Mile Time Trial - I Now Have a Starting Point

Chasing an 8 Minute Mile

For those of you that follow, you know I set out this year with a goal to run a 5K. I did that. Then I set a goal to run a sub-30 5K. I did that running a 28:39! My latest goal is to continue to get faster. But rather than set a new 5K goal, I figured what I need is speed. As a result, I decided I'd do a mile time trial to see where I'm at "speed" wise and go from there. My short term goal for the mile is to break 8:00 minutes. I assumed given how I feel on my 5K runs that I'd be able to knock out an 8:45-8:55 mile. 

The Result of my First Time Trial

I was pleasantly surprised when I crossed the line this weekend in 8:15! I'm so close to breaking an 8:00 minute mile. Once I accomplish this, I'll then set goals in 30 second increments. I don't plan to ever get back to my glory days of a 5:00 minute mile, but who knows? I've got the rest of my life to try, right? 

Here's the first video in my pursut of my short term goal of an 8:00 minute mile.

Stay tuned and check back with me as I try to break 8, then 7:30, then 7:00 and so on. The benefit of getting a faster mile, is of course a faster 5K so it's a win-win for me.

Happy Trails!

SUB 30:00 5K - ACHIEVED!!

For those of you that follow me, you know at the beginning of the year, I couldn't even run a mile without 4 or 5 walk breaks. I had heel pain, hip pain...it was awful! But I stopped trying to run like the old me and instead trained myself the way I'd train a client. Let me tell you, that was not easy. I'm stubborn and think I should be able to dive right back into running so slowing down and following a program was tough. 

A while back I successfully ran a 5K distance which was my main goal to work up to. My next goal was to try and break 30 minutes. I was able to accomplish this much faster than I thought I would. See the video below:

How I Did It

I ran every other day and ran a tempo run at least once or twice per week. I also ran a long run once per week which at first was two miles, but over time became 5. 

For strength, I did push ups every other day to develop arm strength for the all important arm swing. Move your arms, and your legs will follow.

What's Next?

Now that I'm under 30 minutes for the 5K, I plan to up my long run to a 10K once per week, increase my every other day runs to a 5K distance, up from my current 2-3 miles and continue to do push ups. I do plan to add speed work to my routine once or twice per week and try to get my mile time down to an 8 minute mile. In all honesty, I have no idea how fast I can run a mile. I'm going to see this coming weekend. I feel I can run an 8:45 or maybe a little faster.

By lowering my mile time, I will of course lower my 5K time, which is what I really hope to accomplish as I continue to run. 

Continue to follow me here or on my YouTube channel. Just look for the Asheville Running Coach and make sure to like and subscribe. You can also follow me on Instagram @ashevillerunningcoach.

Happy Trails!