-minute jog recovery between reps, at quarter-mile to half-mile race pace effort (recreational runners) or half-mile to mile race pace (trained runners). The workouts should feel fast.
About Jason Karp
Jason Karp, PhD, is the 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, 2014 recipient of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership award, and creator of the REVO₂LUTION RUNNING™ certification. He has more than 200 published articles in international running, coaching, and fitness magazines, is the author of eight books, including The Inner Runner and Run Your Fat Off, and speaks at fitness conferences and coaching clinics around the world. Check out his training programs at run-fit.com.