I have been running all summer. I try to run on my tredmil 4-5 times a week. I mainly do one min or running and one min of walking, and have recently been incorporating a little HIIT once or twice a week.

However, after all summer, I don't feel I've made any progress. I record every time session, and my best mile time has gone down from about 13:10 to about 10:50, which is an improvement, but I still fell winded easily and I am not sure if I am really improving. I was wondeirng what I can do to make the most of running, improve my performance, and burn the most calories. I don't think my 1 min run 1 min walk/jog thing is a good idea. Ideally I'd like to get down to about a 9:00 mile by September.

Please let me know what you guys think I should do.

Thanks

Trimming 2+ minutes off your mile time is very respectable for just a few months. Keep at it and you will continue to improve. Improving VO2 max is a slow, ongoing process.

I think i might know what the prob is. the human body is emmense at changing physically to meet new demands, however, if you keep doing the same thing (min run, min walk) over and over then your body will stop changing as it is suited to that. What you need to do is mix it up a bit, maybe 2 min run, min walk? Just mix it up a bit and that should improve it.
You will also need to work on a good aerobic base so your body can cope with any speed work you think of introducing.

What's your goal? I personally don't run on treadmills, so I would suggest that you start running outside. If you're running miles, quit doing the 1 minute on 1 minute off thing. I know jogging isn't exactly high-intensity, but try and jog for 10 minutes and walk for 5. Do this for 30 minutes (jog 10, walk 5, jog 10, walk 5). Keep doing this until you can successfully jog for 10 minutes without being winded. After that, jog for 15 minutes and rest for 2 and a half (jog 15, walk 2.5, jog 15). Keep doing stuff like this until you can jog for 30 minutes straight. If you're not satisfied with this, then start doing high-intensity stuff. I think it would just be a lot better for you if you started off doing more low-intensity training for longer periods of time rather than run 1 minute walk 1 minute. Anyways, good luck! I wish you the best.

What are your eating and sleeping habits like? I have been running for a long time and I know my body performs the best when I am rested and I have been feeding it good foods.

IMO, I would suggest jogging outside. Start a mild jog and see how far you can go until you HAVE to stop. Then walk until you feel good enough to jog again. Try doing this for 30 minutes. In no time, you'll probably be able to run for that 30 mins without stopping.

yeah, try doing this distance stuff as it will improve your aerobic system and vo2 max, which are very important for running. Your intervals might also be a little too short or not intense to actually make your muscles change and adapt like proper intervals would, (no offence). Try doing longer intervals, keep the same ratios but up the time,or up the intensity, or both.

Interesting! I have a similar problem with improving my running. I think I'll give this a try!

I completely agree with 03gt.

Sometimes NOT timing yourself for a while helps because you arent constantly looking forward to the stopping time, especially when the stopping time is always so close. I think you'll be surprised how much longer you can go when you start timing yourself again. I think one min running and one min walking is way too short a time period. I think you need at least 3 min of each. You just need to push yourself more. good luck

I agree with pretty much everything you say but I do not understand the suggestion that the OP start running outside instead of the treadmill. I doubt very much that using the treadmill has anything to do with the OP's perceived lack of progress. I run outside and love it but due to local conditions I use my treadmill up to 7 months a year. Many runners that don't use treadmills are annoyingly dismissive of those runners that do. I'm not saying that you are one of these people, but many folks wouldn't get any cardio at all without treadmills. My treadmill is one of my most prized possesions and the single most useful piece of fitness equipment most people can own, if you actually use it.