whats a good mile run time?

[mhungerford]

Have been runnning with a friend of mine for sometime now and was wondering what a good mile time is to you guys? We are turning in about an 8:11 to 9:35 mile over anywhere from 3 to 6 miles is this good or should we be going faster or slower we try to keep the heart rate somewhere in the area of 160 to 180 bpm. Thanks guys and good luck to everyone in the up coming season.

 

[npaden]

Sounds plenty fast to me. I'm shooting for a 10:00 pace for 6 miles and I'm not there yet. I'm up to 7 miles, but only an 11:15 pace.

My last run that I tried to go "fast", I ran a 9:11 pace for 2 miles.

Hills can really affect my pace, I slow down going up and then go about the same speed as normal going down.

 

[RockyDog]

thats not too shabby. If weight loss is your goal then id suggest staying closer to 8. If your more interested in getting to where you can keep going for long periods (>20-30 mins) then its more about finding a pace that doesnt make you go anearobic/out of breath so you have to stop and walk or rest. 9ish is decent pace for long runs especially if there are any uphills.

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

A lot of it depends on your end goal. Is it weight or time your trying to cut or are you just focusing on endurance? Intervals will help greatly with the first two. As for what intervals you should be doing is a conversation in itself. You could break your desired mile run time into fractions and run that fractional time for the same fraction in distance or just try and sprint for 30 seconds, jog/walk for 90 seconds and do that for twenty or thirty minutes. Keep in mind this shouldn't be your go to workout, but rather a two or three times a week thing. There's a TON of information out on running. Hit up Runners World for a plan. Like I said though, what are you trying to accomplish? Running more often will help, but obviously don't over do it. Anyway, there a lot of runners on here RockyDog included so there should be a lot of good ideas on how to increase capability and decrease run times out there as well.

 

[mtmiller]

I did a half marathon last month at 7:48 pace, but there was no elevation gain. I had been training for a couple months prior. Since I screwed up my knee hiking in Waterton a few weeks ago I have not been working the legs much. Sucks getting old.

 

[orion23]

i would say that your speed is not important unless your competing for time. If your running for weight loss, stay in the fat buring heart rate zone which i think is closer to 200-210 but look into that number. if its just conditioning, id just run and get your distances and frequency up regardless of your time.

Thats my opinion.

My wife runs marathons and does Ironman stuff but runs 10 minute miles. i only run and run 1/2 marathons and do it at 8:15 pace. BUT, i could never run a marathon in my condition.

 

[Gunner46]

Depends on your age. 19 yr's, under 18:00. At 28, you should be able to hit 3 miles around 21:00, for a good hard run. At 38, I could make it under 24:00. At 55, it's alot more like 30:00 !! But, the truth is....Better to be able to push through a 15 mile steady hike, than run a few in X minutes.

 

[BillyGoat]

We are turning in about an 8:11 to 9:35 mile over anywhere from 3 to 6 miles is this good or should we be going faster or slower we try to keep the heart rate somewhere in the area of 160 to 180 bpm.

Comparing yourself to the average middle-aged male runner, that's slow. Comparing yourself to most other demographics, that's probably fast. If you really want to know, sign up for a 5k or 10k race and see where you end up in your age group. Besides hills, the temperature can be a huge factor as well as many other things. That HR seems very high for routine training runs, but as others suggested it depends on what you want to accomplish.

As another data point, I'm 37 and average "only" 20 miles/week running. I can hold 7 min/miles for a 10k tempo run. I ran a flat 50km race back in April at 9:19 pace. I consider myself a weak runner. In my mind, you are a good runner if you can qualify for Boston...

2011 Male Qualifying Times:

Age Time Pace
18-34 3:10 7:15
35-39 3:15 7:27
40-44 3:20 7:38
45-49 3:30 8:01
50-54 3:35 8:12
55-59 3:45 8:35
60-64 4:00 9:10
65-69 4:15 9:44
70-74 4:30 10:18
75-79 4:45 10:53
80+ 5:00 11:27

If you want to get faster for middle distance (5k to half-marathon), here's a good read...
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/longrun/fastrun.html

Good luck with whatever your goals are.

 

[mhungerford]

wow after reading all of your post i am a wuss........ guess i need to step it up a bit. i live in laramie wy alt. is average 7200' and i thought a 8:11 pace was good but guess not going to have to step it up.

thanks for the input guys...

 

[idnative1948]

One of my daughters run marathons. Just got an email from her regarding her team training this morning for their Hood to Coast relay.

18 mile trail run at Bogus this morning to Stack Rock before work. Here is her comment regarding pace.


The pace for my last half was 8:40 for the 13.1 miles, as a comparison for you. XXXX can run a half at about a 7:15 pace. XXXX’s husband can run a half at a 6:00 minute pace. Not going to tell you what my pace was this morning though! 

The answer to that question is: There is not an answer to that question. Pace varies from person to person, from day to day, and depends on the terrain on which you are running (flat, hills, trail, road). If you have a target heart rate and are hitting that, then your pace is probably about right.

i would say that your speed is not important unless your competing for time. If your running for weight loss, stay in the fat buring heart rate zone which i think is closer to 200-210 but look into that number. if its just conditioning, id just run and get your distances and frequency up regardless of your time.

Thats my opinion.

My wife runs marathons and does Ironman stuff but runs 10 minute miles. i only run and run 1/2 marathons and do it at 8:15 pace. BUT, i could never run a marathon in my condition.

 

[npaden]

wow after reading all of your post i am a wuss........ guess i need to step it up a bit.

LOL! If you are a wuss what does that make me with my 11:15 pace!

I'm still shooting for a 10:00 pace for 6 miles and will be happy with that for now.

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

I'm with Npaden, 8:11 or whatever is good dude. Unless you're training for a running competition. I run about 10:00 myself and I do just fine in the mountains, but I'm running 15 miles a week and next week I'll step it up to 20 until the season starts. I think you're off to a great start!

 

[Mudranger1]

glad to see not everyone thinks I should be running like Im in the dang olympics to be in shape for the mountains...I agree with Np and Dreamin...Im running right around 10 and I was able to outrun the thunderstorm chasing me down the other day from a couple miles in...with a pack on my back..got to the truck just as it let loose...aww yea:hump: well at least it worked out this time

 

[BillyGoat]

wow after reading all of your post i am a wuss........ guess i need to step it up a bit.

No, not a wuss, just slow. No matter what your goal is, I'd argue you actually need to step it down a bit -- at least the intensity -- for awhile. If you are going out every run and averaging 160-180 bpm, you are almost certainly overtraining (unless you are 18 yrs old maybe). Slow down and go longer. Read this article (it's been posted here before)...
http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460

I'm with Npaden, 8:11 or whatever is good dude. Unless you're training for a running competition. I run about 10:00 myself and I do just fine in the mountains, but I'm running 15 miles a week and next week I'll step it up to 20 until the season starts. I think you're off to a great start!

I agree as well if his goal is just to get in shape for hunting season or lose a few lbs. However if he wants to be called a "fast runner", I think he's got a long way to go.

 

[genesis273]

I get on the treadmill every morning....and I`m not that fast. It may be just an excuse but here in NC in July, I find it more and more difficult to run for long periods of time with this thick air!

 

[npaden]

LOL. I tried a weak attempt at interval training on my 2 mile jog to the mailbox and back tonight. Last week I just ran it at a steady pace and ended up with a 9:11 per mile pace. Tonight I started out at what I thought was a pretty good clip and kept that up for about 1/2 mile and had to start walking. I walked until I caught my breath and then started running at a good clip again until I had to walk, then ran again, walked, etc. When it was all said and done I had to walk 5 times in 2 miles and ended up with an overall pace of 9:50. The funny part is that my "fast" pace that I couldn't sustain was 8:15!

I do feel like I got a much better work out than if I had just gone out the and run a steady pace though. It was 94 when I got back to the house at the end of the run. I am 43 and about 25lbs over my goal weight of 215 right now. I've been working out quite a bit, but still need to get my eating under control.

I think 6 miles at a 10:00 pace is still a good goal for me by the time September 20th rolls around.

 

[sweetnectar]

I'm proud of anyone that is running at what ever the pace. I get home from work and I'm tired. All I want to do is sit back and play on hunt talk.

 

[WapitiBob]

I'm 55, never ran a lick till I did the couch 2 5k a cpl months ago. I jog a 12 min mile for 3 1/2 miles and the goal so far is to not fall over dead before I get done.

 

[huntRme]

I had kind of a running career in my 30's. I was not an athlete before that. I was 6' 1'' and 168 lb...about 10 - 12 lb overweight. I could not loose weight by running, only by cutting back on food and I was not a food addict. It has hard to run at 168 lb, but when I could get my weight down 10 lb I felt much better, and if I could drop another 5 lb I felt I could fly.

When I started running in the spring I'd go down to the track and do a mile to see where I was starting from. I was usually in the 7:40 to 7:45 range. I'd do two kinds of workouts...long, beginning at three miles and working up to five, after work, three to four times a week. In the beginning I'd just try to keep it under an 8:00 pace, but by the middle of the summer I was doing five miles in around 32:00.

Twice a week I was at the track doing intervals...usually repeat 400's or repeat miles. My goal was to knock a second off my 1/4 mile time each workout, and just do my mile's faster than the week before. These were attainable goals. When I was doing well I was doing the quarters in 1:12 and miles at 6:00.

My fastest 1500 was 4:56, mile was 5:16, 5 mile was 31:?. I'm not a natural athlete, just worked at it and had fun. It works best if you have a goal.

 

[Flatrock]

Do any of you guys mix in weight training with your running? I have been on the treadmill the last month and am now starting to lift weights too. I'm just not sure if I should only lift my lower and upper body on one day and then run the next day? Or if I should lift lower body and then also run on the same day so that I can let my legs rest the next day. What do you guys do?