Training for a one mile, plus a race recap

It seems like there are countless 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, & marathon training programs out there, but my extensive Google search did not  yield many results for1 mile race training. This is not surprising as there aren't nearly as many 1 mile races. But! The 1 mile is a really fun race and if you haven't done one, you should!

Now I am not a coach, physician, exercise physiologist, or any sort of professional related to running/fitness. But, I have run a mile (and 1500) many times and have a pretty solid idea of what training should look like. So, here are my favorite workouts for preparing for a 1 mile!

•  Hills. There is a very famous quote from Frank Shorter (I think) :"Hills are speedwork in disguise". Hills are great for any type of race but really get you ready to run the shorter, faster workouts needed to train for a mile.

• Fartleks- like, 2 min on 1 min off or 1 on 1 off. The "on" portion should be a pretty solid effort, and the "off" portion should be more of a relaxed jog.

•  Intervals. I love these. I looked back through my college logs to see what I did back then- it was a combination of repeats ranging from 200-1000 m, run between 4:55 and 5:30 pace (I was in shape to run a 5:15 mile). So adjust accordingly. These should be hard workouts! But also they have great payoff by getting used to running a fast effort.

• Run consistently. Just because you are "only" training for a mile doesn't mean two miles every other day is going to cut it. I mean, yeah, you'll still probably finish if you only run two miles every other day...but running consistently is key for any race.

So onto my Meet of the Miles race recap! This is a very, very low key race held at the U of M fieldhouse and run by the Minnesota Distance Running Association. You show up, pay $5, and sign up according to your goal pace. Some people signed up for a couple of heats to get a workout in. No thanks! Meg & I signed up for the 5:30-5:45 pace group. Here we are before the race, all happy and bright:

Our friend Larissa was with us too but signed up for the 5:15-5:30 heat and was running while we were posing for photos. Before our race we went out for a 3.25 mile warm up jog around campus and over the stone arch bridge. It was a very scenic run! 

We got back to the field house just in time to see Mr. B finish his race. He was in the first heat, and had the lead up to the last 50 meters or so until being caught by a high school kid who ran 4:17 last spring. He finished second in 4:24! Not bad :)

I did a few short strides and these weird knee/hip loosening exercises and then it was time to go! The race was a true mile (1609 meters) and there were a lot of people in our heat! There was a little bit of crowding right away and I found myself running just on the inside of lane 2 for the first 400 meters or so. During this time my legs felt like lead. I was seriously worried that I was going to run 6:00 or something. I just could not get the turnover going! I finally loosened up at about 500 meters in and started to feel strong. 

It's blurry, but there we are.

 As I mentioned our heat was pretty crowded so I started to work my way around a couple people. I still felt pretty good and don't remember a lot from 500 m-1400 m. The laps are 200 m each and they just went by so quickly. I definitely was feeling tired with one to go, but at that point you just have to remind yourself its only 200 meters and just go for it. I finished in 5:38.4 and Meg was right behind me at 5:39.6. Not terrible, especially for an indoor race. Larissa ran really well in her heat and ran 5:18. 

So fast.

Overall I'm happy with how the race went. I'm not used to running that fast a pace so it was definitely a system shock.Also, running on an indoor track (especially in an old facility like the U of M) causes some major coughing and dryness in the chest. I was coughing so hard after the race I felt like I might throw up. Not cool. However, the race was really fun and I will definitely do it again next year!

I miss track.

Hello! What a glorious weekend in Minnesota. Sunny and 30 above! I saw people running in capris!

Today Mr. B and I traveled to Northfield, Minnesota to watch Day 2 of the MIAC Indoor Track Championships. Many Division III track and cross country athletes are familiar with the facilities at St. Olaf College, and being there today brought back so many memories! I ran my slowest mile and set my mile PR there, ran my first decent collegiate race there, and met some awesome running friends there!

A runner warming up on the upper track.

Now that I am old, I don't know many of the runners from my alma mater, but Mr. B has been an assistant coach for the men's team for a couple years. So, we thought it would be a fun "date". And it was! Our men's and women's team dominated the overall titles, and several athletes had great races. The only two girls I still know (sort of) rocked it out. Here is proof:

Taylor en route to winning the 1k in 2:52 (she won the mile the day before in 4:55!! She also ran 17:00 for 5k earlier this year. So...wow. )

Erin running the 3k (she won in 10:19 after a slow first mile. She has run 17:10 for 5k. I feel slow and old).

As fun as this was, it made me (and Mr.B)  so nostalgic for our track days! Seeing all of these amazing athletes running/jumping/throwing (?) their hearts out made me miss those days so much!! I loved that feeling of finding that last gear and just pushing past competitors and setting a new PR. Or just winning (I never won an individual title but our team won every year!). Of course I don't miss the "track hack" that comes with indoor season- that nagging cough caused by the dryness of the facilities.

Anyway. It was a good day and very good for motivation. When we got home Mr. B and I went for our runs- he went 10 miles and I did a hill workout! It was my first one in...a while. But it felt great. It was about 5 miles total.

Other runs for the week:
Thursday: 5.25 (10 min WU 2 min, 4 min, 6 min, 4 min, 2 min hard)
Friday: 6 (45:00)

I think my weekly total is  28 miles. I'd like to get up to about 60 mpw for the half marathon so I've got a ways to go. It should be easier to get miles in once the weather gets better but in Minnesota..that may never happen.

Have you ever run on an indoor track? Ever been to Northfield (also home to Malt-o-Meal products, so the town smells like brownies all the time)?
Do you like or dislike hills?
- I don't mind them because it is a good workout that is over fast!