Workouts I Ran Before My 4:33 Mile PR | Strength Running - Strength Running

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of Workouts I Ran Before My 4:33 Mile PR from Strength Running. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

Aerobic base matters – 5‑week mileage built from 50 mi up to 70 mi per week gave a solid endurance foundation.
Threshold focus – Most of the speed work was done at a comfortable threshold pace, roughly 1 min slower per mile than his mile PR.
Short, fast reps – 200‑ and 400‑meter intervals at or just a touch faster than mile pace, with plenty of recovery, kept the legs sharp without excessive fatigue.
No perfect block needed – He ran only one hard workout the week of the race, didn’t taper, and still nailed the PR. Confidence and consistency beat a flawless training plan.
Use a training journal – Writing down workouts helped him see patterns, stay motivated, and adjust pacing.

Workout Example

Final pre‑race workout (Tuesday before the mile)

2‑mile threshold run – 11:05 total (splits 5:34 / 5:31). Keep the effort comfortably hard, about a minute slower per mile than race pace.
Recovery – 2‑minute easy jog.
2 × 400 m – 66 s and 67 s. Aim for a pace just a shade faster than mile pace.
Recovery – 2‑minute jog.
4 × 200 m – 32 s, 31 s, 31 s, 31 s. Keep the effort sharp; these are the “turn‑over” reps.
Full warm‑up – Easy jog + strides before the session.

How to adapt: Use your own recent mile or 5K pace to estimate threshold (≈+60‑70 s per mile) and set the 200/400 intervals about 5‑10 s faster than that. Adjust the recovery jog to keep the workout feeling easy.

Closing Note

Give this simple mix of steady mileage, threshold work, and short, fast reps a try before your next mile or 5K goal. Plug your own paces into the Pacing app, tweak the intervals to fit your training level, and race with confidence—just like Jason did! 🚀