Nicole Shedd Dropping Mile Time 1

Matthew is a sixteen year old male track athlete at Cinco Ranch High School.
Matthew hopes to become a collegiate runner at HBU in the next few years. His goal
over the course of this next semester is to improve his mile time. This skill falls into the
categories of speed and strength. The one mile race is short enough to need speed but
also requires enough strength to maintain a steady pace.
In our research, we found that increasing a runners endurance is a key factor to
increasing mile time. Increasing endurance can be done many ways like breathing right,
sleeping an adequate amount, or varying ones tempo while running. In the Colorado
Runner Magazine, it is emphasized that breathing right is important for the runner to get
deep belly breathes because the runner can then use more energy to focus on running
rather than the less-effective breathing techniques (McDermott, 2014). The whole point
is to deliver oxygen more efficiently to the working muscles so that they work stronger
and longer. Another important factor to increasing ones endurance to drop time is to
add miles. The runner has to find the balance of running enough to get faster but not to
overexertion. So that includes allowing an appropriate amount of rest for the body to
repair and build the muscles.
One of the best ways to decrease a mile time is to increase a runners mileage in
increments. The runner has a base number of miles and with each day they run, the
runner adds 1-5 miles to the base number. It is important that the miles added are not
too far outside the runners capabilities. The runner should also time the miles ran so
that he/she can keep up with the tempo. Once the runner has a base time for each mile
ran, the runner now has a time to beat or keep up with. This is best way to test ones
progress on decreasing ones mile time.
Another way to build speed is to do speed workouts on the track. One of the
most effective is 8-200s with 2 min recovery. They should be fast. The idea is to get the
athlete to run at about 85-90% efforts so that they are able to maintain pace for each
one and not slow down as the workout continues. Track workouts can also be done at
target race pace or desired pace for an athletes goal in the mile. This allows the
runner to zone in and become familiar with the pace. The body will become more
efficient and push its lactate threshold delaying fatigue.
The research also shows that running a faster mile is not just about speed, it is
about strength too. To build strength, its a good idea to find a hill or incline about 200
400 meters long and do intervals 5 with 3 min between each. To further build
endurance, its a good idea to do a tempo run. This is a continuous run at a fairly difficult
pace.
There are other important factors in decreasing mile time besides just the
physical act of exercising. One of these factors is the runners diet. Depending on an
athletes weight and body fat percentage, changing ones diet is an easy way to drop
time in the mile because it will help an athlete drop a few pounds. This does not has has
much of an effect on those who are already under or at a good weight compared to their
height. Dropping 4-10 pounds of fat will allow an athlete to be a more efficient runner
because that weight no longer needs to be carried. It is also extremely important that
the weight be dropped in a healthy way. If an athlete is just starting out a new training
program and eating healthy, the weight should naturally shed off. There is no need to go
on an extreme low carb/ calorie diet because an athlete needs that for energy when
Nicole Shedd Dropping Mile Time 2

they are working out. Simply staying away from foods high in sugar and fat should
cause the weight loss needed.
Rest is another very important fact in any training program. This includes sleep
and time off of working out. For a novice runner, taking 2 days a week off is good for
recovery and allows the body to compensate and super compensate leading to better
fitness and ultimately a faster mile time. Also, a runner must sleep at least 8 hours a
night for full benefit. More sleep can be added depending on lifestyle and stress levels.
Stress levels should be taken into consideration when planning workouts because it can
affect performance and recovery. Secondly, pushing through too much stress can lead
to over reaching and cause negative effects on the body like lower immunity or even
overtraining if done to often.
The best and most accurate way to measure performance is through a race or
time trial. After 4-5 weeks of training, an athlete can run the mile in a race or time trial
and see how much faster they have gotten. It is important to make sure they do not do it
too close to their last workout and take environment like weather into consideration.
As a coach, I found that players respond to the competiveness and reward
systems. If the players competed against each other during a certain task, the athletes
would perform better because of the drive to win. For instance, giving the runners
pacing partners each practice makes them more accountable for how fast their tempo
should be. As a coach, I have noticed runners always want to drop time and are
constantly aware of their personal best times. Which is why time trials are another way
that help runners decrease time.
Nicole Shedd Dropping Mile Time 3

Training Lesson Plan 11

Date: February 07 2017
Place: HBU
Equipment: None
Objectives: Build Power and Improve Cardiorespiratory Capacity
EXERCISES DOSAGE NOTES
INTRODUCTION Explain Session 5 min Remind athlete
Objectives why the work is
worth it;
Reiterate where motivate
focus of training
needs to be
-Being Explosive
on every stride up
the hill
-Maintain pace
despite fatigue
WARM-UP Jogging 1 mile ~10min Focus on
Breathing
Dynamic ~10 min Tempo
Movements 2x20 (10 each leg)
High Knees 2x20 (10 each leg) Focus on Full
Lunges 2x14 (7 each leg) ROM
Cossack Squats Time: ~20min
MAIN WORKOUT Hill Sprint @ 8-9 5 sets w/ 3 min rest Focus on Full
RPE 400meter uphill Hip Flexion
~20min

10 min rest
Focus on
Tempo Run @ 7 2 miles ~14min Breathing
RPE Time: ~45min Tempo, build
Mental Fortitude
COOL DOWN Light Jogging 400m ~5min How does body
feel? Aches or
Pains?

Partner Stretching 10min Stretch

Time: 15min Hamstrings,
TOTAL TIME:85 MIN Quads, Groin,
and Hip Flexor
Nicole Shedd Dropping Mile Time 4

Training Lesson Plan 12

Date: February 09 2017
Place: HBU
Equipment: None

EXERCISES DOSAGE NOTES

INTRODUCTION Explain Session 5 min Remind athlete
Objectives why the work is
worth it;
Reiterate where motivate
focus of training
needs to be
-FAST; just below
race pace
-maintain pace
despite fatigue
WARM-UP Jogging 1 mile ~10min Focus on
Breathing
Dynamic ~10 min Tempo
Movements 2x20 (10 each leg)
High Knees 2x20 (10 each leg) Focus on Full
Lunges 2x14 (7 each leg) ROM
Cossack Squats Time: ~20min
MAIN WORKOUT Speed Workout @ 8 sets w/ 2 min rest Focus on
9 RPE 200meter ~20min Consistent
Effort (time) for
10 min rest each set

Tempo Run @ 7 2 miles ~14min Focus on

RPE Time: ~45min Breathing
Tempo, build
Mental Fortitude
Nicole Shedd Dropping Mile Time 5

COOL DOWN Light Jogging 400m ~5min How does body

feel? Aches?
Pains?

Partner Stretching 10min Stretch

Time: 15min Hamstrings,
TOTAL TIME:85 MIN Quads, Groin,
and Hip Flexor
Objectives: Build Speed and Improve Cardiorespiratory Capacity

The Dynamic Movements in the Warm-Up actively stretch the appropriate lower
body muscles for the main sets to come. High Knees stretch the hamstrings, Lunges the
hip flexors, and Cossack Squats the groin. Cossack Squats involve squatting to one
side while keeping the leg that is not doing the squat straight. See Picture Below. All 3
exercises move the legs through various ranges of motion and ensure muscles are
warm and loose. The High Knees imitate the explosive hip flexion that will occur during
the uphill sprints and 200 meter sprints. The Warm-Up jog is light, just to get the blood
flowing and body prepped for the Main Workout. Both the Warm-Up and Cooldown are
the same for both workouts as having the same Warm-Up for every session gets the
athlete in the right mindset and having the same Cooldown for every session signals to
the body that the session is over. The hill workout is important for and specific to
building strength and the speed workout is for the building speed half of dropping mile
time.
Nicole Shedd Dropping Mile Time 6

Bibliography
Beckstrand, J. (2015, July 15). 8 Ways to Run Faster and Decrease your Mile Time.
Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://running-blog.mizunousa.com/8-ways-to-
run-faster-and-decrease-your-mile-time/
Fraioli, M. (2012, April 25). Master The Mile: One-Mile Training Plan | Page 2 of 2 |
Competitor.com. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from
http://running.competitor.com/2012/04/training/blueprint-master-the-mile_30069/2
McDermott, N. (2014, August 7). Stepping Up The Pace: 19 Ways To Shave Down Your
Race Time. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from
http://www.coloradorunnermag.com/2014/08/07/stepping-pace-19-ways-shave-
race-time/