Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAverage Mile Run TimeChartFactorsMeasuring a Mile RunHow to Run Faster
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Average Mile Run Time
Chart
Factors
Measuring a Mile Run
How to Run Faster
If you are in good health, you can practice and train in order to increase your speed, reducing the amount of time that it takes for you to run a mile.
This article will discuss the average time to run a mile, factors that influence your time, and how to improve your running pace.
wera Rodsawang / Getty Images
While each individual is different and many factors influence how long it takes a person toruna mile, there is some general information about the average time.
Additionally, running speed can vary depending on whether a person is running at their fastest for the whole mile, running at a relaxed pace, or strategically planning their pace to maximize efficiency.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a running/jogging pace likely to achieve vigorous-intensity exercise is 5 miles per hour (mph) or 12 minutes per mile.
The Army Physical Fitness Test has been used to provide a more detailed age and sex breakdown.But keep in mind that this group of individuals is more physically fit than the average population.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges that sex and gender are related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges that sex and gender are related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Factors Affecting Average Mile Run Time
Keep in mind that most people who do not regularly run or exercise would not be able to run a mile without training. People who regularly exercise could potentially run a mile even if they don’t run regularly. Additionally, running enthusiasts are likely to be able to run a mile faster than people who do not run regularly.
Conditioning
If you are a beginner runner, it’s unlikely that you are running at your best speed. With practice, you should be able to improve your speed, as well as the distance that you can run before getting short of breath or exhausted.
Overall Fitness Level
Your overall fitness level will have a significant impact on your ability to take on new physical challenges. Regular exercise improves muscle strength, balance, speed, and endurance. This makes it easier to safely and successfully try exercises that you haven’t tried before—and this includes running.
A Word From VerywellIf you are a newcomer to running a mile or haven’t run in a while, consulting with a healthcare provider may be helpful, especially if you have any medical concerns or possible preexisting conditions that may impact running.—AMELIA MACINTYRE, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
If you are a newcomer to running a mile or haven’t run in a while, consulting with a healthcare provider may be helpful, especially if you have any medical concerns or possible preexisting conditions that may impact running.—AMELIA MACINTYRE, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
If you are a newcomer to running a mile or haven’t run in a while, consulting with a healthcare provider may be helpful, especially if you have any medical concerns or possible preexisting conditions that may impact running.
—AMELIA MACINTYRE, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Age
In addition to the normal decline in running speed with aging, many medical conditions can affect running abilities. Inflammatory conditions likearthritiscause pain and swelling in joints. Progressive neurodegenerative disorders likeParkinson’s diseaseaffect mobility.
Other age-related illnesses, such as vertigo (a sensation of motion or spinning) andosteoporosis(a decrease in bone mass and bone mineral density, which poses an increased risk of fractures if you fall), can make it unsafe to run.
Nevertheless, you can continue to run as you get older, as long as you maintain a steady pace and have your healthcare provider’s approval. Keep in mind that running can alsohelp you lose weight, reduce the risk ofhypertension(high blood pressure), high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease.
Sex
Competition statistics and research studies show that on average, males run faster than females when considering equivalent age and training.Many races, particularly marathons and fundraisers, include people of all sexes but have traditionally reported male and female performances in separate categories.
How Do I Find My Mile Run Time?
Depending on your general fitness level and how comfortable you are with running, you might or might not be able to run a mile as soon as you would like to. To give a sense of scale, consider that a mile is four laps around a typical outdoor track.
A mile is equivalent to:
If you want to determine your mile run time, you can run for as long as you feel comfortable at your fastest pace. A fitness tracker, app, or a simple timer can help you calculate the amount of time it takes you to run a given distance.
If your distance is less than a mile, you can approximate how long it would take you to run a mile. However, keep in mind that you may slow down if you continue to run beyond your comfort level.
You could also potentially use a fitness app to keep track of your progress over time and to know your improvement or other trends that affect your speed—such as whether you run faster at certain times of the day.
What Is a Good Run Time?It’s not ideal to label your running speed as “good” or “bad” because most people have innate running speed and can also improve. If you can figure out your starting point, you can usually work on improving your fitness and you can set and achieve reasonable goals.
What Is a Good Run Time?
It’s not ideal to label your running speed as “good” or “bad” because most people have innate running speed and can also improve. If you can figure out your starting point, you can usually work on improving your fitness and you can set and achieve reasonable goals.
How Can I Run a Faster Mile?
If you want to run a faster mile, you will need to train. Training often involves a systematic plan, particularly if you have a specific goal and a deadline. However, training can also be more casual if you don’t have a specific date in mind. Either approach can be perfectly healthy and beneficial.
Key features of training to run a mile faster are to buildcardiovascular fitness, speed, andmuscle strength and endurance.
As you practice, your heart muscle will strengthen, so your heart will not have to work as hard to provide you with oxygen.With time, you should be able to run at your maximum pace for longer periods of time—ultimately reducing the time it takes you to run a mile.
Creating a Program
Improving your running speed is about more than just running faster every day. Building your strength and endurance incrementally is crucial to help you prevent injuries.
Drills that you could consider incorporating into your workout include:
Know Your Speed When Signing up for a RaceIf you are signing up for an organized 5K (5 kilometer), 10K (10 kilometer), half-marathon, marathon, or another running event, it’s a good idea to know your speed so you can ensure that you would be able to finish within the time limits. Also, some events require you to list your running pace when you register.You can check the history of the event to see how people of your age and sex have placed in prior years to see if this is a suitable event for you.
Know Your Speed When Signing up for a Race
If you are signing up for an organized 5K (5 kilometer), 10K (10 kilometer), half-marathon, marathon, or another running event, it’s a good idea to know your speed so you can ensure that you would be able to finish within the time limits. Also, some events require you to list your running pace when you register.You can check the history of the event to see how people of your age and sex have placed in prior years to see if this is a suitable event for you.
If you are signing up for an organized 5K (5 kilometer), 10K (10 kilometer), half-marathon, marathon, or another running event, it’s a good idea to know your speed so you can ensure that you would be able to finish within the time limits. Also, some events require you to list your running pace when you register.
You can check the history of the event to see how people of your age and sex have placed in prior years to see if this is a suitable event for you.
Running can be a great exercise when combined with other types of activity. Research shows that running can improve mood and mental health, and that you do not need to run for a target distance or speed to experience these benefits.
Nevertheless, increasing your running speed can be satisfying. If you are interested in running faster, it can be beneficial to work on your strength, endurance, and speed—rather than just focusing on speed alone.
Summary
Walking vs. Running: Benefits and Things to Consider
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity for a healthy weight.Strava.How does your training stack up against the pros?Army.Army Physical Fitness TestSmyth B, Lawlor A, Berndsen J, Feely C.Recommendations for marathon runners: on the application of recommender systems and machine learning to support recreational marathon runners.User Model User-adapt Interact.2022;32(5):787-838. doi:10.1007/s11257-021-09299-3Zoladz JA, Majerczak J, Galganski L, et al.Endurance training increases the running performance of untrained men without changing the mitochondrial volume density in the gastrocnemius muscle.Int J Mol Sci.2022;23(18):10843. doi:10.3390/ijms231810843Cushman DM, Markert M, Rho M.Performance trends in large 10-km road running races in the United States.J Strength Cond Res.2014;28(4):892-901. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000249U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.Speed development for distance and mid distance runners.Oswald F, Campbell J, Williamson C, Richards J, Kelly P.A scoping review of the relationship between running and mental health.Int J Environ Res Public Health.2020;17(21):8059. doi:10.3390/ijerph17218059
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity for a healthy weight.Strava.How does your training stack up against the pros?Army.Army Physical Fitness TestSmyth B, Lawlor A, Berndsen J, Feely C.Recommendations for marathon runners: on the application of recommender systems and machine learning to support recreational marathon runners.User Model User-adapt Interact.2022;32(5):787-838. doi:10.1007/s11257-021-09299-3Zoladz JA, Majerczak J, Galganski L, et al.Endurance training increases the running performance of untrained men without changing the mitochondrial volume density in the gastrocnemius muscle.Int J Mol Sci.2022;23(18):10843. doi:10.3390/ijms231810843Cushman DM, Markert M, Rho M.Performance trends in large 10-km road running races in the United States.J Strength Cond Res.2014;28(4):892-901. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000249U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.Speed development for distance and mid distance runners.Oswald F, Campbell J, Williamson C, Richards J, Kelly P.A scoping review of the relationship between running and mental health.Int J Environ Res Public Health.2020;17(21):8059. doi:10.3390/ijerph17218059
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity for a healthy weight.Strava.How does your training stack up against the pros?Army.Army Physical Fitness TestSmyth B, Lawlor A, Berndsen J, Feely C.Recommendations for marathon runners: on the application of recommender systems and machine learning to support recreational marathon runners.User Model User-adapt Interact.2022;32(5):787-838. doi:10.1007/s11257-021-09299-3Zoladz JA, Majerczak J, Galganski L, et al.Endurance training increases the running performance of untrained men without changing the mitochondrial volume density in the gastrocnemius muscle.Int J Mol Sci.2022;23(18):10843. doi:10.3390/ijms231810843Cushman DM, Markert M, Rho M.Performance trends in large 10-km road running races in the United States.J Strength Cond Res.2014;28(4):892-901. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000249U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.Speed development for distance and mid distance runners.Oswald F, Campbell J, Williamson C, Richards J, Kelly P.A scoping review of the relationship between running and mental health.Int J Environ Res Public Health.2020;17(21):8059. doi:10.3390/ijerph17218059
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity for a healthy weight.
Strava.How does your training stack up against the pros?
Army.Army Physical Fitness Test
Smyth B, Lawlor A, Berndsen J, Feely C.Recommendations for marathon runners: on the application of recommender systems and machine learning to support recreational marathon runners.User Model User-adapt Interact.2022;32(5):787-838. doi:10.1007/s11257-021-09299-3
Zoladz JA, Majerczak J, Galganski L, et al.Endurance training increases the running performance of untrained men without changing the mitochondrial volume density in the gastrocnemius muscle.Int J Mol Sci.2022;23(18):10843. doi:10.3390/ijms231810843
Cushman DM, Markert M, Rho M.Performance trends in large 10-km road running races in the United States.J Strength Cond Res.2014;28(4):892-901. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000249
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.Speed development for distance and mid distance runners.
Oswald F, Campbell J, Williamson C, Richards J, Kelly P.A scoping review of the relationship between running and mental health.Int J Environ Res Public Health.2020;17(21):8059. doi:10.3390/ijerph17218059
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