{"id":518575,"date":"2026-06-30T17:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T17:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/518575\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T17:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T17:50:10","slug":"the-one-mile-benchmark-runners-in-their-40s-should-be-achieving-and-how-to-reach-that-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/518575\/","title":{"rendered":"The one-mile benchmark runners in their 40s should be achieving \u2013 and how to reach that standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking for a running challenge this summer? The mile<\/a> has much to recommend it. For newbies, it provides an accessible entry point to longer distances. For experienced runners, it offers the chance to concentrate on running quicker rather than just running longer.<\/p>\n

\u2018Training for a mile is an excellent challenge for runners of any level, because it requires you to sharpen speed<\/a>, power and mental toughness in a relatively short, focused build-up,\u2019 says RW\u2019s resident running coach Tom Craggs.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to running, mile training (more on that below) will include work around VO2 max<\/a>, which is how much oxygen you can use while exercising. Increase this number and you\u2019ll improve across the distances.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the thing about the mile. While it remains its own specific challenge, it is also a great launchpad to quicker running over 5K<\/a> and 10K<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the hard truth: the mile favours the younger athlete. Due to its bigger reliance on speed and power, the distance is particularly suited to those in their 20s and 30s. But fear not! Runners in their 40s can still achieve great things over the distance. Here\u2019s the one-mile benchmark that data says you should be hitting\u2026<\/p>\n

For women in their 40s<\/p>\n

In an online essay entitled Fitness Performance Targets For Women By Age<\/a>, female phsyiologist Dr Stephanie Estima laid out some achievable fitness targets for women. <\/p>\n

In an interview with Women\u2019s Health UK<\/a>, she shared the following one-mile times to target based on your age:<\/p>\n

Top 20%<\/p>\n

Top 10%<\/p>\n

Top 5%<\/p>\n

Top 1%<\/p>\n

Top 0.01%<\/p>\n

7:15<\/p>\n

7:00<\/p>\n

6:45<\/p>\n

6:30<\/p>\n

6:15<\/p>\n

For men in their 40s<\/p>\n

Alas, Dr Estima didn\u2019t create an equivalent table for men. But fear not, male runners, for we have found the answer. Below are the times that men in their 40s should be hitting, according to research from Running Level<\/a>. How do you measure up?<\/p>\n

Age<\/p>\n

Novice<\/p>\n

Intermediate<\/p>\n

Advanced<\/p>\n

Excellent<\/p>\n

40<\/p>\n

8:13<\/p>\n

6:58<\/p>\n

6:04<\/p>\n

5:25<\/p>\n

45<\/p>\n

8:31<\/p>\n

7:14<\/p>\n

6:18<\/p>\n

5:37<\/p>\n

50<\/p>\n

8:51<\/p>\n

7:31<\/p>\n

6:33<\/p>\n

5:50
<\/p>\n

How to run your best mile<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the adapted six-week plan that I followed en route to running a sub-5-minute mile<\/a>. Feel free to tweak the schedule to your own needs \u2013 see it as a guide rather than something that you have to follow to the letter.<\/p>\n

WEEK 1<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack: 6 x 300m (@ target mile pace), with 2-minute standing recoveries between sets2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 miles. Finish with 4 x 15-second strides, with 45-second recoveriesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

3 x 6-minute efforts (@ approx. half marathon pace), with 2-minute recoveries + 2 x 2-minute efforts (@ approx. 5K pace)<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesStrength session: back squats, calf raises, lunges, box jumps, chin-ups, bench press<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogHills: 6 x 1-minute uphill, with jog-down recoveries2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugsWEEK 2<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack: 8 x 400m (@ target mile pace), with 2-minute recoveries2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 miles. Finish with 4 x 15-second strides, with 45-second recoveriesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

1-mile jog3 x 8 minutes (@ approx, half marathon pace), with 2-minute recoveries + 2 x 2 minutes (@ approx, 5K pace) with 2-minute recoveries1-mile jog<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesStrength session: back squats, calf raises, lunges, box jumps, chin-ups, bench press<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogHills: (3 x 1-minute uphill) x 3, with 2-minute rests between sets2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugsWEEK 3<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack: 3 x 1200m progressing in pace within each rep (first 400m @ approx. 5K pace; second 400m @ slightly slower than mile pace; third 400m @ slightly faster than mile pace), with 6-minute recoveries between sets2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 miles. Finish with 6 x 12-second strides, with 45-second recoveries.Isometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

1-mile jog4 x 6-minute efforts (@approx, half marathon pace), with 90-second recoveries + 2 x 90-second efforts (@ approx. 5K pace), with 90secs recoveries1-mile jog<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesStrength session: back squats, calf raises, lunges, box jumps, chin-ups, bench press<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogHills: (6 x 30 seconds uphill, with 90-second jog-down recoveries, into 6-minute tempo run @ approx 6 min\/mile pace + 2-minute rest) x 22-mile jog<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugsWEEK 4<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack: (3 x 500m @ mile pace or slightly quicker) x 2, starting every 3 minutes. Take an extra 3-minute rest between the 2 sets2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 miles. Finish with 10 x 10-second strides, starting every 30 seconds.Isometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack (200m jog + 200m run (@ slightly faster than mile pace), with 2-minute static recovery) x 82-mile jog<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesStrength session: back squats, calf raises, lunges, box jumps, chin-ups, bench press<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

WEEK 5<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 miles. Finish with 8 x 10-second strides, with 45-second recoveriesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack: 1 x 400m (30-second recovery) + 1 x 900m (60-second recovery) + 1 x 300m, all performed at target mile pace2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesStrength session: back squats, calf raises, lunges, box jumps, chin-ups, bench press<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 milesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

2-mile jogTrack: (5 x 200m) x 2 @ mile pace + same recoveries (rest for same time that it took you to complete one rep). 5-minute recoveries between sets2-mile jogWEEK 6 \u2013 race week<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Easy 5 miles. Finish with 8 x 10-second strides, with 45-second recoveriesIsometric hamstring exercises, plus dead bugs<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

2-mile jog4 x 400m (@ mile pace) with 1-minute recoveries2-mile jog<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

Easy 3 miles, with 8 x 10-second strides<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/p>\n

Become a Runner\u2019s World Club member<\/a> from just \u00a31 for three months. Choose a Gold, Silver or Bronze membership that\u2019s right for your training, motivation and reading experience.<\/p>\n