Need to beat my mile time at each practice or else -- what should I do to prepare?

Question

Anybody who can help: thanks so much! Here's my situation:

Field hockey practices started Thursday, August 21st. I hadn't run all summer, so when we did the mile that day, I made 9:22. ... Hahah. The next day, Friday the 22nd, I made 9:30. Yesterday at practice, Thursday the 28th, I made 8:37 on what I feel is luck, or adrenaline.

However, our coach told us yesterday that we have to improve our mile time by at least a second each time we run the mile, or we have to stay after at practice to run sprints. What should I do to train myself and push myself in order to avoid doing sprints? How long should I be running a day?

Thank you! :)

Answer 1

If you run with a watch and on the track its easy.  Break down your splits by at least every 200 meters so you become very familiar with pacing.  I run a 5:30 mile (I'm a 40 year old woman)....I break it out into 40 seconds for every 200 meters.  Pace is everything. To run 8:30 divide by 8 and you'll have your splits. Try to keep to your splits......and make up what you can at the end.  This also teaches you to pace over the distance. I think that if you target 65 second splits for 200 meters.....you'll hit it just fine....

Try to run 3 times a week to practice. I suggest that you do 4 laps jogging than do 200 meters at your projected pace, jog another 200, and repeat for 4 to 5 intervals and always do a couple of laps cool down.

Answer 2

on the last lap, when there is one quarter left SPRINT as fast as you possibly can!!!!

Answer 3

Well what I would think is; try setting your own pace, if someone passes you, don't try to sprint ahead. Just set your own pace.