I can run a 4:19 mile. I run for my university's cross country and track teams. Without a doubt, once the weather is nicer in the spring I am breaking 3:00 on my board. Zero questions.
Most impressed with someone on an Ed Economy making fourth!
fyi that record's since been pulled off the page since it was skated in only one direction.
kraffft, I know with distance / ultraskating in the winter months (20--40 degree temps) its been a lot tougher to keep muscles warm, stretched and limber. i'm not sure if its as significant with the mile "sprint" but just like people running triathalons / marathons year around, I'd want to keep conditioning in it.
I ran a 3:53 1500m (4:10 mile equiv) in college. I was dedicated to this sub 3:00 thing for a while but, after a partially torn ACL last summer, fell off my horse a little bit. Have since taken up LDP. My leg is now about 90-95% but there's snow on the ground. 3:00 is pretty darn fast. I'm sure it's possible; It's gonna hurt though...almost as much as that 4:19 mile you're runnin. It's a good challenge. I applaud you for going for it and wish you the best of luck. Let us know how it goes. Maybe I'll get back into speed mode next spring, but for now, if I can skate, I'll be pumping.
I ran a 3:53 1500m (4:10 mile equiv) in college. I was dedicated to this sub 3:00 thing for a while but, after a partially torn ACL last summer, fell off my horse a little bit. Have since taken up LDP. My leg is now about 90-95% but there's snow on the ground. 3:00 is pretty darn fast. I'm sure it's possible; It's gonna hurt though...almost as much as that 4:19 mile you're runnin. It's a good challenge. I applaud you for going for it and wish you the best of luck. Let us know how it goes. Maybe I'll get back into speed mode next spring, but for now, if I can skate, I'll be pumping.
a 3 minute mile wouldn't even be work for you. I can do like 3:40's with only working decently hard.
The most difficult thing about this is finding a straight, flat stretch to complete a mile on.
You won't be able to find a flat straight mile. Finding a straight, unobstructed mile is tough enough! To put it into perspective, in cyber slalom, whether someone skated even 176-feet of flat is sometimes debated and "records" changed because of attempts called into question.
We recommend the mile once in each direction, then average it. Or a loop track, as long as it starts and ends at the same spot.
In all cases just be sure your measurement technique is accurate, checked with at least a few different measuring techniques (bike odometer + existing measured track (velodrome) + GPS + walking track measuring tape, e.g., )
Really good point about the running versus skateboarding skills. Like you implied, it can't hurt, but pushing or pumping a skateboard efficiently will take a lot of practice to finesse on a skateboard.
Two other ideas that have been discussed but still fall outside the current guidelines:
"Out and back" half-mile. G-bomb Mark and I talked about an "A-->B-->A" approach being a valid course that factors out gravity. This means you could skate 1/2-mile from point A to point B, then back to point A. The tricky part would be measuring the transition, as you can imagine a full stop and start at point B would cut out at least several seconds from loss of all momentum and "restart" at point B. You'd probably want a small curve at the end of the 1/2-mile, which would allow you to maintain some momentum and make the turnaround, but still ensure a full mile was completed.
Start from dead stop. I was asked a while back why we don't start the cyber mile like this, instead of starting with having full race-pace momentum crossing the start line. This would be a significant change to specs, but is a valid question. We've not yet changed the rules to account for it. It would definitely raise all the current record times up a notch (requiring a re-do.) It might lend more credibility to the records since the lead-into the start line must all be "gravity-free" as well. Whether it levels the playing field between "pumpers vs. pushers" is highly debatable.
I've brought the dead-start topic up on the pavedwave forum in the past, if anyone has other inputs on it please shoot!
I think the dead start stop is the only way to go... it would impact times greatly, but hey... this is not a nascar race.
Running races start from a stand still... it's an added technique... how fast can you get to your top speed and hold a fast enough pace to break a record?... that's what it's all about.
I think the dead start stop is the only way to go.
Here's what I propose -- if you make a valid record attempt, submit whether it was from a dead-stop (new parameter) or full-speed (old rules) over the start line.
I'll track those separately as long as the numbers climb, then depending on response, decide if that should become the new format and retire the existing ones. Greg and Derek are gonna love this
I have a road that I know will equal a mile exactly, and it's completely flat and straight... but I have to do it in the A-->B-->A format. I had to run it every other Friday in middle school gym class... I'll have it re-tracked with a car to double check.
a 3 minute mile wouldn't even be work for you. I can do like 3:40's with only working decently hard.
I'm only a 4:25 miler.
my feeling is that breaking 3 minutes is more closely connected to really good skating form, than it is overall fitness and running speed. clearly it will require enough endurance to rage for 3 minutes, but i think the harder part is being able to efficiently push when already rolling 20+ mph. top speed push can only be a few mph faster than 20. also you have to imagine that maintaining form and balance in the last quarter mile, while going into oxygen debt, makes a decent potential for an epic fail in the home stretch.
also the difference between 3:40 and 3 minutes flat is a 25% increase in speed, which is a pretty substantial gap to jump.
I only do all-pump miles, but this week I tried experimenting with a push start and found that 5 or 6 pushes is ideal for me to get close to my top speed. I like the idea of just 5, because the less the better for a "pump" mile. But I find that one extra push makes the transition to pumping smoother. It doesn't seem as rushed, although I doubt it really helps speedwise.
This morning I went to my local 1/4-mile track to try a cyber mile, first the regular way, then with the standing start. My first lap was :55 and I went on do a 3:51 mile. There was some wind, so not ideal conditions. After about a five-minute recovery I did the standing start mile. I went out in :58 and finished in 3:55. I think I was tired from the first effort and should've been able to be within the 3-second difference of the first lap.
My personal best time of 3:42 would equate to a 3:45 with a push start. That performance was a bit Beamonesque, a 13-second improvement at the time. I've since done 3:45; 3:47; 3:48. I think if I do a sub-3:50 with a push start, it'd be a time that I'd be happy with.
I definitely think someone can break 3:00 for a mile some day. Right now the pool of skaters pursuing this is so small. I've only run a 4:39 mile and that was 20 years ago when I was in my prime. Any sub-4 miler should be able to come close a 3:00 mile with the proper background in skating and focused training. My assumption is purely based on my experience of being able to pump a mile a minute faster than I can run.
Originally Posted by derekderekderek
if a hack could hit a 3:33 mile with minimal loop-track experience, there are certainly people out there who can crush that time in any number of ways- pushing, pumping, or combo.
Last edited by stocago; 03-07-2010 at 04:44 PM.
Reason: added quote
a 3 minute mile wouldn't even be work for you. I can do like 3:40's with only working decently hard.
I'm only a 4:25 miler.
Been a while since I've checked this thread, but I'd say the difference between 3:40s and 3:00 is greater than the difference between 4:25 and 4:10. Also, I've run sub 4:25 a good number of times, but only run 4:10 once...and that one time, I felt like I was going to die. Even if you're in shape to run that fast, the difference in effort between those two times is huge. If I expelled that type of effort on a longboard, I'd probably fall on my face.
I still have yet to find a decent spot to do a mile, and haven't even made any efforts toward it in a while...probably should do that soon, before I leave Indianapolis in July and am surrounded by hills in Oregon.
Anyone else still giving this a shot? A mile is so short!
Wow, I'd never seen this (ancient!) thread until now. Interesting topic!
A three-minute mile might be possible, and it might not. (I haven't given this a lot of thought, so I'm just kind of thinking out loud here.) And even if it is possible, it would definitely be a real killer of a ride, even for a well-trained athlete. Obviously the rider would have to be in very good shape (heart/lungs, muscles), and equally obviously he'd have to have enough technical skill to push that far at that pace, and likely even more skill to pump the whole thing at that pace. Pavement quality obviously is an important variable. I suppose with a REALLY good, really smooth surface (probably concrete as opposed to asphalt) and firm wheels or extremely specialized equipment (e.g., hard, tall inline skate wheels), the rolling resistance could be significantly reduced, which would gain a few seconds. But that's slipping into some pretty esoteric territory, because those kinds of surfaces can be pretty hard to find in long distances (and who really wants to ride inline skate wheels on a skateboard?). I'm sure there are places that have a nice mile-long straight stretch, but a good asphalt track might be the best "normal" venue . (pavedwave, do you think the curves of the 1/4-mile or 400-meter track slow the rider down more than a straight stretch of the same length?)
It may turn out to be physically impossible without some quantum leap in human physical capability. One quick way to find out--or at least get an estimate: Has anyone ever done shorter intervals at 3:00/mile pace? If so, how long were they? That'd give some indication of whether it's physically possible, at least right now. If nobody can sustain a 3:00/mile pace for a quarter mile or half mile, there's no way that same person can sustain that pace for a full mile.
It's pretty hard (at least for me) just to reach a solid 20 mph on flat ground, much less to maintain it over a longer period. Maybe you sub-4:30 (running) milers or those of similar physical capabilities don't find it so difficult to hit 20 mph, so I may be underestimating a truly fit rider's capabilities.
On another point: You mean the current record times were all done with a "flying" start? My 4:03 was from a dead stop, both ways. If the flying-start instructions were there all along, I just never noticed them.
That's probably about 20-21 mph. Not more than 22. Not easy to keep up. But yes, a quarter mile at that pace is definitely a can-do. Half mile...not tried it because I haven't measured it. Standing start sub 3:00...not likely unless somebody can push quite a bit faster than that.. That's a full body extension for me. If you got any tips on how to improve speed, I'm all ears.
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Re: The 3 minute mile.
Originally Posted by cawlin
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I'm sure there are places that have a nice mile-long straight stretch, but a good asphalt track might be the best "normal" venue . (pavedwave, do you think the curves of the 1/4-mile or 400-meter track slow the rider down more than a straight stretch of the same length?)
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