Run a Mile This Week
It’s time to run (or walk, or somehow move under your own power) a whole mile. Then take a break. And if you still have it, do it again. That’s right, this week we’re doing mile reps at the Lifehacker Fitness Challenge .
A mile is such a beautiful distance, in part because we all probably remember a time when “running a mile” was a distant goal. Mile? A whole mile ?
But the more you run, the fewer miles you feel. If you run long distances, you will find yourself uttering the phrase “only a mile” with a sigh of relief (say, 14 miles on a 15 mile track).
Regardless of your level of experience, overcoming a mile always seems like an achievement. This week we will try to cover a solid mile in one sitting. It’s up to you what speed you choose and how many repetitions you need to do. Here’s what the process looks like:
- Before leaving home, find a place on this earth that you know is one mile away. It’s four laps on a standard high school course, but if you don’t have a course on hand, use something like MapMyRun (registration required) to find the perfect route.
- Warming up. If you’re a beginner, walk (or mix walking and jogging) for about ten minutes. If not, do a mile warm-up .
- Run a mile! (Or walk fast if your focus is walking this month.) Choose a pace that seems faster than your normal run, but not fast enough to burn you out before you run a mile. Check yourself if you’re interested.
- Rest by walking until you catch your breath and feel ready to go again. A good rule of thumb is to walk as much as you run.
You’ll get the most out of it if you don’t run a mile at breakneck speed, but instead save some gasoline in the tank so you can do a second or third rep without feeling like you want to die. Even if you only plan on doing one thing, it’s best to end with a smile on your face. (However, I love to run a full mile from time to time just as a guideline. Treat it like a race and then give yourself a day off.)
It usually takes 20 minutes to walk a mile on a level surface at a medium to fast pace. If you are a beginner runner, it may take you 15 minutes to run a mile. Average, maybe 10. Experienced runners will remain in the clear. The world records for the mile run are 3:43 for men and 4:12 for women, so there is always room for improvement.
So what are the challenges for everyone? Have you tried something different last week? This time I changed my pace because I was using a treadmill in the gym – I hate treadmills. But I used the Nike Run Club track, which takes you through a few quick 30-second reps, and the time flew by. How did you change your daily routine this week?