Older & Faster: 2024 Mile Time Trial Training is Here

Older & Faster: 2024 Mile Time Trial Training is Here

Starting on Tuesday, March 26th, WXW Express and Swift will collectively embark on an 8-week training program designed to produce your fastest mile.  It’s time to set the bar for yourself for 2024.  Can you be faster than last year, even though you’re a year older?  Can you set a PR, even though you can’t make it through the night without getting up to pee?  Damn straight you can, and we will help get you there.

There will be two workouts per week for eight weeks, culminating in a mile time trial at WXW Express (Cuthbertson Middle School) on Tuesday, May 21st @ 0515.  We’re hoping that holding on a weekday will allow more pax to attend.  WXW Express and Swift will host the Tuesday workout each week.  Perform the Thursday workout wherever you’d like.  Try to rope your pals at Pursuit/Devil’s Turn/Sparta/Fast Twitch into joining you.

The plan is based on Nike Run Club’s “Find Your Fast” 8-week training program.  We did this plan last year and many PR’s were achieved, including YHC’s.  The plan is on a Google Sheet (link) so that you can save your own version and track your progress and/or make edits if you’d like.  Here are the two weekly workouts in case spreadsheets give you the willies:

• Week 1:
  1. Tue, Mar 26: 8 x 400m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery.  Average the 8 intervals for a proxy of your current mile fitness.
  2. Thurs, Mar 28: 2.5 mi tempo run
• Week 2:
  1. Tue, Apr 2: 200m x 3 going from 10k pace to 5k pace to goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery. Repeat 5 times (15 total intervals). Note: rest 120 sec after 10th 200m
  2. Thurs, Apr 4: Fartlek Run: 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, 1 min @ 5k pace w/ equal recovery
• Week 3:
  1. Tue, Apr 9: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 500m @ 5k pace, 500m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 400m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 90 sec recovery
  2. Thurs, Apr 11: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 1,000m @ 5k pace, 1,000m @ 10k pace w/ 90 sec recovery
• Week 4:
  1. Tue, Apr 16: Hill Repeats: 1 min @ 10k pace, 1 min @ 5k pace, 1 min @ goal mi pace w/ recovery jog down hill. Repeat 3 times (9 total intervals).
  2. Thurs, Apr 18: 3 mi tempo run
• Week 5:
  1. Tue, Apr 23: 200m @ 10k pace, 200m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery. Repeat 5 times (20 total intervals).
  2. Thurs, Apr 25: Fartlek Run: 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min @ 5k pace w/ equal recovery
• Week 6:
  1. Tue, Apr 30: 200m @ goal mi pace, 800m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 600m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 400m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace. 120 sec recovery after 200m intervals and 60 sec recovery after other intervals.
  2. Thurs, May 2: 3.5 mi tempo run
• Week 7:
  1. Tue, May 7: 8 x 400m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery.  Average the 8 intervals for a proxy of your current mile fitness.
  2. Thurs, May 9: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 1,000m @ 10k pace, 1,000m @ 5k pace, 1,000m @ 10k pace w/ 90 sec recovery
• Week 8:
  1. Tue, May 14: 12 x 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery
  2. Thurs, May 16: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 120 sec recovery
• Week 9:
  1. Tue, May 21: 1 mile time trial @ Cuthbertson Middle School @ 0515 (aka WXW Express).  There will be plenty of warm-up, and multiple race heats if necessary.  There will be a post-run option for those interested.  Heck, there may even be a convergence and coffeeteria.  We’ll see.

In weeks one and seven there is a mile simulation workout (8 x 400m) that will help you identify your current mile fitness and give you a good idea of what you should be shooting for at the time trial.

Some of the prescribed workouts may be shorter than what you’re used to at our F3 running workouts.  If you are on Q for any of these workouts, feel free to modify.

It is recommended that you begin each workout with a 1 mile warmup and dynamic stretching, and end with a 1 mile cooldown.  The goal is to PR but also to get to the starting line in one piece.

Find your various training paces by inputting your goal mile pace or a recent race time here: Link.  “Tempo” pace (not shown on website) is your 5k pace + 25-30 seconds.  It is a pace that you would be able to sustain for a full hour of running and should feel “hard, but controlled”.

-TUCK