How Sarah Bee PB'd her mile by 20’’
I've been coaching Sarah Bee for the past five to six years. When we first tested her mile, she ran just over 8 minutes. Since then, we've tested it several times and watched the time gradually come down over years of consistency, hard work, and a willingness to trust the process.
Recently, Sarah achieved her biggest milestone yet, completing the mile in 6:28, improving her previous best of 6:46 by almost 20 seconds.
In the world of middle-distance running, that's a significant improvement.
Did it happen because we found the perfect workout?
No. It happened because the athlete was ready for it.
For the final 12-week block leading into the test, our primary running session was built around 400-metre intervals.
Each week, Sarah completed:
3 blocks of 4x 400m
with five minutes of recovery between blocks.
The structure remained remarkably consistent throughout the block.
What changed was the purpose of each block.
The first block was prescribed at a faster pace than her previous mile, forcing her to become comfortable running above race pace.
The second block matched her previous mile pace, reinforcing the rhythm and pacing required for the test itself.
The final block was completed at a slightly slower pace. It was a deliberate strategy to accumulate additional high-quality running volume without creating unnecessary fatigue.
Another important variable was recovery: the five-minute recovery between blocks remained the same throughout the programme, while the recovery between each 400-metre repetition gradually decreased over the twelve weeks.
Those adjustments were based on Sarah's performance, her feedback, and her response to the training.
Could another athlete copy this exact programme and expect the same result?
Probably not. Just because her programme is tailored to her.
The final training block simply allowed her to express the fitness she had spent years developing.
That's one of the biggest lessons coaches and athletes often overlook.
Great performances come from extraordinary consistency.
Are you looking for a coach? Hit me up.
Eddie,