Yesterday I decided to try for a sub 5-min mile. Fortunately I was able to run 4:55.85, which makes for 19 consecutive years of running a sub 5-min mile.
This is coming after a miserable 5000 meter race this weekend in which I was unable to finish…due to lack of fitness and my continual problem in my left leg.
So, what led to the sub 5-min mile? The goal starting at the end of June was to try and run 30 miles per week for the whole month of July, while running a quality session every 5th day. The hope was to run a decent 5km (July 28th) off of this minimal training…and while I don’t believe the training had much to do with the failed attempt at 5000 meters, there is more that I could have done to prepare.
The workouts leading into the 5km this past weekend and the mile yesterday were pretty simple, but got better workout to workout.
3km tempo
2 x (4 x 1 min on / 1 min off) — 4 min rest between sets
4 x 3 min on / 3 min off
4km tempo
2 x (6 x 1 min on / 1 min off) — 4 min rest between sets
5 x 3 min on / 3 min off
2km tempo + 2 x 3 min on / 3 min off + 2 x 1 min on / 1 min off
While I could tell my fitness was improving from workout to workout, I don’t think I had enough volume in the sessions to be able to run a 5km hard from start to finish. I also think the lack of total volume in training over the month was not enough to support the hard effort over 5000 meters.
Regardless, the training was fun and gave me purpose through July…one of the hottest months on record for Texas. And, while I did not hit the goal of running a strong 5km, I was able to run a sub 5-min mile for the 19th consecutive year.
Phillips Running 