How can a runner increase their running speed from 3 miles in 23 minutes to 3 miles in 20 minutes when they run the long part of a track fast and the curves on the track slower to regain breath?

Answer 1

The most effective way to reduce the time on a distance run like this is to find a "good" pace and maintain it throughout the distance. You will have to pace yourself through each segment of the track on each lap, but that's the best way to do it. Running faster here and slower there is inefficient, except for the "kick" at the end of a run. (That last 50 meters or so.) Get a watch that you can easily read, and lay out the track in sections. (You pick them, but not too long, and not too short.) Look at all the sections in the 3 miles, and then figure out how much time you have to cover each section to achieve your desired time. Set something a little less taxing to begin with. In fact, make it an easy goal to get the hang of checking your time and insuring you've met your goals for that section. (You're training to use your watch and do time intervals in this exercise.) If you can get someone to do this for you, so much the better, but it is a good idea to do this yourself so you are not dependent on someone else for your training needs. Keep working to improve your ability to cover the sections in the "correct" time. There was a guy back when who used this procedure to improve his time in the mile. Let's see. Who was that? Oh, yeah. It was Roger Bannister, the first man to run a timed mile in under 4 minutes. He laid out the track in segments, did the math, and saw what he had to do in each section to cover the whole mile in a sub-4 minute time. Want to shave time off your current best for 3 miles? There's a plan to do it.