Nathan Pennington Running in The Distance

How to Run a 5 Minute Mile Effectively

There are many people around the world seeking how to run a 5 minute mile. Of course, it isn’t easy but certainly achievable. Are you lacking talent? Well, don’t let stop you. What you lack in talent can be made up for with your work ethic, drive and focus. No, isn’t going to be a simple process. That being said, there is training hard and working smart. The best athletes are always seeking how to use leverage. Leverage simply means doing more with less. We all have been taught to work hard. How many hard working people do you know who are living paycheck to paycheck? Why are others doing well financially and have no formal education? Someone is using leverage and someone is not.

My goal with this post is to share with you some tips. It isn’t to guarantee you a 4:59. The fact that you are searching for how to run a 5 minute mile already tells me you are a highly driven individual. I’m glad you have made it here to rundreamachieve.com. I created this site back in 2011 to reach athletes such as yourself to get better results by working smarter. Remember, running 5 minute mile pace is about training at, near or far below your goal race pace. So, getting more accustomed to training closer to 4:20 to 4:30 mile pace is a necessity. Sure, you are not going to be able to sustain this pace for long but you can for a few seconds to several minutes. Alas, this is where the strength and stamina will come into play if you do it correctly.

How Hard is it to Run a 5 Minute Mile?

There isn’t nothing easy about running a 4:59 mile. You need to have a calculated plan that will yield you the highest return on your time investment. You could be running 100 miles a week and never break a sub 5 minute mile. Why? You are running too many miles or kilometers too slow. Remember, the key is to improving your lactate tolerance and slowing down less than your competition. Also, a big mistake middle distance runners make is improper pacing. So, they take off too anaerobic too soon and slow down in the critical parts of the race.

how to run a 5 minute mile
Founder of the Sub 5 Minute Mile Leader Course, Nathan Pennington (#30) at the 2007 Philadelphia Distance Classic Half-Marathon – 1:07:06 (5:07 per mile pace)

I created the Sub 5 Minute Mile Leader course to teach athletes how to race. In addition, how to taper correctly at the right time. Remember, the goal is to go into your goal race refreshed and motivated and not tired and fatigued. So, you have to be smart about when you choose to start dropping your intensity and mileage. Your chances of success will rise once you start doing what sub 5 minute milers do. Furthermore, you need to get used to running for a longer period of time at your anaerobic threshold. So, your AT or tempo pace is when lactic acid starts to build up in the muscles. The more efficient you get at clearer lactic acid faster than it is building up the more economical you are going to run.

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Is Running a 5 Min Mile Good?

Yes. Running as mile under 5 minutes is a very good time. A time that very few runners around the world accomplish. The vast majority of runners that are in descent shape can run a mile anywhere from 6 to 10 minutes. The athletes who are seeking to run 4 consecutive laps around the track between 74 to 75 seconds is a highly fit individual. Yes, they may have a small amount of talent. That being said, talent that doesn’t work will get beat by the athlete who does and has a lot of work ethic. A sub 5 minute mile will not fall in anyone’s lap easily and that goes for talented runners too. So, you need to be very anaerobically fit, calm and motivated to break a 5 minute mile.

The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination

Billy Mills, Olympic Gold medalist, 10,000m

The goal of the Sub 5 Minute Mile Leader Course is built to cover all the specifics of what a sub 5 minute miler needs to know. I dropped my mile from 5:30.34 for 1600m to 4:22.10 for 1-mile (1609m) in 5 years. It was not an easy process. I also used the same workouts and mindset fundamentals in the course to lower my marathon from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35.

What Pace Do You Need to Run a 5 Minute Mile?

5 minute mile pace is 12 miles per hour. So, to hold and sustain the pace for the entire distance you need to focus on speed development. Yes, you still need to also focus on easy running as well. Remember, there is only so many times you can continue to push the body hard before you get a diminished return. So, recovery between hard workouts is absolutely vital. It is critical to focus on training well below sub 5 minute mile pace. The key is to get sub 5 min mile pace to feel somewhat easier and less aggressive.

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Remember, the idea is to become more efficient at running fast and handling higher amounts of lactic acid build up. The best middle to long distance runners make it look easy for a reason. The reason is because they have spent a great deal of time training at, near or far below sub 5 minute mile pace. You also have to make you are paying attention to your nutrition and recovery during your off hours. You may want to check out Herbalife as they have a great deal of products high in fiber and protein. Furthermore, you want to spend longer periods of time training at your anaerobic threshold. So, that means longer tempo runs ranging anywhere from 3 to 5 miles in length.

Closing Thoughts

There are many people who can run slow for a short or very long period of time. It is an art form to be able to do it for a long period of time. Remember, to him or her who has been given much, much will be required. My goal with this post is to give you a brief overview of what we will be covering in the Sub 5 Minute Mile Leader course. Are you ready to take your preparation and racing to the next level? If so, click the button below to learn more. I have been fortunate to have been trained and coached by 3 of the worlds’s top distance running coaches. In addition, I have trained with sub 4 minute milers who taught me what they did to run under the sub 4 minute mile barrier.

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Lastly, the training principles I used to compete at the professional level are also covered in detail in this course. Remember, the key to breaking the 5 minute mile is to train smarter, not necessarily harder. I already know you know how to train hard. Now, we need to get you to correct the flaws of the past and get you across the finish line with a 4 on the clock. 4:59 or faster can become a reality but it has to start in the mind first. How much time are you devoting to mental training? I look forward to seeing you on the inside of this course.

SUB 5 MINUTE MILE LEADER COURSE

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