How fast can you run a mile?

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  • stephm112
    stephm112 Posts: 297 Member
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    My other half is doing Navy Seals training at the moment in preparation to go into the Royal Marines. He lives by sprint training. Start with a short distance eg 200m. Keep trying to beat your time. Then try and maintain that for a little bit longer, little bit further. Over time you'll get better and wont even have to try anymore xxx
  • charityateet
    charityateet Posts: 576 Member
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    I usually run 11-12 min miles and my fastest is just under 10. I've been running for the last 4 years off and on.
  • brbetha01
    brbetha01 Posts: 179 Member
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    With army training environments I've been in, we do intervals in order to improve run times. 30/60s and 60/120s... mix it up some. All out run for 30 seconds and then walk for 60 seconds. We did it for about 20 to 30 minutes. It does help with improving run times. We also did a long run one day a week - like 3 to 5 miles for endurance.

    Good luck... best 1-mile run time for me since high school was 9 minutes. Since then, I average about 9:30 per mile because our PT test consists of a 2-mile run which the slowest time I can do it in while passing is 20:30.
  • MOOOSEEE3
    MOOOSEEE3 Posts: 218 Member
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    My normal time for a mile is about 10 minutes. The longer the run, the longer it takes to run the miels and I usually end up pacing myslef at about an 11 or 11.5 min/mile
  • dreamangel18105
    dreamangel18105 Posts: 115 Member
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    The last time I timed myself on 1 mile....was high school, and I was in the 12:00 range. I ran a 5k the other day, and my pace averaged out to about a 9:45...so major improvement. I attribute it to my heavy cardio training and general fitness, but I've always been of the school of thought that the best way to improve anything...is to do it until you're at the level you like. Whatever your techniques (intervals, distance, etc) just do it if it feels good and it improves your performance. But I'd love to hear the methods of others!
  • DancinSMartiPants
    DancinSMartiPants Posts: 363
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    How fast *can* I run a mile? 10 minutes. How fast *do* I run a mile? 11.5-12 minutes. I typically don't run just one mile, so I go a little slower than my max so I can sustain it over my 4-7 mile run.
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
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    According to Lance Armstrong (who happens to be inside my iPod when I wear my Nike + sneakers), my fastest mile was 7:49. To get better, I sprint up the hills when I go for jogs. If it's too rainy or dark, I jog on treadmills will an incline of 7 at a speed of 6.0. Good luck to you.
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 783 Member
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    under 8:30 for 10-12 mile training runs. best time ever was 7:26 pace for 10k. i always make sure hills are a part of my training runs.

    after losing & increasing endurance I went from a 11:25/mile to an 8:00/mile in 1 year for a half marathon.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    My fastest official race time is a 5k at just over a 9 min pace.

    If you want to get faster, you have to work at it. Speed intervals are the way to go. Usually you do half mile repeats at a pace that is faster than your race pace, with a comfortable jog inbetween to allow for recovery. But you can alter the length of the repeats for your fitness level.
  • Kuzyak
    Kuzyak Posts: 3 Member
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    Best interval (just 1mile fresh) - 6:20/mile
    Best pace for 5 miles - 7:37/mile

    Tips?
    1. Run at least 5 times a week, no matter what, rain or shine, day or night. Just run.
    2. Run intervals/fartlek twice a week.
    3. Listen to your favourite music when you run, doesn't matter slow or fast, modern or classics. Ambient music does even better for me.
    4. Get yourself a pair of THE LIGHTEST special running shoes. No "niKeSoo00pERairCushoNed" bling-bling.
    5. Track your progress somewhere like goodrunguide.com (I'm not working for them ;-).
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    My fastest mile for 1 mile is 6:20. For two miles it's 7:05. For 10k I averaged 8:48/mile. Obviously the shorter the distance the more you can squeeze out of yourself. Your body can only work so hard for so long before it needs more fuel or needs to slow down, which I believe is why your HR will eventually elevate to higher levels for lower amounts of work.

    The best way to improve your 1 mile time is to continue to train. Without getting to specific / crazy here, I think interval training is going to be your best bet. Short intervals of high intensity running. Personally I gauge "high intensity" by use of a HRM. To give you an idea my intervals look something like this.

    Stretch / warm up.
    Sprint until my HR is 158
    Slow walk until my HR is back to 110
    Repeat 10-12 times.

    This usually translates into 100 meter sprints. The key here is to get your HR back to the starting point as fast as possible while continuing to walk. As a guideline it should take you twice as long to reduce your heart rate as it did to elevate it. So if it took me 30 seconds to reach 155, then It should take approximately 60 seconds to bring it back to 110.

    Do a similar routine and your time will improve, no doubt.
  • kentstrahlen
    kentstrahlen Posts: 10 Member
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    I don't run a lot. My basic training is bicycling where I am better. My best running mile is just below 9 minutes.
  • tlcAK
    tlcAK Posts: 671 Member
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    13-14 mins. But its all good. Back in the day I use to run 7-8 min miles. I'll get there. Just keep working at it. Do some speed work and intervals. You'll get there!
  • mrivera713
    mrivera713 Posts: 232 Member
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    hmmm.... Reading all of the answers, I'm gonna go and step it up a bit.. I'm on C25k program (W3D2). But I'm doing it VERY slow, I just realized... It's taking me about 20 minutes to walk/jog a mile. I'm gonna see what I do tonight and see if I can push myself... I did start adding a 2.0 incline to my routine yesterday...
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    I run a km in about 5 minutes, so that is 8 minutes for a mile if I am going fast.

    I am not very experienced. I have been running for about 15 months, seriously for the last 9. I am not very fast considering how much training I do. I am not very good at pushing myself. I tend to just run, rather than focus on speed or power.
  • gingerfoxxx
    gingerfoxxx Posts: 267 Member
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    If i really haul buns, i can run an 8 minute mile, but it's not really sustainable and i tucker out after 2 miles. I usually run about 9:30/9:45 min/miles, unless it is hot out, and then my times get progressively worse :)

    I hope to get much faster in the coming months/years
  • redhead91
    redhead91 Posts: 251
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    Without dying.....I can't. One of my goals is to be able to run a mile or two without stopping. I have always had runner's asthma and have never been able to run without stopping.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    My $.02 (after running 16,000+ miles in the last 9 years) - get through the C25K and worry about your pace in the future.

    Build your endurance and the speed will come naturally.

    Eventually you can try some fartleks (Swedish for speedplay). It is simply (totally unstructured) changes in pace during your run. Start out easy, then medium pace to the stop sign, full blast to the oak tree, then easy again, etc. You get the idea.
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
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    I average an 8 min pace when I run ,havent tried an all out mile time in a long time...the kenyans do 400m sprints to improve their times though..

    Sprints do help to improve time!! But the best that I can do is 200 or 240 meters in a single sprint repeat.
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
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    I've never gone out and timed myself on a mile ....but my fastest mile during a 5k was 8:02 .... and I averaged an 8:46 pace for a half marathon earlier this year. I hate doing speed work but I've made a resolution to go out and do it regularly (after I recover from this weekend's marathon). I want to be faster. A lot faster.

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