How to Run a Faster Mile: 11 Tips + Free Training Plan

Running a mile faster can seem like an insurmountable goal, but it’s not. With the right training plan and some commitment, you’ll be shaving seconds (or maybe even minutes) off that mile time before you know it.  Here are 11 tips to help you run faster, along with a sample mile training plan at the bottom.

Disclaimer:  This post was written and reviewed by Chrissy Carroll, RRCA Running Coach and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach.  This is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be training advice.  Please consult a physician prior to beginning any new exercise program.

1. Be consistent.

If you’re serious about achieving a faster mile time, by far the most important thing you can do is run consistently. Consistency is typically the difference between success and failure in the athletic world.

Ideally, you’ll want to follow a training plan (whether that’s one you write yourself or one developed by a coach), and include at least 4-5 days of running each week to improve your time.  Running only when it’s convenient or when you feel like it isn’t ideal when it comes to PR goals.  You must run regularly and often so that your body can adapt to the stress of running faster.

A quick word of caution, though – if you just started running, and are still perhaps working your way up from a run/walk plan – there’s no need to get into crazy track intervals or daily running.  Instead, focus on being consistent with your running a few days a week for several months.  That alone should help improve your speed a bit.  Once you hit several months in, then you can start building in hills and fartleks, and after a while with those, speedwork on the track.

2. Focus on form.

Focus on form first before ramping up your speed, especially if you are newer to running.  Trying to increase speed with bad form is a surefire recipe for injury.

When you are running, keep your head up to maintain good posture and balance – don’t hunch over or tilt your neck down.  Make sure that your arms stay at a 90-degree angle with some bend in the elbows, and you have a nice comfortable arm swing.  Engage your core and use short, gentle strides.  Don’t overstride – i.e. take big giant leaps – as this can increase injury risk.

Also, focus on breathing, and if you need to, think of a song or mantra in your head to help keep you on pace and distract yourself from the mental discomfort.

3. Run hills.

Hills are an excellent addition to a mile training plan because they feel challenging, but stress your joints less than running on a flat surface.  Hills also require greater muscular engagement and energy expenditure, making them a tougher workout even before speed is considered (source).

Try finding hills that will take you about 1-2 minutes to run up.  You want it to be challenging but doable.  You’ll warm up first for a mile or so, then run up the hill at your best effort.  Jog or walk back down the hill, and then repeat this several times in a workout.

Sometimes it’s best to start out a bit more slowly during a workout like this, as you may not realize the cumulative challenge of these hill sprints.  Once you find out whether or not you can handle the speed, you can gradually increase the pace.

4. Do interval training.

Interval training is one of the best ways to improve your mile time.  Most experienced runners will want to include one day per week of track intervals.  Some competitive athletes may include two days per week of these.

For those training to run a faster mile, you might include track workouts that utilize these intervals:

• 100s (straightaway)
• 200s (½ lap)
• 400s (1 lap)
• 600s (1 ½ laps)
• 800s (2 laps)
• 1000s (2 ½ laps)
• 1200s (3 laps)

The specific number and types of intervals, along with the pace for those intervals, will depend on your current fitness level and injury history.

As an important warning, keep in mind that beginners should not do track speed work sessions until they have several months of comfortable steady state running under their belt, and then have done another couple months experimenting with hills, fartleks, and tempo runs (read more about these types of running workouts here).  Jumping into speed work too quickly increases the risk of injury.

5. Do strength training.

Strength training may help improve your stride and reduce injury risk, both of which are important as you train for your fastest mile.

Most people think about strength exercises that work the legs and glutes, which are definitely important.  Strengthening muscles like the glutes, quads, and hamstrings can help improve the power in your running stride.  Working the hips is important as well, as they stabilize the pelvis during running.

But it’s also really important to strengthen your core.  Your core (mainly your abs and back) provide stability and support during your runs, keeping your body in proper alignment. A strong core means you will have a smoother stride as your legs go through the running motion. If your core is weak, it can lead to overcompensating with other muscles which increases injury risk.

Strength training can be done with body weight exercises, resistance band exercises, or exercises that use gym equipment. 

Just 1-2 days per week of strength training can be very useful for runners.  You don’t need to be in the gym doing strength work daily; doing that will almost certainly lead to fatigue and overtraining when paired with your running routine.  Be sure to leave at least one full rest day each week (though this rest day can include active recovery, like a walk or gentle bike ride).

6. Consider cadence.

Running cadence, sometimes called turnover, is how many times your feet hit the ground in one minute.

When you first start running, don’t get overly concerned about cadence – run in a way that feels comfortable for your body and allows you to find your natural rhythm.

If you’ve got several months of experience running, though, try paying attention to cadence and see where you fall. 

You can do this manually by counting the total number of steps you take in a minute.  Many people prefer counting just one foot – like the number of times their right foot lands – and then doubling it to get their total cadence.  Most major running watches these days also estimate cadence.

Now, despite what many articles tell you – there is no “perfect” running cadence.  There are general ranges though which are helpful.

Specifically, most runners will fall around 160 to 180 steps per minute during comfortable paced runs (don’t worry about counting cadence during your sprint intervals).

If your cadence is substantially slower than that, you may be overstriding.  When you take steps that are too long, you’re landing fewer times on your feet over that minute.  But this overstriding means that you’re putting greater impact forces on your legs and also reduces running economy.

If you think this is happening to you, try to think “quick feet” or “feet on fire” as you’re running your easy runs, picking your feet up more quickly and shortening your stride.  Practicing this during your easy runs can help improve overall form which will carry over into your speed work.

8. Remember the 80/20 rule

The 80/20 rule refers to doing 80% of your mileage at a comfortable pace, and 20% at a more challenging pace (like speedwork).

It might seem a little counterintuitive – after all, if running intervals helps you get faster, why not do more?!

But it’s very important to follow this rule (or small variations of it, like 75/25 or 85/15) in order to yield the best results over time while minimizing injury risk.  Excessive speedwork will make you more prone to injuries or overtraining.

Remember, to become faster at running you must increase your capacity for work output while maintaining good form and minimizing fatigue during workouts. If you go out and try to do a hard workout every day then your body won’t have enough time to recover from one running session before the next one, and you will not improve.

7. Remember recovery

Recovery is often overlooked as part of a training plan, but it’s so important.  Proper recovery consists of several components:

• Balanced training plan – as mentioned above with the 80/20 rule
• At least one full rest day per week – exceptions may apply for elite athletes, but in general this principle holds true
• Adequate sleep – at least 7-9 hours per night
• Good nutrition – your diet should include all three macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) and be made up of mostly nutrient-dense foods
• Post-run stretching
• Additional recovery modalities if desired – which may include foam rollers, massage or massage guns, acupressure or acupressure mats, etc.

These things help regenerate your body, allowing you to handle high-intensity running, and some may be involved in injury prevention too.

8. Try caffeine.

If you’ve put your all into training and are looking for a little extra boost, caffeine might be worth a try.

Caffeine has long been known to be a performance enhancer, most likely through binding to adenosine receptors in the brain.  Adenosine can make you feel tired when it binds to its receptors, so when caffeine binds to them and blocks that from happening, you feel more alert.

It also may have an impact on the production of certain chemicals in the body, as well as an impact on skeletal muscle.

At the recommended amounts (3-6 mg/kg), caffeine has been shown to increase performance by 2-4% across many studies (source).  The biggest benefits have generally been shown for longer endurance performance, but some people may see a benefit for shorter one mile performance too.

Keep in mind that caffeine can have some side effects though, like jitteriness or upset stomach.

If you want to test out the impact of caffeine on training, you can try drinking two cups of coffee about an hour before your workout.  (I recommend using coffee rather than caffeine pills or powders, which can easily be mis-measured – and excess caffeine can be dangerous).

[Read more about caffeine before running.]

9. Try beta alanine.

As a dietitian, I’m not a huge supplement person – but beta alanine may be one supplement that could be helpful for mile runners looking to improve speed.

Beta alanine works by increasing carnosine levels in our muscle tissue. It’s thought that carnosine may help with exercise by buffering increasing levels of lactic acid (as well as possibly through combating excessive free radical production).

Research on this topic is hit or miss.  A 2012 meta-analysis found that beta alanine supplementation improved exercise capacity in tasks lasting 1 to 4 minutes (i.e. the length of track interval training)  There were also benefits, though less pronounced, in exercise scenarios over 4 minutes (i.e. where your mile run would fall).

Some more running-specific studies have not shown this benefit (source, source, source).  However, a 28 days supplementation study found that beta alanine helped improve 800-meter track performance.

Overall, it could be worth trying it to see how it impacts your body.  Side effects are rare, but may include a mild tingly sensation.  This can be minimized with using it in divided doses, rather than one large dose.

10. Cautiously consider weight.

In general, I think it’s best to approach running from a weight-neutral standpoint.  Weight is a complex measurement that’s the culmination of many factors – eating habits, hormones, sleep, socioeconomic variables, access to food, etc.

However, generally runners that carry excess weight can improve speed through weight loss.  Larger bodied runners have to use more energy at a particular speed since running is a weight bearing exercise – meaning your weight impacts the force and challenge of the activity.  Larger bodied runners need to use more energy on the upward propelling phase of the stride.

Note that this is not a perfectly equal comparison.  You can’t compare a 200-pound person to a 150-pound person and automatically assume one will be slower or faster than the other.

However, if all else was equal – genetics, fitness level, training, etc – then generally, the 150-pound person would have an easier time running a faster mile than the 200-pound person.

There’s a classic 1978 study that looked at how 12-minute run performance was affected when 5%, 10%, and 15% extra weight was added compared to the runner’s normal body weight.  The results were that for each additional pound added, running performance per mile slowed by about 1.4 seconds.

Another more recent study looked at this same question, but lightened runners by 5 to 10% of their body weight through a system of ropes and pulleys while they ran on a treadmill.  The result was that they were around 2.4 seconds (give or take) faster per mile per pound “lost”.

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but that means 10 pounds lost would equate to around a 14 to 24 second faster mile, with all else equal.

The problem with these studies is that lab data can be quite different than real-world data.  Runners who are trying to lose weight are a) typically losing some muscle mass along with the fat mass, which is not ideal, and b) potentially under-fueling, leading to poorer training adaptations that can reduce overall performance.

Clearly, it’s not as simple as lose X pounds and get X seconds faster.

That said, if you are a) carrying excess weight in the form of fat mass, b) desire to lose that weight, and c) have additional time to train – then losing some weight may improve speed. 

The key is to work on this during an aerobic base phase of comfortable steady state runs, NOT during an intense training phase where you’re purposefully working on speed in your runs.

(Also, you should not change your weight to increase speed if you are already at a healthy weight for your body.)

11. Warm up before your attempt.

Last but not least – when it comes to the day you’re going to attempt to run your fastest mile, don’t forget to warm up. 

This doesn’t mean a quick lap and you’re ready to go – instead, take ample time to do some easy relaxed running along with some dynamic movements like hip swings, butt kicks, skipping, and high knees. 

This gets blood flowing to your muscles and ensures mobility in your joints so that you are ready to run, giving you the best shot at hitting your mile goal.

Training Plan

Now that you’ve got all those tips, you might also find a structured training plan helpful.  Always consult a doctor prior to beginning any new training plan.

Before starting this training plan, you should be running several times per week at a conversational pace consistently for at least 4-6 months prior without any injury. 

If you have not met that guideline, build your running base first before attempting to use any training plan with track work.

You can download the PDF of this 6-week plan here or by clicking the image below.  For accessibility purposes, the plan is also written out week by week in plain text below.

Week 1:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 3 sets of the following:  4×200 meters at goal mile pace; 200 meter jog between intervals, 3 minutes of rest between set.  Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Wednesday: 30-minute easy run
• Thursday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 10×60 seconds uphill.  Jog the downhills between each one. Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 30-minute easy run with 6 strides (controlled fast running) of 20 seconds each.  Recover fully between each stride.
• Sunday:  50-minute endurance run

Week 2:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 5×800 meters at a pace in-between your current mile pace and 5K pace. Do a 400-meter jog or walk between each interval.  Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Wednesday: 30-minute easy run
• Thursday: Do a 30-minute fartlek run.  For this, start at a comfortable pace, then add in random 30 second, 60 second, and 90 second intervals.  Fully recover between each interval.  Add in as many as you want within these guidelines.  The goal is not to over-exert yourself but to have fun with variable speeds.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 30-minute easy run
• Sunday:  60-minute endurance run

Week 3:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 6×400 meters at your goal mile pace, with a 400 meter jog or walk between intervals. Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Wednesday: 30-minute easy run
• Thursday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Do 3 intervals of 5 minutes each at 5K pace.  Recover with easy jogging or walking for 3-4 minutes between each interval.  Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 30-minute easy run
• Sunday:  45-minute endurance run

Week 4:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 1200 meters at your current mile pace.  Recover for 800 meters with a walk or jog.  Do 2×400 at slightly faster than your goal mile pace, with a 400 meter walk or jog between the intervals.  Do a 800 meter walk or jog.  Do 2×200 at best effort sprint, with a 200 meter walk or jog between the intervals.  Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Wednesday: 30-minute easy run
• Thursday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 8×2 minutes uphill.  Jog the downhills between each one. Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 30-minute easy run with 6 strides (controlled fast running) of 20 seconds each.  Recover fully between each stride.
• Sunday:  60-minute endurance run

Week 5:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 6×800 meters at slightly slower than your goal mile pace, with a 400 meter jog or walk between intervals. Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Wednesday: 30-minute easy run
• Thursday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Do 3 intervals of 8 minutes each at 5K pace.  Recover with easy jogging for 4-5 minutes between each interval.  Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 30-minute easy run
• Sunday:  50-minute endurance run

Week 6:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Start with a 10-minute warm up jog.  Then do 8×400 meters at your goal mile pace, with a 200 meter walk between intervals. Finish with a 10-minute cool down jog.
• Wednesday: 30-minute easy run
• Thursday: 25-minute easy run with 4 strides of 20 seconds each.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday or Sunday:  Run your fastest mile!

Share:  Do you have any other tips for running a faster mile?

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