Getting my 4 mile run time down

[CAPITAL_GAINZ]

Right now I'm running 4 miles in about 30:30... a 7:30/mile clip. I need to get it down to 7/mile.

I'm tired of just running, it gets boring and monotonous and I dont think the results are very good.

I was thinking of changing from heavy squats to medium for around 15-20 reps, and doing maximum effort 1/4 miles to raise my cardio.

So instead of doing distance running 4 or 5x a week I would cut it down to 2 or 3 and substitute the above for 2 of the distance days.

Sound alright?

[GuiYoM]

You can't just run 4miles

Resistance work
Hill training
Interval

[rpatrick5]

Ditto
You gotta work on more than just distance training. 4 miles isn't that long compared to other runs so you should train to have some "kick" at the end.

Make sure you check your posture and build some strength, most of the runners I see are embarrassingly weak and run hunched over--it kills your economy.

[flipnch1nese7]

You can run that off of 2-3 months of just mileage, I guarantee you, if you push yourself. If you build up then run 4-7 miles a day, every day, four miles at seven-minute pace will happen.

But if it's just that four-mile goal you need to meet, and you can't run 6-7 days a week or just would rather do something else, do some longer intervals, like 1200's or 800's with say 4-minute rest.

Squats won't help your running at all, I'd say they start being less and less useful after the 800 distance. But even a light arm routine, a little biceps shoulder and bench, can help build good running economy.

Most importantly, when you do go after that 4 mile/7:00 goal, have a runner friend pace you, and just stick to his ass. It makes a huge difference running with someone else.

[Andre-n-Andre]

The squatting will probably negatively affect your running, I suggest sucking it up and running.