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Leafing through an old copy of Runner’s World, as I am wont to do on occasion, I came across a feature about Adharanand Finn’s attempt to run a 5-minute mile. The author of Running with the Kenyans had been a decent middle-distance runner as a teenager and, having focused on the marathon as an adult, wanted to see if some of the old track speed still remained.
When it comes to the mile, the famous digit is of course 4. It’s now been 65 years since Sir Roger Bannister broke the seemingly impossible 4-minute barrier for the distance. No such mystique has existed around the 5-minute mile for the simple reason that, for elite or even decent club runners, it’s an eminently achievable feat.
Yet one of the many great things about running is its ability to be moulded to your own ambitions, however big or small. And that’s why for the past three weeks, I’ve been training for a sub-5 mile. If the sub-4 mile is the sub-2 marathon of its day, I’d say the sub-5 mile is the middle-distance equivalent of the sub-3 marathon: a tough challenge that is nonetheless within the realms of achievement for quick men and very quick women.
Even if the mile distance itself doesn’t pique your interest, the knock-on benefits for the longer distances are a compelling reason to give it a go. ‘The faster your mile time, the faster your cruising speed will be,’ said Trevor Painter, a top UK running coach. Tuning up your top-end speed also improves your technique, posture and form, while the sessions are short enough to be packed into a lung-busting 20 minutes.
The downside, of course, is that mile training is intense. I’ve included the four-week schedule below, which is roughly divided into three easy runs and three tough sessions. Running at 5-minute mile pace, for me at least, is a shock to the system. But I’ve also found myself looking forward to the sessions, reminded once more of how exhilarating fast running can be.
The training can easily be adapted to your particular needs, too. If a sub-5 mile feels impossible – and it still does to me at times – then how about a sub-6, sub-7 or sub-8? Ultimately, as long as the time pushes you to your limit, it’s legitimate. I’m hoping to run my sub-5 by mid-January. If you’re looking for a way to kickstart your running year, I encourage you to set your own mile challenge and get 2020 off to a flying start.
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