Best way to reduce 1.5mile time!

shadowcreaper said:
do 2:
Suggest you test this before race day on a test run.
Take a TEA SPOON (not table spoon!) of sodium bicarbonate to 250ml of water and mix take this 1 hour before the race....the taste is foul as hell, but its been proven to decrease the Latic Acid you get in the muscles .

But test this before the race as some people find it gives them the *****...:eek::D
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Lol, omg do NOT do this!

Anyone who has lactic acid build up after 1.5 miles should not be attempting the distance in the first place.
If you're struggling to accomplish the distance in the required time its because of cardio vascular fitness, not muscular cramping.

You've left it waaayyyy too late to achieve that goal in such a short time mate.
2 runs a day will just wear you out. You're only real chance is sheer determination to NOT give up, but you could then do yourself an injury, or collapse or both.
 
loltim said:
thought i'd post here instead of creating a new thread. what are the "rules" on the 8 minute mile landmark? I mean, if I run the first mile in 8 mins of my 3 mile run, does that mean i've done it? or do you have to keep consistently running 8 mile minutes for a 3 mile run for example?

I went for a run last night for the first time in over a year. I'm 6ft and 11st dead, pretty unfit, not trying to lose weight, just trying to get a bit fitter.

from endomondo:

Sport - Running
Start Time - Nov 15, 2011 5:31 PM
Distance - 1.03 miles
Duration - 9m:20s
Avg Speed -9:06 min/mi
Max Speed - 6:36 min/mi
Calories - 119 kcal
Altitude - 472 ft / 530 ft
Elevation - 34 ft ↑ / 0 ft ↓

so that's an 8 min 59 sec mile and that was with a good 30 second walk at about 6 mins in, fairly confident I can get it down to 8 mins but ONLY for the first mile. I need more stamina!
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IMHO, longer runs is what you want to do but that's what worked for me.

6 months ago I would be able to manage 3 miles at 8:43/mile. I started doing a specific training regime 2 months ago and, not only do I now easily do 3 miles at under 7:30/mile but I actually managed 13 miles at 8:43/mile a few days ago i.e. the same pace as my old 3 mile time.

All the times above are average paces for the entire distance.
 
There's a pretty simple rule for running (as with a lot of other sports/activities) practice what you do to get better at what you do. I essence, you wanna run a 1.5 miles in a good time, then practice running 1.5 miles and try to beat your score each time.
Don't practice running 3 miles if you want to increase your 1.5 mile time. Pace and rhythm are different for both distances.
If you DID have time, then 1.5 mile runs, instersperced with lamposts sprinting and HIIT would work wonders.

I honestly don't see how doing longer runs can increase your shorter runs times. It just doesn't make sense.
 
Banzai_Joe said:
I honestly don't see how doing longer runs can increase your shorter runs times. It just doesn't make sense.
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[DOD]Asprilla explains the basic idea above, you improve your base level of fitness through the longer runs which translates to you being able to run a bit quicker over the shorter distances.

However as with most types of training I'd suspect that a combination of approaches is the best, keep changing as you hit plateaus or even before and your body will keep adapting. I'm somewhat of the school of thought that running never gets easier, you just get a bit faster at it but that's almost beside the point.
 
How many people suggesting doing longer runs have actually tried doing something like 400m repeats?

Honestly, especially in the short time the OP had, it's a very good method.
 
icecold said:
How many people suggesting doing longer runs have actually tried doing something like 400m repeats?

Honestly, especially in the short time the OP had, it's a very good method.
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It's too short a time to do anything, end of. More likely to damage himself trying anything and hobbling to the start line.
 
Track sessions are the best, 400 or 800m sprints, with 2min rest between each one.

In PT we sometimes do a track session, it's normally a 800m warm up, then 6x800m sprints, 4x400 sprints 2x200 sprints.

Or 12x400m sprints.

Do this for a few weeks maybe twice a week and you should definitely improve your 1.5mile run time..

If you are aiming for the army then 10:30 is the pass mark, but to be honest to be with the top group it needs to be under 9:30.

Some lads can run it in under 8mins.... mental.

Your sprints have to be under a certain time as well to be under the 1.5mile pass mark, can't remember though what it is.
 
semi-pro waster said:
[DOD]Asprilla explains the basic idea above, you improve your base level of fitness through the longer runs which translates to you being able to run a bit quicker over the shorter distances.
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Well that's what i would have attributed it to, not that a regime of running longer distance would 'specifically' decrease shorter distance times.
It's like the difference between sprinters and marathon runners, just that the gap is smaller (1.3 miles > 3 miles), different training for different gaining.

richie said:
Even given the real life example I showed above?
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But you didn't really state what training regime you used mate. I think the bit in bold above applies to your results, unless you can detail your specific training.
For most people who run 1.5 miles they will have a set pace, to run 3 miles they are likely to drop that pace a little, until they're used to it (and fitter by then) then they'll increase the pace again. I think it's as simple as that. They get fitter, so they get faster. After all running 3 miles is better for your cv system than running 1.5 miles as you're taxing it for longer = fitter body. Not much science involved imho.

I don't do much running now, but when i do my lungs are on fire lol, cos i'm out of shape :(. However when trying to reduce my 1-2 mile times, i rinse and repeat and to increase stamina and muscle fitness i do some kind of circuit, although i do believe HIIT is a cracker for this.

It's an interesting debate, but i do think repetitive practice is the best way.
 
Do what works for you. If repeating the same thing works for you then just do it.

But I believe being succesful at running is all about mixing it up. MY 10k PB came during a marathon training program. If training for a 10k specifically I could've run quicker no doubt but still would've included sessions far greater in distance than my 10k aim. Most runners would do the same.
 
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firstborn said:
Do what works for you. If repeating the same thing works for you then just do it.

But I believe being succesful at running is all about mixing it up. MY 10k PB came during a marathon training program. If training for a 10k specifically I could've run quicker no doubt but still would've included sessions far greater in distance than my 10k aim. Most runners would do the same.
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Yeah, totally agree with this, all i was saying is that i think it's a general increase in stamina that allows a runner to go faster over a shorter distance after practising on longer distances. I don't believe there is any more science in it than that.
 
Banzai_Joe said:
Lol, omg do NOT do this!

Anyone who has lactic acid build up after 1.5 miles should not be attempting the distance in the first place.
If you're struggling to accomplish the distance in the required time its because of cardio vascular fitness, not muscular cramping.

You've left it waaayyyy too late to achieve that goal in such a short time mate.
2 runs a day will just wear you out. You're only real chance is sheer determination to NOT give up, but you could then do yourself an injury, or collapse or both.
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You should read what i said before saying OMG dont do it..

There have been many studies done with Sodium Bi which prove to lower the Latic acid you build up during exercise by taking a teaspoon 1 hour before a race.

If you read what i said you would see that i did not say do 2 runs a day but to i quote "TEST before race day", so that you can see if you have a reaction ie the ***** or not before racing using the Sodium bic method.

But my point is that it can and does work in most cases and has been again PROVED to work.

Good example was a test done on swimmers and found their time was reduced by 2.5 secs which is a hell of a lot in swimming time terms.

but like i said there is NOTHIN you can do training wise to improve your time, only mentally prepare and get your body ready by doing Dynamic stretching before race with a proper warmup.

this is the best advice i know and i know a bit given i know a good few GB members......so i take their advice as good advice, unless ofc i am wrong?
 
Start Time - Nov 18, 2011 5:47 PM
Distance - 1.03 miles
Duration - 8m:49s
Avg Speed - 8:33 min/mi
Max Speed - 6:31 min/mi
Calories - 120 kcal
Altitude - 466 ft / 503 ft

8m:22s mile! No stamina at all:o

Still, not bad for a skinny asthmatic:)
 
shadowcreaper said:
You should read what i said before saying OMG dont do it..

There have been many studies done with Sodium Bi which prove to lower the Latic acid you build up during exercise by taking a teaspoon 1 hour before a race.

If you read what i said you would see that i did not say do 2 runs a day but to i quote "TEST before race day", so that you can see if you have a reaction ie the ***** or not before racing using the Sodium bic method.

But my point is that it can and does work in most cases and has been again PROVED to work.

Good example was a test done on swimmers and found their time was reduced by 2.5 secs which is a hell of a lot in swimming time terms.

but like i said there is NOTHIN you can do training wise to improve your time, only mentally prepare and get your body ready by doing Dynamic stretching before race with a proper warmup.

this is the best advice i know and i know a bit given i know a good few GB members......so i take their advice as good advice, unless ofc i am wrong?
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Sorry dude, i did read your post, but i think i probably replied in a slightly disjointed way, my bad.
My reason behind NOT taking bicarb was, because for only running 1.5 miles no one with any level of fitness should be getting muscle cramps. If they do, then they must be totally unfit, in which case lactic acid build up is a good indicator of their level, which will decrease over time.
If a persons time over 1.5m aint good, it's far more likely to be due to a general lack of stamina, not muscle cramping, hence my reason for saying don't do it.
I won't deny it works, hell i've seen studies of people taking bicarb instead of creatine as a placebo and have made gains in strength.

I didn't suggest that you suggested 2 runs a day. I merely said it because if 1.5m is such a killer for him, then trying it twice a day will royally **** him out!

Sorry for any confusion.
 
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