How fast can you run a mile?

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Replies

  • patrickfish7
    patrickfish7 Posts: 190 Member
    Depends. If I go all-out then maybe 6:30. My training runs on speed days take me around 3 miles in 21 minutes which is about 7:00/mile. If I had a mangy dog after me, maybe 3:00 min mile :laugh:
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
    My fastest mile is 9, but at my comfortable pace it's about 11:30, down from 14-15 in July 2013!
  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
    A 5 minute mile is tough even for people who ARE runners. I haven't personally run a timed mile in a few years, but I could probably break 7 minutes these days. I prefer distance to speed, though.

    Good luck!
  • bjdw_1977
    bjdw_1977 Posts: 442 Member
    Just recorded a new PB of 8m25s. That was the first mile of a 5km run.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    Not sure. Depends who is chasing me...
  • Ant_the_old_keith_lemon
    Ant_the_old_keith_lemon Posts: 272 Member
    im not a runner but once did a fitness test for running just after an hour spin class, it was called the cooper test.

    i completed 2700 meters in 12 mins - which equates to 7.06 mins per mile.... This was an all out fitness test and a did actually go sick after it.

    not bad for an ex 280lb fatty bom bom who used to be out of breath going up a flight of stairs :)
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
    8 min, but only one mile. I can do 8:30 for 2 miles and about 9 for 3. Beyond 3 miles and i slow it down to about 10.

    2 yrs ago I couldn't run for 30 seconds, so I'm pretty happy with it.
  • MJC360
    MJC360 Posts: 368
    Between 6-7 minutes for me, when I'm running often. I started out around 4 or 5 years ago trying to run around my block and could only make it about 25 yards.
  • uconnwinsnc
    uconnwinsnc Posts: 1,054 Member
    I think 7:15 or so was my best time, although I wasn't pushing myself at a 100%, full panic run as if I were being chased by a knife wielding bear. I bet I could cut it to under 7 minutes but I see no point in running timed miles.
  • takumaku
    takumaku Posts: 352 Member
    8:30 typical on race days. 9-10:00 on leisure days.
  • rlv2680
    rlv2680 Posts: 289 Member
    bump
  • lenchmob
    lenchmob Posts: 49
    Just under 9 minutes here, but I am not built for fast running. (21% BF, 30% LM @ 185cms & 104kg)
  • jaya_lakshmi27
    jaya_lakshmi27 Posts: 50
    I CAN run a mile in about 8:32, but my time for the last few months has consistently been around 9:05. I have to get back in shape!
  • carliekitty
    carliekitty Posts: 303 Member
    I'm not a runner, I just run to earn more calories to eat. I started almost 1.5 yrs ago. I use to do 14 min miles, but now if I run 6 miles or less I do 9.3 -10 min miles. 7 miles to 11 miles I do 11.3 min miles.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    I can run a mile in just over 8 minutes if the wind is behind me and my legs are fresh. I used to be able to run a sub-7 minute mile when I was about 20 pounds lighter and in half-marathon shape; I'm hoping to get back to that speed again by the end of the summer! Your 5-6 minute goal is very ambitious! Be patient and you can get there eventually through diligence and lots and lots of hard work.
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
    my goal is ten minutes a mile..started out at walking and it took me 25 minutes!!! i am down to 12 now ..whoohoo
  • dgage8
    dgage8 Posts: 28 Member
    you will gain 2 seconds/ mile for each pound you lose. 5-6 minute mile is really fast. Not impossible, but probably more than most are capable of achieving without a lot of work and dedication. Intervals (aka fartleks), hill repeats, and mile repeats are some speedwork techniques you might try. I am currently able to run an 8 minute mile for shorter runs (4 miles or less) (and it hurts!) i can do a 6:30 for 1 mile (that really hurts!) and I average about 9-10 for longer runs. I will be running my 4th marathon next weekend. My first marathon I kept a 10:51 pace- which worked out to be almost 5 hours of running.
  • littleandysmom
    littleandysmom Posts: 173 Member
    I normally run a mile between 8:30-9:00 minutes.
    When my son was in high school, his best time in track was 4:52 for the mile. It's been almost 10 years since he's been out of high school and he's not running anymore (although he does bike alot), not sure if he could run a 5-6 minute mile.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    I accidentally clocked a 6:20 and 6:45 back to back on 5 mile training run because some old guy passed me and it made me mad (just one of those days). The rest of the run I spent in the upper 8's cussing myself for doing that as he drifted further and further away while my calves and lungs were on fire. That is why I love running though. One day you are freaking speedy McGhee, fastest guy on two legs and the next day you are humbled by an old dude burning up the the street.

    I do want to do a timed one mile some point soon but I don't have a down day anytime soon in my training.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    The fastest I've ever done a mile was 8:20. And that was because my piglet was with me, and she's freaking fast. For a 5k, when I have a healthy knee, I'm around a 10 minute mile. I drop to 12 mm for half marathons.
  • handyrunner
    handyrunner Posts: 32,662 Member
    My fastest has been about 8:30..and i wanted to toss cookies when i was done ;)

    But thats a huge difference in 16 months...i was running at 13:30 when I started..

    Losing weight and runing miles slow and steady with some fast intervals thrown in and the speed will come
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    I can't, not yet. I will get there though.
  • KetosisTina
    KetosisTina Posts: 197 Member
    At the height of my fitness when I was in the Army, I ran 2 miles in 17 mins. (so 8.5 min mile). I am not fast even with military training. My Sgt who was training me finished in 11 minutes and came back to push me to the finish.

    These days I can't run (missing part of my right leg) but I can walk a 1 mile in like 17 minutes if I push it.

    One thing to remember to is genetics. Look at any marathon.. who comes in at 2 hours, the guys from Kenya. They tend to have longer calf muscles and great for sprinting. Look at pro bodybuilders with short calf muscles. They calf's look awesome but they can sprint worth a darn. (this is of course just in general, there are always exceptions to the rules)
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Oops wrong forum. Mile, fast, umm 5:40. Not that it matters. Speed is relative.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    My PR is 6:23, but I usually run between 9:00 and 10:00 minutes per mile. Back in school, I went from around 11:00 down to 7:30 in a few years without really training much at all.

    At this point, OP, if you want to get faster, you should just slowly increase how much you run regularly (and at a slow pace). By the time you're running 30+ miles per week, you'll likely be surprised at how fast you can go.
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    When I started running I could barely run for 30 seconds. Even after I got distance, I was sloooooow. I ran a half marathon in Oct. and finished at 2:30:00.

    Today - one mile? I MIGHT be able to manage it in 6:40 ish if I ONLY had to run ONE mile. But it would hurt. Hoping to do my next half marathon next month in under 2:00:00.

    How do you do it? This sounds funny, but it's not a joke. A big part of it is just - run faster. I asked a friend that question and she said you have to be willing to be uncomfortable. You can push harder than you think you can. Do some intervals at the fastest pace you can run. Hold that pace for 30 seconds. Then go back to a comfortable pace for a minute. Repeat until you're about to drop. That really helped me. Using a treadmill helped too. Doesn't matter if you get tired, the treadmill keeps churning out the pace you dial in.

    If you're doing a training schedule, pick a day to be "speed day". Do intervals, or just push yourself to go real fast on a short training run. Not your long run. Long runs are normally at a pace less than target race pace. The idea of long runs is building the ability to do distance.

    Oh! the biggest thing I learned about going faster - lose weight. Dropping 20 lbs. is by far the single biggest thing in making my half goal 30 minutes shorter in 7 months.
  • ModoVincere
    ModoVincere Posts: 530 Member
    depends on who or what is chasing me.....and all I have to be is 1 step faster than the person next to me.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    I'm 52 - my average pace is 9:00 min mile. Start at 10 min mile and finish at 8 minmile or sometimes faster. :happy: I run once or twice a week lately. Lifting has cut into my running and my yoga. I'm hoping as time goes by I can balance it out.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Mile race PR is 5;25, set last summer.

    My everyday, easy run pace ranges from 8:30 to 10:30 per mile.
  • easjer
    easjer Posts: 219 Member
    I can walk a mile in about 18 minutes.

    Depending on what was chasing me, I could run it faster. Probably.

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