You can do a lot of things in six minutes. Drink a beer. Pick out an outfit for date night. And—if you train smart—finish an honest-to-God road race.

Perhaps you are more familiar with the usual menu of marathons and half-marathons and 10Ks and 5Ks, but lately, single-mile competitions have been popping up all over the U.S., too. And signing up for one is a fantastic choice—not just because it’s only a mile, but also because running a fast one, and finishing the high-intensity, interval-style workouts necessary in order to get good at it, entails the sort of total-body benefits that will make you rethink cardio altogether.

The science

There’s a good reason track-and-field superstars like Usain Bolt sport such impressive total-body physiques. “Performing quick running intervals enables you to improve your muscular endurance, but also access fast-twitch, explosive muscle fibers that often don't get activated during longer runs,” says Heather Milton, MS, CSCS, an exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Health. “Training for mile running is a great way to maintain muscle mass while still getting in great, aerobic shape.”

Improving your speed also helps to unlock the full calorie-burning potential of longer runs. A 160-pound guy burns around 120 calories running a mile, according to Runner’s World, whether they do it in six minutes or ten. As you make timed miles a part of your regular routine, you’ll be able to squeeze more calorie-burning miles into the same period of time. Plus, training to race shorter distances is less likely to result in injury than the weeks of 30-plus miles that go into preparing for marathons and other longer races.

Perhaps the most appealing benefit of all: You can sign up for the mile race and clear little to no space in your calendar for exercise. “Mile training is good for someone who has a lot going on,” says Steve Finley, a Nike+ Running Coach and head coach for the Brooklyn Track Club. “You can run two or three days a week and still go out and put up a great time.” This sprint training is ideal for everyone, in other words, regardless of how they finished (or didn’t finish) in elementary school P.E.

The training

Gearing up to run a serious mile might also mean you need, well, some gear. While shoes made for jogging longer distances require gobs of cushioning, short sprints require shoes with a springier, more responsive step. A few options to look at: the New Balance FuelCell Rebel, the Reebok Floatride Run Fast, and the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36.

In order to improve your mile time, you have to know what your mile time is first. “Right at the beginning, try and run your fastest mile—a time trial—to see your starting point,” says Jes Woods, Nike+ Running Coach and ultramarathoner. “This will tell you your current fitness level, and helps set realistic goals for upcoming races.” To mimic race conditions, she suggests tackling this one on a track or pavement, but the treadmill will do if it’s the only available option.

Once you have that benchmark, Finley suggests a three-day training structure: one speed day, one long interval day, and an easy run (or recovery) day.

Speed day

Get out of your comfort zone. Jog a warm-up mile, then run four 400-meter intervals with 90 seconds of rest between each one. Next, move to two 200-meter intervals, and finish with a half-mile cool-down jog.

Here’s the key, though: With each interval, you should be getting faster. For a guy hoping to run a six-minute mile, for instance, Finley suggests starting the ladder right above that pace. “We’re aiming for a progression,” he says. “Your last interval should be a full ten seconds faster than your first one. That’s a great place to be.”

Longer intervals day

A little less speed, a little more endurance. Try running two 800-meter intervals, with a two-minute recovery period in between. And although it may be tempting to retry that time trial as you get better, Woods says, hold off for now. “You want to avoid burnout,” she says. “Save that longer run for later.”

Recovery run day

Aim for a pace that feels challenging but doable over the course of 30 or 40 minutes. For our aspiring six-minute miler, this means his recovery runs could hover around an eight-minute-mile pace. “You’ll definitely see the speed training translate into your longer runs,” says Finley. “Don’t be surprised when running a couple miles feels easier and happens faster than it did beforehand.”

The race day

A lot of factors play into just how much someone can shave off that original time trial: experience, sleep, and stress levels, among many others. But you will get faster. “Beginner runners who start at a slower pace could see major decreases in that original time, while more experienced runners could shave off something smaller, like a few seconds. Both amounts are respectable and should be considered a win,” Woods says.

When race day rolls around, remember how you run those intervals on the speed day, and don’t get overenthusiastic when the starting gun goes off. Aim to finish the mile with negative splits—start easy and comfortable, hovering slightly above your target pace, and pick up the pace with each quarter-mile. By three-quarters of the way through, you’ll be giving the race all you have. “It’s going to be uncomfortable toward the end, and that’s when you have to trust your training,” says Finley.

And remember: It’s just a mile. Six minutes later, you’ll be free to enjoy that beer—and to take as long as you like to do it.