I'm sort of considered an "outsider" in this world of running.  I recommend things that others scoff at and don't even consider to be the "gospel truth" of running.  For one, I am not a long-distance, marathon-based-training, junk-mile junkie.  I don't put in the miles for the sake of putting in miles, hoping & praying that my worn-down body will somehow respond & get faster. 

I know better.  I know that in simple terms, you can't spend 90% of your time running slow if you expect to run at a faster rate for your race.  For one, you are practicing SLOW if you follow such guidance, so don't expect all-out speedy performances if your practicing is not up to speed, literally.

For example, I recommend using GPS & pace-based speed workout programming, moreso than just running a bunch of miles that are on a pre-planned sheet for weeks on end.  However, too many people out there seem too nitpicky about the accuracy of the GPS monitors out there.  So, they don't have any trust in using them or recommending them.  It just happens that I can get a lot of flack for such suggestions, even after I coached for 4 seasons by using a GPS speed monitor on track & cross-country squads, tracking my XC team's entire progress, noticing that by following such speed-based programming, their fitness levels improved by 20% on average from the start to finish of a 12 week season.  So, don't be telling ME that GPS speed-based programming is a useless tool.

Sometimes the critics never end when you try to help out others in this sea of lost running souls who are looking for answers. 

 Lately, I have been recieving a host of nit-picky criticism over my site, http://1MileNation.com. Some think that running a faster mile is a waste of time.  Some are even being so picky about my 1-Mile Virtual Race being only 1600 meters, when a mile is 1609.2 meters or something close to that. 

 The points of my big event is this: I wanted to give people an event to set as a goal, as well as something that most people could set out to do in a short matter of time.  NOT EVERYONE IS MEANT FOR MARATHONS.  There are other runners out there who just want to run, run fast, and get done with it, and get just as fit or fitter in the process.  So, why setup a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or marathon distance for this event, when 1 Mile alone will do just fine?  Most everyone has access to an outdoor or indoor track, and since most people refer to the 1600m race as 'The Mile' in our non-metric culture of America, the 1600m race is a safe event to do.  There are no cars to run into you, it is on a closed track, and you can do it any time you wish on the day of the race.  All you need is a friend to time you. 

Even when I point this out, I still get labeled with having an 'imaginary race'.  Sorry, but this thing is FAR FROM imaginary.  I have real people, not pixies & fairies, signed up for this event through my site.  I have 5 coaches & trainers who are sponsoring this event by providing their fitness knowledge & expertise from different viewpoints in the field.  THEY love the idea of this race, because it is something that most of their clients & athletes can easily train for and test themselves on.

 The Mile is referred to in many fitness & exercise testing books for trainers & coaches to administer to their clients & athletes, but really, I don't think its done quite enough.  We'd do a 1.5 mile test in college in a couple of my fitness concept & testing classes I took, but it really isn't promoted as well in the fitness & sports training fields.

 I wanted to bring it to the forefront as a great fitness testing tool, one which has been long forgotten in a day & age of doing things "easier", instead of busting your butt to get to a goal in life. 

We live in a day & age of where the ellipticals rule the scene, and people see running as 'detrimental' to the body. 

I feel we'd have a healthier country if our kids would go out & RUN instead of sit on their couches playing X-Box or texting their buddy right next to them on the couch.  Our adults in this country wouldn't be so laden with taking so many drugs to deal with health issues that can be greatly taken care of with proper exercise & nutrition in the first place. They wouldn't be fooled into thinking that an elliptical machine is their ticket to fat loss, as they mindlessly spin away into oblivion while watching their favorite TV show as they 'work out' on such a machine.

I think by focusing on a short distance, such as The Mile, people of all ages can train themselves short, fast, & to the point, on their way to a healthier state in life. 

It would just kill me as a track coach to have boys & girls, ages 14-16, who could hardly run 1 mile at the beginning of track season.  There should be no reason why a kid has to WALK a mile for a Presidental fitness test if they are at least in Junior High. Heck, even an elementary kid should have enough activity where they could finish at least 3/4's of a mile with ease.  Kenyan kids run 3, 4, 5 miles TO SCHOOL because of a lack of a bus transportation system for school!  Our kids will hardly ride their BIKES to school any more.  My point is that the 1-Mile distance should be a STANDARD OF FITNESS in this day & age.  Its not like I'm asking you to train for a marathon: I just want you to run a mile and test yourself, and give you something to help improve your fitness levels that isn't going to eat up a whole lot of time in the process.

 So, in closing, this "Rebel Force" in the alliance of the running community just wants people to get in better shape through the sport of running a shorter distance that most runners tend to ignore as being a beneficial distance.  I never thought the suggestion of running a mile alone would cause so much disruption in "The Force", but hey, I got my light saber on, its time to start fighting.

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Register today for "The Big 1" at: http://asapworkouts.com/1mnvr.html  

Run Strong, Run Fast...
Run So As To Win!

Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com

The Countdown Begins For A Faster Mile At:
http://ASAPWorkouts.com/321.pdf