How to get to 1.5M in less then 15 min

Question

I an trying to get myself in shape to achieve goal if running 1.5M in less than 15 min. Since it is cold I am currently running in the gym and my time is 18:00. I am running 4 times a week. What i was hoping to do is instead of running on treadmill 4 times a week maybe use stationary bike 3 times a week and then once a week to do run in treadmill.
How would I achieve this?

Answer 1

Your goal is being able to run at a speed of slightly less than 10 km/h for 15 minutes, which isn't all that fast especially considering that it's just 15 minutes. You are currently able to run at a speed of about 8 km/h which is just fast walking speed. This suggests to me that you should work on your cardio fitness a lot more aggressively. Instead of incrementally increasing the pace to meet your goal, you should run at a significantly faster pace, say 13 km/h and then do interval training where you run for, say, 4 minutes, slow down and then increase the pace again.

After a while you'll find that you can run at a constant speed comparable to that 13 km/h for 15 minutes or even longer. This means that 11 minutes for 1.5 miles should be well within reach, even at training pace.

Answer 2

Jerry, I'm a little bit more advanced than you, but I was in your shoes just 6 months ago. While I'm not a running coach or an expert, I can tell you what's been working for me. Maybe it's the blind leading the blind, but I know I've made very good improvements and I think I've been pretty safe and sane about it.

One of the things I learned: Running outside is always harder than on a treadmill. That being said, I love to do my speed work on a treadmill. You're running on the treadmill at a pace of about 6 MPH right now. Which is where I started. Try and do a 5 minute warmup, then run 1 minute at 6 MPH and maybe 30 seconds at 6.5 MPH. Do maybe ten cycles of that followed by a 5 minute cooldown. If the "sprint" is too much/too fast then slow it down a bit or maybe dumb down the time intervals (1 minute "ON", 20 seconds "Off", etc...). If it's not enough, move it up at a little bit. You'll know pretty quick what's right and wrong, I think. You should be pretty good and tired, but not so much so that you're going to injure yourself on the treadmill (falls, etc...). I'll nudge my intervals up just a smidge (a scientific term) each week. Now, I'll do about 7.0 MPH jogging and 9.3 or 9.4 MPH running, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.

I do speed work 2 times a week, and I ALWAYS have my "long" runs 2-3 times a week with the goal of running further than my target. So, if you're looking to break a 15 minute, 1.5 mile time, I would shoot for a long run of maybe 2 miles, 2-3 times a week to start. Try to go longer if you can, but increase your distance slowly. No more than 10% a week. If you can't, try to work up to 2 miles and don't worry about the time. If I am too sore, injured, etc... then I'll ride a bike or the elliptical to give myself a break while still getting a cardio workout.

The problem with riding a bike to increase your run time isn't so much with the cardio, in my opinion. It's with the muscular, skeletal, and neurological changes your body is "adapting" to every time you run. In other words, every time you run, your body is "learning" how to cope with that type of stress. Riding a bike offers a different type of stress. It's a good stress, I believe, but a different one. That being said, don't ever discount the bike or elliptical if you're suffering from some nagging pains and injuries.

Something else that has greatly helped me with my speed and preventing muscle fatigue while running is weight lifting. I'm not talking about stacking a deadlift bar with 700 lbs and doing powerlifts. But, I do like deadlifts (be sure to get good coaching advice on how to do this properly), Bulgarian split squats, and other leg exercises. Anything else that can work my hips and glutes are a bonus too. I've read a lot about how the hips and glutes are the beginning of the kinetic chain. Strong hips and glutes, they say, help prevent all sorts of running injuries.

The above, along with good diet and rest has enabled me to not only run a 5k, but really improve my times. So much so that I'm eyeing a 10k in 2 months with my eyes on a half-marathon at the end of the year. I'm still not some sort of speed demon, but I am now almost at the 10k mark on my long runs, maintaining the same speed the entire way, and when I go back and try to run a 1.5 mile run, I can really turn on the gas.

TLDR: Get outside, do more intervals, do some weightlifting, and try to run further than 1.5 miles. Don't shoot for your goal, but past it. Just be safe, sane, and use common sense when you do it.

Answer 3

I would have to agree with @Count Iblis running a mile and half in 15 minutes is not very fast of a time. My son is a Junior in high school and he runs a mile in 4 minutes 15 seconds. My advice would be to start by walking instead of running. You did not mention what your weight and body type is, so I am going to assume you are over weight and trying to lose some pounds. IF that is the case then yes my advice would be to walk to start then work your way up to running. The following article talks about how walking is actually better then running for weight loss and overall health. http://www.prevention.com/fitness/how-walking-healthier-running If you are not a competition runner like my son is why run when walking is healthier. Hope the article helps you out.