This time last year my aim with running was to say goodbye to the 10 minute mile forever.
In all fairness I was tired of running at the 10 minute mile. I’d been clocking them in for the last 18 months and running at that pace never seemed to get any easier.
Yet no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to run faster than that speed consistently. That’s when I invented the ’10 minute mile game!’
Playing the sub 10 minute mile game
Around autumn time last year I judged the quality of my runs based on how far under the 10 minute mile average I ran.
I created a points system where I’d take my average pace, calculate how many seconds it was below a 10 minute mile average and then multiple that number by the miles I ran.
So if I ran a 9:50 min/mile over 6 miles then I’d score 60 points.
As the weeks went on I’d set myself higher targets. For the first month my target was 60 points. Then I made it 100 points.
In the New Year it became 200 points.
It meant that in each run I was aiming to either run faster or longer and had an idiot proof way of logging my progress over the days and the months.
Now I’m playing the sub 9 minute mile game
I’m just back from an 8.5 mile run where I ran at an average 8:43 min/mile pace.
I’m gonna aim to keep my weekday runs under a 9 minute mile average and work with the same points system I used last year.
Going by it I managed 144 points today.
That’s pretty good going. I’m happy to start over again and just aim for 60 points or a 8:50 min/mile pace over 6 miles!
I know this will sound silly to most of you, but I’ve found it to be a good way to positively train my mind and body into adapting to running at a slightly faster pace than longer.
To make running a sub 9 minute mile easier, I’m trying to go faster still
I think the best thing about my run today is that I managed 2 consecutive miles that were ran under an 8 minute mile.
I’ve never achieved this before in my life.
I know that if I can throw in more of these sub 8 minute miles over the winter that maybe next year I’ll be playing the sub 8 minute mile game.
Progress is all about being consistent and attempting to make small improvements that add up over time.
Too often I’ve lost sight of what I’ve been trying to do.
Now I’m inspired to keep striving for faster.