S: Speed Work (Intervals up to 1 Mile @ mile pace); All Speed Work is optional. www.jfk50mile.org, :: Pineland Farms 50, New Gloucester, ME, May TBD, 2015. Warm up and cool down well around these sessions. Rage On! trailrunnermag.com is completely free. Day 4: Brisk walk 5 mins. While overall training emphasis should be on your long run, volume and consistency, everyone can benefit from speed work. It’s the one most of us still use to measure our runs and gauge our progress. There are good reasons for doing to too – getting in shape for a fast mile will improve your leg speed and economy, which will also boost your 5K and 10K race times this summer and autumn. Hood 50, Clackamas Lake, OR, July TBD, 2015. Increase mileage for three weeks, and recover during a fourth week by dropping your mileage down into the same range as week one. Studies show that a small amount of speed work can have a profound effect on your fitness. 5 x 50 secs at mile-3K pace/effort with 1 min rest between efforts, then 3-4 min jog, then add 8 x 30 secs at mile pace/effort with 30 secs jog between each on flat grass or trail. If a busy schedule that includes families and work makes you pinched for time, run hard. A Run Your First Mile Training Plan But strangely, almost no one has heard about this. Five mins easy. 5 mins easy walk. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll use distance. Keep exercising three/four times a week, building duration by a couple of minutes each time. When running intervals, you are generally running anaerobically (without oxygen), which makes the body more efficient at consuming oxygen. As your training progresses, consider specificity, which means your training should be relevant and appropriate for your race course. Extending your endurance distances over the course of the program helps you build stamina physically, while pushing your mental limits as well. No GPS. Don’t sprint; focus on a relaxed flowing rhythm, as if you’re running on clouds. (See sidebar for some good first-timer options.). 25-kilometer, off-road roller coaster on XC trails through forests and across pastoral, working farmland. Speed work also resets your brain’s concept of hard, improves economy and increases your muscular force, all of which has a trickle-down effect on slower-paced running. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, A 20-minute ab workout to build power and speed, First person with Down Syndrome completes Ironman, A combo cardio/strength workout you’ll love to do, Hone your stability and strength with this workout, 18-minutes to boost speed and build leg power, Try this 15-minute, at-home mobility workout, A home workout to get you strong and stable, End your run with this cardio-strength finisher, Runner's World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network. Day 3: Brisk walk 5 mins then alternate 2 mins jog with 60 second walk x 8. Here are some helpful tips to consider as you start the program Plan. easy walk 5 mins, Day 4: Brisk walk 5 mins then alternate 60 secs jog with 60 secs brisk walk 10 times. Since 50 miles in one day may be more than you currently run in a week, it will take more training volume to achieve your goal. Try this: Once every 10 days or so, aim to include a session of sprinting. If you feel good, aim to push the final effort of each set faster. Purpose: To simulate the demands of the race or attempt and to help you break the mile down into four periods of mental and physical focus. Day 1: Brisk walk 5 mins then run for 6 mins walk for 1 minute x 3. www.pinelandfarms.com, :: Finger Lakes Fifty, Hector, NY, July TBD, 2015. As long as you know a low point will come, it’s easier to deal with mentally and not let it knock you off track. Purpose: The shorter efforts this week are a great introduction to running fast and the feel of a mile pace. Everything you need to know to run a mile PB, plus a six week training plan . And alongside the sessions themselves, incorporate the following tips to make your mile really fly. If you are lucky enough to live near the goal race, run sections of it whenever possible. Don’t be afraid to walk—in fact, practice it—during your long runs, because you will most likely walk in the race. A check list for runners. While your calendar week likely begins on Sunday, note that our training plans start the week on Monday. But we think it’s time to show those 1,760 yards some love – and this guide is designed to help you prepare to run your fastest mile. “The mile is a great test of overall fitness,” says Michael Olzinski, a San Francisco–based run coach. Success at the mile isn’t just about speed; it also requires excellent endurance. The longer the run, the more chances you have to feel bad. For 20 years Trail Runner has committed to excellence and authenticity. www.mthood50.com, :: Le Grizz Ultramarathon, Hungry Horse, MT, October 11, 2014. Try this: Complete a RAMP warm-up: Raise your heart rate with easy and relaxed running; Activate your muscles with bodyweight exercises such as lunges; Mobilise your joints with exercises such as hip swings and hamstring sweeps; Potentiate using running drills including skips and high knees. Your subscription to our print magazine or donation will help us continue down a path that is uncompromised, and keep the website free for trail runners like you. www.chipsrunning.com/jed-smith-ultras, :: American River 50-Mile Endurance Run, Sacramento, CA, April 4, 2015. Still avoiding the track or a measurable route. Build up your running stamina and get ready to complete your first ever mile! Warm up well before completing 4-5 efforts of 8-10 secs (no more) at maximum effort. Antidepressant Medications And Athletic Performance, Simple Upper Body Strength For Runners That Don’t Lift, TRAIL STOKE: Trail Running Is Our Therapy. 1km or 4 mins + 800m or 3 mins + 600m or 2 mins + 400m or 75 secs; take 5-6 mins recovery between sets. www.ar50mile.com, :: Mt. Or, run for 9 minutes, walk for 1 for a total of 30-60 minutes. 4 x 400m at target mile pace (or a second or two faster), with 40 secs rest between efforts. Try this: A ‘pogo’ drill is a great addition to your training a couple of times a week. Try this: Do 4-6x80m strides at the end of some of your easy runs. If the race is fast, smooth singletrack, find a dirt bike path to run. Probably the hardest thing for a runner used to racing from 5K to ultra distances is getting used to the intensity (and, yes, pain) required to perform well over a mile. Are you ready to run a mile? Purpose: This session is designed to switch you off from too much feedback in terms of pace and pressure, and just get you used to running fast, pressure free. Adding both is a recipe for injury. Your weekly endurance run is a long distance run at a comfortable pace. Enter the Vitality Westminster Mile with Runner's World First Mile, 4 week training plans for running a fast mile, 4-week pre-plan programme for new runners. Drink often, aiming for 14 to 28 ounces per hours. For example, sprint to that rock a quarter-mile away, get your breath back, then power up the ensuing half-mile hill, recover and repeat over a period of 15 to 20 minutes. 5 mins easy walk, Day 3: Brisk walk 5 mins then alternate 60 secs jog with 60 secs brisk walk 10 times. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Assuming that you have run a marathon before, add 10 to 15 percent to each week’s total volume by increasing the length of every run if possible. Day 4: Brisk walk 5 mins then alternate 3 mins jog with 60 secs walk 4 times. Beautiful point-to-point on lots of logging roads. easy walk 5 mins, Day 1: Brisk walk 5 mins then alternate 90 secs jog with 60 secs brisk walk 8 times. With your legs straight and feet shoulder-width apart, perform fast ‘hops’ up and down, trying to replicate the feeling of being on a pogo stick. Eat early and often. These can also be run on hills and can build to 6-8 efforts as the weeks go by. The oldest ultramarathon in the country—enough said. For runners who just can’t tolerate specific paces and track work, I prescribe fartleks. The twice-weekly workouts in our one-mile training blueprint represent a balanced mix of strength (hills), stamina (tempo runs) and speed (intervals) aimed at preparing you to run your best mile. Whereas an average beginner marathon-training program varies weekly from 15 to 45 miles per week, a weekly volume of 50 to 60 miles will allow most runners to experience a great first 50. Then time yourself jogging one mile. Says the 2009 Ultrarunner of the Year and 2010 Western States 100 Champ, Geoff Roes, “If your body hasn’t raced 50 miles before, it’s not going to want to do it, so the key is to make sure you want it.”. 5 mins easy walk, Day 3: Brisk walk 5 mins then alternate 30 secs jog with 90 secs brisk walk 10 times.