Mile - Sub 5:00

Plan Length: 12 Weeks

This plan, written by Brian Barraza, is for aspiring Sub 5 minute milers. Anyone in the 5:00-5:15 minute mile range and has a solid 1-3 year background of distance running is capable of using this plan. This plan will be structured for runners capable of running between 15-35 mile weeks and have been running for AT LEAST a month before starting this plan.

The objective of this program is to slowly reintroduce strength work throughout the first 3 weeks. Then, we progress into track workouts over the next 8 weeks to familiarize the athlete with 5 minute pace. Finally, the last week we have a light taper to have your legs fresh and ready to tackle the 5 minute barrier.

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Sample Week of Training

Below is a week of training from this plan which represents the type of workouts you will be doing.

Run - Easy day

Run easy today and get the legs ready for a workout. Don’t be too concerned about pace. Run as slow as you need to, but avoid running fast enough to affect your workout.

Planned: 30:00

Other - Welcome! Read Me!

Thank you for choosing this training plan! It is designed to help guide you towards the goal of breaking 5 minutes in the mile.

Make sure that you take care of yourself on the easy days, be smart about your training, and be intentional.

Remember why you enjoy training and use that to motivate you in times when you struggle. Remember that without struggle, any achievement would mean less.

Best of luck to you on your journey!

Run - Uptempo

This is like a regular run, but the last 10 minutes should be quicker than the rest. It doesn’t have to be a substantial difference in pace, but be intentional about increasing your effort.

Planned: 30:00

Run - Easy day

Run easy today and get the legs ready for a workout. Don’t be too concerned about pace. Run as slow as you need to, but avoid running fast enough to affect your workout.

Planned: 30:00

Run - Hills to Pay the Bills

Run 12 minutes to warm up, then do 6x 15 second hills. Try to focus on maintaining good form and keep the pace quick. Avoid pushing too hard, you should feel like you have several gears left. These are closer to strides than they are to sprints.

The assigned recovery between each of the hill reps is however long it takes you to jog down the hill. Take your time. And if you feel like the recovery is not enough, take more rest. The focus of today is the effort up the hills.

After the hill reps, run easy for another 12 minutes.

Planned: 30:00

Run - Easy day

Run easy today and get the legs ready for a workout. Don’t be too concerned about pace. Run as slow as you need to, but avoid running fast enough to affect your workout.

Planned: 30:00

Run - Long Run

The general Idea is that you want to run easy for the first half then if you feel good (and only if you feel good) you can pick it up for the second half.

Be smart with your training. If you’re on hilly terrain or feeling beat up, keep everything very under control.

Planned: 50:00

Rest Day - Rest Day

Take today as a rest day. Make sure to stay on top of recovery. Roll out, do some light activation/stretching, and take care of your hydration.

If you want to, feel free to do a short shakeout, but keep it 30 minutes or less.


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