The mile requires speed, strength and endurance. Learn how to conquer this exciting event.
A well-run mile can have a unique hum to it, a rhythmic flow of perfectly paced quarters. But miles can be violent, too, with make-or-break third laps and do-or-die kicks that sweep ferociously off the final turn with all the inspiration of a cavalry charge. Good miles are rare. And great miles-great miles are pure art.
But when you toe the line for your very first competitive mile, you don't know why this race is so special. The lessons are subtle and take a long time to learn, like a foreign language. There's only you, alone with your raging adrenalin and apprehension-and the starter saying, "Okay, runners, four laps...."
If you prepare properly, however, your first mile doesn't have to be a total experiment, at least not in the "hit or miss" sense of the word. Sometimes a runner is "stepping up" from the 400 and the 800 into uncharted territory. Or you may be one of those rare runners who actually steps down to the mile in search of more speed.
Stepping Up
"Take speed, move it up" is a catchphrase among college coaches. That is why runners who ran the 400 and 800 at the high school level might soon find themselves trying the mile-or its metric cousin, the 1500-in the college or club scene.
But why not try it in high school? There are several ways to ease the transition from long sprinter to miler. Racing 1000 meters on the indoor track and running the 1200-meter leg on a distance medley can serve as a solid bridge between your former events and that great unknown-your first mile. "The three-quarters on a distance medley is perfect," says Marty Stern, coach of collegiate powerhouse Villanova. "Most 800 runners can run a good 1200, and then it's easy to say, ŒHey, the mile's just one more lap.' "
Attempt your first mile (after consultation with your coach) in a relatively unpressured situation-at a preseason time trial or a summer "all-comers" meet, or in a slow heat of a low-key meet. After a successful first foray, you can jump into a slightly faster heat the next time out.
"I think a move up to the mile works best if it's the runner's idea to try one," says Stern. "But it's the coach's job to make sure that first mile is in an unpressured situation. As far as tactics, keep it is as simple as possible. Run in a heat where you know you can keep up with the competition, then kick from 200 or 300 meters out."
Your time goal should also be conservative. "Just because you've run 1:58 for the 800, don't expect to run 4:16 the first time you try the mile," Stern cautions. "Shoot for 4:30 instead, and work down from there."
You'll need more endurance, but Stern suggests that added strength might best come from a subtle adjustment in track workouts-not from a major increase in mileage.
"The danger is that there's a temptation to go out and start running a lot of miles with the long-distance group just because you have to run two more laps," says Stern. "But if you're coming from a sprint background, you're better off adding some longer intervals-more 400s and 600s-to your quality sessions. Stay in touch with your speed."
Stepping Down
While the mile might loom as a big step up for the former 400-800 runner, the race can seem conversely fast and furious to the pure endurance runner stepping down in distance. But some 2-milers, and even cross-country specialists looking to keep fit in the spring, can benefit greatly by an improved mile time.
Consider a high school boy who has run a slew of 2-mile races in the 10:05 to 10:15 range but never dipped under the 10-minute barrier. He's stuck on a plateau and perhaps even feels a bit "stale" with the 2-mile event. The answer might be to run the mile (even if it isn't naturally his best event), then come back to the 2-mile later in the season. With newly acquired speed, the pace of the 2-mile may seem easier-maybe allowing him to run a first mile in the mid-4:50s, well on pace for a sub-10-minute effort.
And just as the 2-miler can benefit from stepping down for a fast four laps, those who specialize in the mile can improve their speed by running the occasional short race, an 800 or mile relay leg, for instance.
"At Villanova, we often ask our middle-distance people to run an occasional "B" mile relay leg," says Coach Stern. "It forces them to turn their legs over and helps them improve their kick in the 1500."
Whether you move up or down in distance to arrive in the mile event, you should shoot for a realistic time goal. Running even "splits" (relatively speaking-ideally, your last lap might be slightly faster) is a good basic strategy for the beginning miler. It's also not as easy as it sounds: Go to any local high school meet and watch the less experienced milers. Inevitably several, if not most, in the field sprint way too fast for the first lap, slog and wheeze through most of laps two and three, then attempt to muster up a kick for the finish. A quick glance at faces-the runners' or the stopwatch's-shows these undisciplined fast starts almost always take a toll on final performance. To run a well-paced race, you must practice pace in training. Bill Bowerman, who once guided a slew of sub-4-minute milers at the University of Oregon and also served as the 1972 U.S. Olympic team coach, emphasizes pace.
"Pace judgment is not inherent-it is learned," writes Bowerman (with co-author William Freeman) in his book High Performance Training for Track and Field (Leisure Press, 1991). "Pace judgment is one of the weapons with which an athlete is armed. The athlete knows what his or her pace is and deviates from it only as a weapon."
When Bowerman talks about training pace for milers, two phrases are prominently mentioned: "date" pace and "goal" pace. Date pace refers to how fast you can run the mile right now. For instance, a high school girl who can run 5:40 for the mile would-under the Bowerman system-train at a date pace of 85 seconds per 400. But perhaps her goal for the season is to break 5:20 at the district championships. Her goal pace-based on what she realistically hopes to run the mile in by the end of the season-would be 80 seconds per 400. In the perfect training scenario, her date pace would gradually drop (as she improves her mile time in races) to coincide with goal pace by the end of the season.
As you refine your skills in the mile, you'll soon learn that your best chance for success is to tailor the race to fit your specific strengths. If you have good finishing speed, a race that allows you to run a strong last lap is to your advantage. This may require a smooth, steady pace that enables you to keep "contact" through the early laps, then work your way into the top three positions in the second half of the race.
Keep in mind, however, that big kickers often lose to other big kickers. You can almost see the steam coming out of Coach Bowerman's ears (and pen) as he writes: "It is frustrating to see a well-conditioned runner hold back and save something for the last 100 meters against a competitor who is known to have a better kickŠ.If the other athlete is going to win, make him or her earn it." If you're not a speed demon at the finish, then the best scenario for you is either a fast pace (but not necessarily with you leading from start to finish) or a varied pace.
A fast-but-steady pace forces everybody in the race to work hard, and the kings of the kick must earn their keep-rather than float along for three laps then zoom to the front at the finish.
Pace variation, however, is a bit tricky. The idea is to sabotage the smooth rhythm of the pace with surges-speeding up, slowing down, speeding up again-throughout the middle laps. This tactic can be used to remove some of the sting from a big kicker's sprint finish, but it can destroy the runner who's surging as well. If you choose to use the surge tactic as a weapon, it's imperative that you are in top shape and have practiced pace variation in your workouts.
Position, particularly on the gun lap, is crucial. In very competitive miles, in which perhaps half a dozen runners are of similar ability, there's a danger of being boxed in. And there's going to be some jostling in the pack, by accident and by design.
"You may be running against someone whom you've never beaten before, and tactics could make the difference," says Suzy Hamilton, U.S. Olympian. "At Wisconsin, we used to run drills where we actually practiced certain race situations, such as how to get out of a box or how to deal with jostling in a tight pack."
Tactics are the wild card in a mile race. Mixed with the need for speed and the necessity of endurance, they're another crucial element that adds to the excitement of the event. Whether it's junior high gym class or a world-class race on the European circuit, the mile has magic.
Source: HIGH SCHOOL RUNNER--SPRING 1993
