How Long Does it Take to Run a Mile: A Guide
Assessing the Facts
The honest truth on how long it should take you to run a mile is somewhere between how long it takes you to walk a mile and the world record mile which is 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds. I know this isn’t the precise answer that you’re looking for, but there are so many factors that go into your mile time. The primary factors are your fitness level, your age, cardiovascular health, how often you practice/train for the mile, the terrain, and many more.
Another factor to consider is that not every mile you run has the same purpose. You'll have an average mile time overall but that average time will include all sorts of different miles. Sometimes, you're going to want to run a slow mile to work on recovery, sometimes your mile pace is part of a longer run, so your mile time needs to be conservative to sustain your energy. Or you're trying to run your fastest one mile yet. In this article, I'll walk you through the many other factors that go into average mile times and go over ways you can improve your running performance.
Several Factors that Affect Your Mile Time
Let's run through some of the several factors that help answer the question: How long does it take to run a mile?
Fitness Level
Whether this is your first time lacing up your shoes for a run, or this is your thousandth, your running speed will vary with where you're at. Fitness is like anything, the more you practice the better you get. Everyone has a mile pace, it's just about finding yours. If you're brand new to running you can start off by walking a mile and seeing where you clock in.
Body weight does play a role in running speed. I'm saying this as just another factor that plays into how long it takes to run a mile. I'm not recommending that you lose weight just in the name of running faster. Weight is simply just one factor that affects running speed. You can run faster even if you are overweight.
Age Group and Gender
Unfortunately, your age group and your gender do play a factor into how fast you can run. Of course you can be a female and run faster than most males. However, male runners are on average faster than females. This is down the fact that hormone levels are different and the way legs are built. Male legs have significantly less fat on average which will help them use their muscles more efficiently. Males also typically have more muscle mass. The difference between males and females is especially seen in shorter distances where fast twitch muscles are utilized the most.
Age is another big factor. When you are a child, you are slower as you are developing. People reach their peak speed between the ages of 18 and 30. After 30 there is a slight decline in top speed year over year.
Training
You can be extremely fit, but if you're not training for the mile then your mile speed will likely be slower than if you practiced the mile. On the other hand, if you run often but aren't cross training then you are missing out on realizing your best mile. When I say cross train, I specifically mean using a strength training routine, mixed with a stretching routine, mixed with a well rounded running routine. For a well rounded running routine, make sure you include recovery runs to help build overall endurance and mileage, interval runs to build speed, and longer runs for building endurance. Recovery runs are typically slower runs that will help with your overall running fitness. A recovery run should be run at approximately your average running speed. Interval runs will consist of short intervals where you run fast and then take breaks. This will help bring you towards a faster mile. Longer runs will be typically slower and week by week you should bring up the distance slowly. Over time your endurance and average mile pace will increase, as well age your average running pace in general.
Terrain and Weather Conditions
Every runner dreams of getting to run on a flat surface on a cloudy, mild weathered day. But in reality that is not always the case. The first consideration is the terrain. If you are trail running, then you will most likely be going a bit slower because you need to be careful on uneven terrain. Running on hard roads are also tough on your body. You will run the fastest on a running track because of the flat smooth surface, and a softer material that is easier on your body.
Different Mile Times for Various Purposes
Average Pace
If you're wondering what your average pace is, I recommend using running apps to keep tracks of your runs. I really love Nike Run Club and personally use it to track all of my runs. Strava is also a great app for keeping track of runs. On the app you will see what your average time is over specific time periods. This is really helpful at keeping track of your overall running ability and fitness.
Recovery Pace
Your recovery pace should be your slowest mile speed. Recovery runs are meant to help you recover from really tough workout while also adding to your weekly mileage. You won't be exerting yourself too much on these runs but they can help raise your total distance run per week and overall running performance. They are an extremely important part of your running routine and help you raise your overall fitness level which will be extremely important when trying to improve your one mile running pace.
1 Mile Pace, 5K Pace, 10K pace....etc.
You have a specific pace that for each different race distances. Even if you've never attempted those distances, you still have a pace that you would run/walk them at. You aren't always going to run your fastest mile at all times, and that's ok. In fact, you shouldn't strive for that or you'll burn your body out and succumb to injury. Most runners run slow most of the time and save fast for interval runs and races. It's all about building endurance so when fast matters, you can give it your all.
How to Improve Your Fastest Mile Time
Equipment
Having the right running gear can make or break a run. you want to make sure that you're wearing proper fitted running shoes and weather appropriate clothes so that you can feel comfortable during your run. You should always dress for the current temperature outside plus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Your body warms up when you run so dressing with this general rule in mind will help keep you comfortable.
Getting fitted for running shoes at a running store is extremely helpful in getting to the right pair of running shoes. If you're a beginner runner then you can click here to check out my article on the best beginner running shoes. The right shoes will help your running form, endurance, and aid in your natural foot strike as well as help prevent injuries. This is probably the most crucial aspect to a good running experience.
Routine
A good running routine that will help lower your average mile times is 3-5 total runs a week consisting of 1-2 recovery runs, 1-2 interval runs, and one long run. In addition to runs, including strength training in your fitness routine is critical for developing the muscles challenged during runs. Also make sure to include stretching into your weekly routine for flexibility and injury prevention.
Start slow, with one to two runs a week and slowly build up milage and runs per week. Going too big out of the gate is a sure fire way to many injuries. As a general rule of thumb, don't increase your weekly milage by more than 10% each week.
The most important aspect of improving your running average times is staying consistent. No matter what, consistency is king in your ability to run a mile better than ever.
Summary
To answer the question, how long does it take to run a mile depends on so many other factors besides whether you're a beginner runner or an elite runner. The average mile run time can be anywhere from 4 to 15 minutes. With such a wide range, I suggest start slow as a beginner runner. If you can only run half a mile to start, or even only a tenth of a mile, it's ok. With practice your average mile time will slowly decrease and your mile speed will pick up. A runner with average fitness will be able to run a mile in about 10 minutes give or take a bit.
You will also run a different mile pace depending on what your goal is. If you're running a half marathon then your pace will be slower than if your goal is just one mile. You shouldn't compare your pace with anyone else though, every runner is on their own journey. Just focus on being consistent and you will get faster!
