What is a respectable mile time running?

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I just recently started running again and I've cut my mile time down some. I have a 2.5 mile route I jog and I run it in 20 min 30 sec, my best time so far. I figured it to be 8 min 20 sec a mile, if my math is correct.

Anyways, what is a good time to run a mile in? I'm not asking about Olympic times or anything, just respectable time.

 

[Pantlegz]

I always considered 7-8 min mile about average, getting down to a 6 min mile would be respectable in my mind but I guess it depends on who you talk to and how fast they are.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I always considered 7-8 min mile about average, getting down to a 6 min mile would be respectable in my mind but I guess it depends on who you talk to and how fast they are.

It really depends on what you mean by respectable and who you are. If you're a life-long smoker who is 10 - 15 lbs overweight and is just getting back into exercise, an 8 min mile over 3 miles is not only respectable, that's amazing. You know?

OP, I wouldn't worry about comparing yourself to others. Go for a run, write down your time, then beat it next time. Rinse and repeat.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I always considered 7-8 min mile about average, getting down to a 6 min mile would be respectable in my mind but I guess it depends on who you talk to and how fast they are.

Isn't that a little too much?

I could run a 6 min mile except, I'd probably only be able to do just 1 mile. I bring that up because I usually do 4-5 miles in about 40-45 mins so how does that compute? Or am I supposed to average 6 min miles over a certain length of time for that to be respectable? Because that's like what top marathon runners run.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I always considered 7-8 min mile about average, getting down to a 6 min mile would be respectable in my mind but I guess it depends on who you talk to and how fast they are.

Isn't that a little too much?

I could run a 6 min mile except, I'd probably only be able to do just 1 mile. I bring that up because I usually do 4-5 miles in about 40-45 mins so how does that compute? Or am I supposed to average 6 min miles over a certain length of time for that to be respectable? Because that's like what top marathon runners run.

The OP is only asking about one mile. Six minutes is pretty decent, depending on your age. Top marathoners run 5 minute miles or faster in their races so you're not even close.

I consider a 5 minute mile respectable and a 4 minute mile good.

 

[Titan]

I used to run 2.5 miles every day at 20 minutes roughly, with a backpack. On fridays I had a friend drive my pack and running packless I was faster. My record was 17:30 or 2.5 7-minute miles, did that multiple times. Granted, I was 6'3, 240 pounds. Back then I probably could have done a 6-minute mile, but I did more distance. I probably couldn't do much faster at that size, as being big and having broad shoulders requires a lot more energy per stride than a smaller guy.

I don't want to be built like a skinny runner, so for me, a 6 minute mile is respectable.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
The OP is only asking about one mile. Six minutes is pretty decent, depending on your age. Top marathoners run 5 minute miles or faster in their races so you're not even close.

I consider a 5 minute mile respectable and a 4 minute mile good.

Admittedly I'm no marathoner so I dont' have a clue what they run, I only guesstimated that from their time of roughly 2hrs 10 mins and the nyc marathon and it seemed to equate to under 6. I apparently got the marathon length wrong, I thought it was 23 miles but it's actually 26 so you're right, it's more like 5/mile.

Personally I think 4-6 is extremely good considering the state of your typical average person. In that regard, that's why I think 8 or maybe even 10(depending on the person) min miles are respectable for someone starting out like the OP.

 

[brikis98]

A "good" mile time depends on what you're comparing it to. There will be huge differences in what is considered "good" for athletes vs. couch potatoes, those who weigh 300lbs versus 150lbs, etc. Having said that, in my experience, here is a very rough breakdown (all times are for males) of "respectable" times:

7 minutes: respectable time for the average non-athlete (someone who does light exercise 1-3 times per week)
6 minutes: respectable time for the average athlete (someone who does moderate/heavy exercise 3-5 times per week)
5 minutes: respectable time for the average endurance athlete (someone who does moderate/heavy exercise 3-5 times per week with a focus on endurance/running)
4 minutes: approaching elite running ability

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: brikis98
A "good" mile time depends on what you're comparing it to. There will be huge differences in what is considered "good" for athletes vs. couch potatoes, those who weigh 300lbs versus 150lbs, etc. Having said that, in my experience, here is a very rough breakdown (all times are for males) of "respectable" times:

7 minutes: respectable time for the average non-athlete (someone who does light exercise 1-3 times per week)
6 minutes: respectable time for the average athlete (someone who does moderate/heavy exercise 3-5 times per week)
5 minutes: respectable time for the average endurance athlete (someone who does moderate/heavy exercise 3-5 times per week with a focus on endurance/running)
4 minutes: approaching elite running ability

There are other factors to consider, too, though. For instance, endurance athletes who focus on cycling or rowing or something like that will post higher running times simply because they don't do it that often.

IMO, if you're running a sub-7 minute single mile, you're doing good things.

 

[Blackjack200]

I don't understand people talking about 4 and 5 minute miles. I suspect they may not have trained the mile.

I'll say this; when I was in ROTC, part of their fitness test is a two mile run. I trained that two mile run for about 3 months and got it down to 13:09. That time was good enough for second place in the entire division. The fastest runners in the world run it in four minutes; I would say a five minute mile is extraordinary, even for an athlete, and a six minute mile is excellen by all standards except those actually competing in distance events.

I'd say if you can run a six minute mile, you are in outstanding cardiovascular shape and your stamina should just about as good as or better than the amateur athletes you find on a soccer pitch or basketball court.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I run 11.5 to 12 minute mile and a halfso figure like an 8 minute mile. If I ran slower than 13.5 I'd get kicked out of the air force with their new pt standards.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I always considered 7-8 min mile about average, getting down to a 6 min mile would be respectable in my mind but I guess it depends on who you talk to and how fast they are.

Isn't that a little too much?

I could run a 6 min mile except, I'd probably only be able to do just 1 mile. I bring that up because I usually do 4-5 miles in about 40-45 mins so how does that compute? Or am I supposed to average 6 min miles over a certain length of time for that to be respectable? Because that's like what top marathon runners run.

The OP is only asking about one mile. Six minutes is pretty decent, depending on your age. Top marathoners run 5 minute miles or faster in their races so you're not even close.

I consider a 5 minute mile respectable and a 4 minute mile good.

I would generally agree with this, but I still say that a 4 minute mile is very good by today's standards. Outside of professionals and top college athletes, there are still significant numbers of competitive runners who don't reach 4:00. Many will get close though (under 4:10, 4:05 even).

There is an enormous difference between a 5:00 mile and a 4:00 mile. Comparatively, there is a lot less difference between 5:00 and 6:00, or 6:00 and 7:00.

I'm a marathoner, and my best mile in university was around 4:30.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: Blackjack200
I don't understand people talking about 4 and 5 minute miles. I suspect they may not have trained the mile.

I'll say this; when I was in ROTC, part of their fitness test is a two mile run. I trained that two mile run for about 3 months and got it down to 13:09. That time was good enough for second place in the entire division. The fastest runners in the world run it in four minutes; I would say a five minute mile is extraordinary, even for an athlete, and a six minute mile is excellen by all standards except those actually competing in distance events.

I'd say if you can run a six minute mile, you are in outstanding cardiovascular shape and your stamina should just about as good as or better than the amateur athletes you find on a soccer pitch or basketball court.

Sorry, not really. Most competitive athletes in sports such as soccer or field hockey will have little problem with this (5:00 mile). For competitive distance runners, it's downright slow.

At around 4:30, my mile time is mediocre compared to most college athletes.

At the top end, elite professional milers are closer to 3:50 or under (world record is 3:43.13). Because of diminishing returns, a 3:50 mile is MUCH harder than a 4:00 mile, even though it's only a 10 second difference.

 

[Blackjack200]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Originally posted by: Blackjack200
I don't understand people talking about 4 and 5 minute miles. I suspect they may not have trained the mile.

I'll say this; when I was in ROTC, part of their fitness test is a two mile run. I trained that two mile run for about 3 months and got it down to 13:09. That time was good enough for second place in the entire division. The fastest runners in the world run it in four minutes; I would say a five minute mile is extraordinary, even for an athlete, and a six minute mile is excellen by all standards except those actually competing in distance events.

I'd say if you can run a six minute mile, you are in outstanding cardiovascular shape and your stamina should just about as good as or better than the amateur athletes you find on a soccer pitch or basketball court.

Sorry, not really. Most competitive athletes in sports such as soccer or field hockey will have little problem with this (5:00 mile). For competitive distance runners, it's downright slow.

At around 4:30, my mile time is mediocre compared to most college athletes.

At the top end, elite professional milers are closer to 3:50 or under (world record is 3:43.13). Because of diminishing returns, a 3:50 mile is MUCH harder than a 4:00 mile, even though it's only a 10 second difference.

I would consider D1 college athletes to be elite. I was trying to talk about amateurs in the more traditional sense of the word, I probably wasn't clear enough.

 

[allies]

As a runner, I feel that anything under 5:15 means you're near the cream of the crop (ie, you can run a mile faster than 95% of the worlds population). However, looking at college runners (any division) and that 5:15 is laughable.

If you can run a 6 min mile, you're doing very well. If you can string together 5+ miles < 7 min pace, you're doing very well.

BTW my mile PR is 4:26 as a senior in high school.

 

[SWScorch]

You make me feel slow, IB. I would like to consider myself a competitive distance runner, but I can barely run a 5:00 mile.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: SWScorch
You make me feel slow, IB. I would like to consider myself a competitive distance runner, but I can barely run a 5:00 mile.

Well, you make me feel like a slacker compared to your 100 mile+ weeks . We all have different strengths.

Actually I'd have to go and look up my mile time as we almost exclusively run the 1500m up in Canada. I think my best for that is 4:11, but really I was a much better 3000m/5000m/10000m runner.

Two of the guys in my training group were sub-4 milers so how slow does that make me feel?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Originally posted by: Blackjack200
I don't understand people talking about 4 and 5 minute miles. I suspect they may not have trained the mile.

I'll say this; when I was in ROTC, part of their fitness test is a two mile run. I trained that two mile run for about 3 months and got it down to 13:09. That time was good enough for second place in the entire division. The fastest runners in the world run it in four minutes; I would say a five minute mile is extraordinary, even for an athlete, and a six minute mile is excellen by all standards except those actually competing in distance events.

I'd say if you can run a six minute mile, you are in outstanding cardiovascular shape and your stamina should just about as good as or better than the amateur athletes you find on a soccer pitch or basketball court.

Sorry, not really. Most competitive athletes in sports such as soccer or field hockey will have little problem with this (5:00 mile). For competitive distance runners, it's downright slow.

At around 4:30, my mile time is mediocre compared to most college athletes.

At the top end, elite professional milers are closer to 3:50 or under (world record is 3:43.13). Because of diminishing returns, a 3:50 mile is MUCH harder than a 4:00 mile, even though it's only a 10 second difference.

I was actually talking about 4:xx, so any type of 4 minute mile, even if it's 4:59 My fastest mile was in running a 1.25 mi course. I ran the course in 6:40. I calculated the mile and just called it 5:20. I always wanted to beat that. Perhaps that'll be a new goal for the future.

 

[SWScorch]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Originally posted by: SWScorch
You make me feel slow, IB. I would like to consider myself a competitive distance runner, but I can barely run a 5:00 mile.

Well, you make me feel like a slacker compared to your 100 mile+ weeks . We all have different strengths.

Actually I'd have to go and look up my mile time as we almost exclusively run the 1500m up in Canada. I think my best for that is 4:11, but really I was a much better 3000m/5000m/10000m runner.

Two of the guys in my training group were sub-4 milers so how slow does that make me feel?

Yeah, I'd like to think of myself as a more pedestrian Brian Sell. He went from not even breaking 10:00 for 2 miles in high school to running 5-flats in the marathon through his ability to handle ridiculously high mileage. I may not have the fast twitch fibers to be able to run a fast mile, but I can handle lots and lots of moderately-paced miles

 

[Bateluer]

Respectable mile time varies entirely by the person and by the event. If you're only running a mile, then your time is going to be faster than if you're running 26 miles. For a single mile, I can do in the high 5 range, but my marathon pace is in the high 8s.