Getting faster at the mile is simpler than it sounds. Run three times a week, keep most of it slow, and do a few fast bits once a week. Put in your times and race day, and this page builds your plan.
On trackAbout 15 weeks of training gets you there, and you have 15. No missed weeks.
Like the details? The full guide has the science, exact paces and more workouts.
That's it. Slow running builds your engine. Fast bits teach your legs to move quickly. Showing up every week is what makes both work.
Why does slow running make you faster? See the science.
Put a rest day between runs when you can, like Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. What's inside each run grows over the season (see the plan below).
How it feels: quick and strong, like the last lap of a race, but in control. Not an all-out sprint.
Why fast bits work · GTNHow it feels: you could talk in full sentences. For you that's about 10:10–11:15 per mile. Slower is fine.
How easy is easy? · GTNHow it feels: like run 2, just longer. If you need to walk for a minute, walk. Keep going.
Finding your easy pace · Strength RunningAfter a run or on a rest day: 15 squats, 10 lunges each leg, 15 calf raises each leg, a 30-second plank. Do it twice through. Stronger legs make running feel easier and keep knees and shins happy.
Follow along: beginner strength for runners · Jeffrey Peng, MDFour stages. Each one adds a little. The dates fill in from your race day.
Checkpoint at the end: rest the day before, warm up with a 10-min jog, then run a timed mile with even laps. Aim for 7:23, about 1:50 a lap. Then put your new time in at the top of this page.
Ready test: 4 laps at 1:44 each with only 1 minute rest between. If you can do that, you're ready for 7:00.
Holidays and bad weather: missing a few days is fine. Missing two weeks is not. On busy or icy days, a 15-minute run or the strength routine indoors still counts.
Want exact paces for every kind of run? Open the pace calculator.
If you can't talk, slow down. Going hard every day makes you slower, not faster.
Your body gets faster while it rests. Fast bits need a slow day or rest day after.
Aim for 8–10 hours of sleep. Eat a real meal or snack after running. Growing plus running takes a lot of fuel.
Sore muscles are normal. Pain in one spot, or pain that gets worse as you run, is not. Stop and tell a parent or coach.
Coaches and other runners use these all the time. Each has a short video from an established running coach or channel.
Your chatty run speed. Most of your running happens here.
How easy should an easy run be? · GTNShort, smooth speed-ups of about 20 seconds at the end of an easy run. Not a sprint.
How to run strides · The Run ExperienceFast running with rest in between. Your fast bits and fast laps are intervals.
Why intervals work · GTNA steady run that's "comfortably hard": faster than chatty, slower than racing.
Tempo running explained · GTNYour time for each lap or section. "Even splits" means every lap takes about the same time.
How to pace a race · Coach ParryRunning less in the last week or two before a race so you show up fresh.
How to taper for a race · GTNThis page is all you need to follow the plan. The full guide explains the science behind it: why the mile works the way it does, exact training paces for every kind of run, more workouts, and a lap-by-lap race plan.
Open the full guide