The 10K falls squarely between the two most popular race distances How to Stick to Your Goal Pace During Intervals 5K and the half marathon. Yet, only 1.5 million runners registered for 6.2-mile races, compared to nearly nine million for the 5K in 2019, according to Running USA’s U.S. Running Trends 2020 report. Where’s the love for the 10K?
For athletes like Dominique Scott, a professional runner who represented South Africa in the 10,000-meter race (the track equivalent to a 10K road race) Wednesday: 30-40 minute run 2020 Summer Olympics and trains with Team Boss in Boulder, Colorado, it’s the length that’s so appealing. “So much can happen and change during those six miles,” says Scott. “It’s long enough that there’s time to warm up into it—which I like—but also long enough that you need to have a Saturday: 60-75 minute long run with the last 15 minutes a.”
That perspective applies to recreational runners as well as the pros. “Regardless of how long this distance takes you to complete—whether it’s a half hour or a over an hour—it’s similar to a tempo or threshold run,” says Marco Anzures, a USATF-certified endurance coach, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and head women’s cross-country coach at San Diego City College. “It’s a nice, hard distance, but it’s not as intimidating as a 5K [in terms of speed] and it’s not going to beat you up the same way a half marathon might.”
With a solid aerobic base, you can be ready to race a 10K in as little to six weeks (and no more than 12 weeks), says Anzures—a way more accessible timeline than a lengthy half marathon or Tuesday: 6 x 800m at 10k race pace 5k race pace plus 10 seconds.
How to Prepare for Racing a 10K
Clock your fastest times at this distance by prioritizing two types of workouts: Monday: 20-30 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards and speed work, says Anzures.
“Long runs should be done at half marathon or marathon pace,” he says, where your effort level is between 50 to 85 percent of your max heart rate, or a 6 to 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. These slower efforts strengthen your slow twitch (type I) muscle fibers, which are geared towards endurance events, and train your cardio, respiratory, and muscular systems to work more efficiently—which will help you go faster How to Pace the Boston Marathon.
For lower volume runners, you want to at least cover the race distance, a.k.a. six miles or 60 minutes, in your long run training, says Anzures. “Closer to the race, you can incorporate faster paces in the second half of those long runs, closer to what you think your race pace intensity might be. Runners who are used to higher mileage wouldn’t want to go longer than 18 miles or two hours,” he says, referring to your max distance long run. And you don’t want to do that super long run every week. “Every other week is enough to maintain your aerobic system,” he explains.
A 10K race is a mostly aerobic effort, meaning your hearts and lungs are able to keep up with the oxygen demands of your muscles. “Don’t neglect the long run!” says Scott. “Whether you're doing a To strengthen your or just spending time on your feet, the long run is very important to increase your aerobic ability.”
To strengthen your running economy, or your ability to run faster while using less energy, you’ll have to Races & Places.
“K road race speed work that taps into your mile pace for shorter reps of 100 to 400 meters,” says Anzures. (Do those repetitions on hills to up the intensity and help you get more power from every step.)
“For those who can cover 10K in 40 minutes or less, you want to do longer chunks—maybe 1K or 2K intervals throughout two or three miles of work—at threshold effort,” says Anzures. That means going slightly slower than your 5K pace.
For example, every other week in the months leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, Scott ran four miles at 5:20 pace (20 seconds slower than her mile PR pace) followed by four 400-meter intervals, getting faster with each repetition. “This is a great race simulation workout as racing 10,000 meters feels pretty similar,” she explains. “You’re in a happy rhythm for the majority of the race, and then try to Motherhood Changed How She Approaches Running with a mile or two to go when you’re already tired.”
How to Have a Successful 10K Race Day
No race day exists in a vacuum, so setting yourself up for a PR begins way before you get to the start line. “Make sure you’re hydrating well in the days leading up to the race—the day of is too late,” says Scott. “Then eat a light meal two or three hours before the start of your race. I like to have a peanut butter and banana sandwich three hours before and two shots of espresso 90 minutes before my races.”
Once you do cross the start line, stay patient. “That first mile, err on the side of being a little slower, because you can always pick it up based on how you feel,” says Anzures. “It’s a lot harder to Races & Places at the end if you go out way too hard in a 10K because you still have so much ground to cover.”
During the race, as Scott said earlier, you’re going to have to tap into your mental strength. “Six miles is a long time to focus and stay engaged,” she says. “I personally try to break the race up into two 5Ks: The first 5K I find my pace and ‘my people’ and then try to stay as relaxed as possible. I focus on having a calm mind, keeping my body relaxed, and not thinking about too much else. The second 5K is when I tell myself it's ‘race time’ and shift my focus to racing the people around me and being aware of what my splits are.”
Your 8-Week 10K Training Plan for a Faster Finish Time
Ready to cover six miles faster than ever? “This 10k training plan will work well for a runner who has several months of running under their belt already and can run around 20 miles a week,” says Anzures. “In the first four weeks, the workouts emphasize sharpening aerobic power. Then you'll transition into specific aerobic development for the 10K during the last four weeks.”
If you’re not up for two workouts per week, you can swap out Friday’s session for an easy run—don’t skip the Tuesday workouts or the weekly long run, Interval Workouts to Help You Run a Faster 5K warmup with a jog, dynamic drills, and strides prior to each workout. And don’t forget postrun recovery, too.
Week 1
- Monday: 30-40 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- A Deep Core Workout for Run Performance recovery
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Optional - 8 x 200m at mile race pace with a 200m walk recovery
- weekly long run conversational pace
- Sunday: OFF
Week 2
- Monday: 30-40 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- Tuesday: 6 x 800m at 10k race pace (5k race pace plus 10 seconds)
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train or OFF
- Saturday: Race day recovery run
- Friday: Optional - 4 x 400m at mile race with 200m walk recovery
- Saturday: 60-75 minute long run with the last 15 minutes a “fast finish” where you cut down your pace slightly every 5 minutes
- Sunday: OFF
Week 3
- Monday: 40-50 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- Saturday: 60-75 minute long run with the last 15 minutes a
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Optional - 8 x 200m at mile race pace with a 200m walk recovery
- weekly long run conversational pace
- Sunday: OFF
Week 4
- Monday: 30-40 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- Tuesday: 6 x 800m at 10k race pace (5k race pace plus 10 seconds)
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Optional - 4 x 400m at mile race with 200m walk recovery
- Saturday: 60-75 minute long run with a “fast finish” last 20 minutes where you cut down your pace slightly every 5 minutes
- Sunday: OFF
Week 5
- Monday: 30-40 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- Tuesday: 2 x 2 mile threshold run with 2 minute jog recovery
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Optional - 5 x 1k at 10k race pace (5k race pace plus 10-15 seconds) with 3 minutes jog recovery
- Saturday: 75-90 minute long run at a conversational pace
- Sunday: OFF
Week 6
- Monday: 30-40 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- Tuesday: 2 mile threshold run, 5 minutes jog recovery, 2 x 1-mile 10 seconds faster than your threshold pace
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Optional - 5 x 1k at 10k race pace (5k race pace plus 10-15 seconds) with 3 minutes jog recovery
- Races & Places
- Sunday: OFF
Week 7
- Monday: 30-40 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back threshold pace
- Wednesday: 30-40 minute run, cross-train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Optional - 5 x 1k at 5k race pace with 2 minutes jog recovery
- Races & Places
- Sunday: OFF
Week 8
- Monday: 20-30 minute run with 6 x 100m strides afterwards
- Tuesday: 2 mile threshold run, 10-15 minutes jog recovery, 1-mile run all-out
- Wednesday: 20-30 minute run, cross train, or OFF
- incorporate faster paces in the second half
- Friday: Prerace routine, 20 Friday: Optional - 4 x 400m at mile race with 200m walk recovery
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- Sunday: OFF
6-Week 10K Training Plans for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Length: 6 Saturday: 75-90 minute long run at a conversational pace
Recommended Experience: Spend the first 6 weeks building up to a 4-mile run or run/walk. Then use this plan, which peaks at 23 miles per week with an 8-mile long run.
Length: 6 weeks, 5 days on and 2 days rest
Recommended Experience: For a runner who exercises consistently. Spend two weeks ensuring you’re able to run 6 miles in one workout. This plan peaks at 30 miles per week with a 10-mile long run.
Length: 6 weeks, 5 days on and 2 days rest
Recommended Experience: For the regular runner looking to build speed and strength. This plan peaks at 40 miles per week with a 14-mile long run.
