The Best 10k workouts - by Greg Mcmillan

averagejoe123 · 14-03-2016 03:35PM

I think one or two short slow runs between now and Thursday would be just what the doctor ordered to loosen the legs out.

onrail · 14-03-2016 03:46PM

averagejoe123 wrote: »

I think one or two short slow runs between now and Thursday would be just what the doctor ordered to loosen the legs out.

Great - thanks a mill for the advice. Will post an update on the result Thursday PM!

onrail · 18-03-2016 07:22AM

Decent day yesterday, official time was 39:30 with the garmin clocking me at 39:09!
Not sure if the training on Sunday improved or disimproved the time, but might try a full programme to bring me down below 39:00 the next day out.

Itziger · 18-03-2016 02:41PM

onrail wrote: »

Decent day yesterday, official time was 39:30 with the garmin clocking me at 39:09!
Not sure if the training on Sunday improved or disimproved the time, but might try a full programme to bring me down below 39:00 the next day out.

Well done. What do you mean by the Garmin clocking you at 39.09?

Do you mean when the Garmin reached 10k on the dot, your time was 39.09? My race last week was measured at 10.09 by the G. Which is standard, more or less. Always give about 1% on to Garmin distance. When I'm being serious in training I add the 1% to distances. (When I'm being lazy I don't).

onrail · 18-03-2016 03:05PM

Itziger wrote: »

Do you mean when the Garmin reached 10k on the dot, your time was 39.09? My race last week was measured at 10.09 by the G. Which is standard, more or less.

Yeah exactly.. full race measured 10.09. Take it thats a standard error?
Happy enough regardless. Main aim was to break 40!

Myles Splitz · 18-03-2016 03:11PM

onrail wrote: »

Yeah exactly.. full race measured 10.09. Take it thats a standard error?
Happy enough regardless. Main aim was to break 40!

It's not an error.

Races are measured as follows:

- 1m per km long to account for margin of error in measurement
- Shortest race line possible

Couple this with the fact that garmins are not 100% accurate (can't handle hairpin turns well, tree cover etc) you should expect most races to read long and be worried if they measure exactly as more than likely they are short.

You will see the same in marathons where most read approx 26.4-26.5

Well done in the race all the same. You will go faster in your next one. The reason why the last target session is done 10 days before is to allow adaptation to get the benefit of the session so running it so close to the race meant you were under recovered and didn't really get a huge short term benefit to the session for the race however it will stand to you going forward.

adrian522 · 18-03-2016 03:25PM

I wouldn't agree that races that measure correct on the Garmin are likely to be short in reality. I think its just the case that Garmins and other consumer level GPS can't be relied upon to be accurate to within 10 meters so it could always be +/- what the actual race distance is.

I've had the following races measure short on the garmin, I've no reason to believe any of them are short in reality though:

Tallaght 5K, K-Club 10K, Jingle Bells 5K

Itziger · 20-03-2016 03:30PM

Once again the second 10k did the trick!

New PB. First time ducking under 37.

36.49 on the watch. Confirms my suspicion that the plan should include a 10k one week out.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1092401997

aoboa · 25-03-2016 07:25PM

Life got in the way so the last session I ended up doing was the 1x2m 4x1m.
Not going to finish it with the race moving dates so it'll be parkrun tomorrow and 12x400m this week and hope for the best.
Gonna try it again for a 10k in May if I can find a suitable one.

Coffee Fulled Runner · 18-04-2016 10:33AM

I'm going to give this a go. Some amount of information in this thread to take on board. I've a 10k in 8 weeks I'm going to try and knock 40 seconds of my PB and aim for a sub 39

Casey78 · 18-04-2016 10:47AM

Lads I was going to do this workout for the Irish Runner 5mile in a few months.
Will I adapt it to 5mile workouts or just do the 10k/6miles workouts?

For example the last workout instead of 2x3 miles would I do 2x2.5 miles? and the same with the others 5x1 miles or do the 6x1 miles.
Or does it really matter? thanks.

adrian522 · 18-04-2016 11:06AM

I think if you are going to be running at race pace (i.e 5 mile pace) it probably makes sense to max out at 5 x 1 mile and 2 x 2.5 Miles.

Doing 6 x 1 Mile @ 5 Mile pace sounds like a bit much to me and isn't how the program is designed, so I'd say convert it to 5 miles as best you can.

ultrapercy · 18-04-2016 12:24PM

Casey78 wrote: »

Lads I was going to do this workout for the Irish Runner 5mile in a few months.
Will I adapt it to 5mile workouts or just do the 10k/6miles workouts?

For example the last workout instead of 2x3 miles would I do 2x2.5 miles? and the same with the others 5x1 miles or do the 6x1 miles.
Or does it really matter? thanks.

If it was me I would do the 10k plan as is and run the 5 mile race off that. The paces are not that different and it's designed to be strength based so if you adapt the rep distances down you may not get the gains you get from the longer slightly slower reps. It's all marginal tho its as broad as it's long.

Coffee Fulled Runner · 18-04-2016 02:48PM

How long should I keep my long runs maximum following this plan? 90 minutes?

Itziger · 18-04-2016 04:48PM

Coffee Fulled Runner wrote: »

How long should I keep my long runs maximum following this plan? 90 minutes?

I'd like to see what an experienced coach would say to this.

My two ideas (I'm not an experienced coach!!)

A) Do a few easy 16 to 20 km runs

or

Do a few 12 to 14k runs starting easy and finishing fast. I remember doing one 18k effort which I made into a progression run. I'll post it if and when I find it. Felt hard but good, like the best sessions.

Just realised that the 18k progression is neither A) nor

Itziger · 23-04-2016 10:31AM

On I-pad so don't know how to paste.......

https://www.strava.com/activities/493278758

Think that might work. Whether it's what you were looking for is another question

Coffee Fulled Runner · 23-04-2016 02:17PM

Excellent running Itziger will try to replicate that tomorrow, although it's a little bit hillier where I live

Seannew1 · 23-04-2016 05:51PM

I'm currently training for a 10k at the minute, did a 10k road race the other night and got a PB of 49.30 which I was delighted with but it will be hard to replicate as the course on the upcoming on is tougher. One aspect that I need to work on is my 7-9k speed. Thought the long distance running over the winter would help but hasn't seemed to have had much of an effect. Anyone got any tips?

Itziger · 24-04-2016 07:39AM

Coffee Fulled Runner wrote: »

Excellent running Itziger will try to replicate that tomorrow, although it's a little bit hillier where I live

Shoot, missed the 'tomorrow' bit from your post. Good luck today then!

onrail · 14-01-2017 03:11PM

The Best 10K Workout

Plus the buildup workouts for it
by Greg McMillan, M.S.

After running countless 10Ks and coaching runners who have run countless more, I've found one workout to be the absolute best to prepare you for the distance. It's not an easy workout and you probably can't do it right away, so you'll need to build up to it with the sequence of workouts outlined here, which, when combined with supplementary workouts, creates an exceptional training plan for your next goal 10K.

THE BEST 10K WORKOUT: 3 X 2 MILES
If you can perform three 2-mile repeats at your goal 10K pace in the last one to two weeks before your race, you will achieve your goal time. Period. It's a simple workout but oh-so-hard to accomplish. As such, you must build up to it, and this buildup of workouts turns out to be some of the best training you can do to run a fast 10K.

BUILDUP WORKOUT NO. 1: 6 X 1 MILE
Eight weeks out from your 10K, run six 1-mile repeats at your goal 10K pace, taking 3 to 4 minutes recovery jog between each. Don't be surprised if you struggle in this workout. Many athletes become worried that their goal is out of reach, but trust me: You just need to complete the workout sequence and you'll be ready. One thing I find helps is to just focus on goal 10K pace, not faster. Some runners try to "beat the workout" by running faster but that isn't the goal. Start at goal pace and simply hang on.

BUILDUP WORKOUT NO. 2: 2 MILE + 4 X 1 MILE
Six weeks out from your 10K, advance to the following workout: Run a 2-mile repeat at your goal 10K pace then take a 5-minute recovery jog. Next, run four 1-mile repeats at goal 10K pace, taking 3 to 4 minutes recovery jog between each. As with Workout No. 1, you will get in 6 miles of running at your goal pace.

BUILDUP WORKOUT NO. 3: 2 X 2 MILE + 2 X 1 MILE
Four weeks out from the race, the workout advances yet again. This time, run two 2-mile repeats at goal 10K pace. Again, take a 5-minute recovery jog after each 2-mile repeat. Then, perform two 1-mile repeats at goal pace, taking 3 minutes recovery between each. By now, you should be feeling much more ready to attack your goal time. Your body is becoming calloused to the mental and physical stress of 10K pace. If, however, you're struggling to hit your goal pace even on the first 2-mile repeat, then your proposed goal pace is too aggressive and you should re-evaluate.

WORLD'S BEST 10K WORKOUT
After this buildup of workouts, you're ready to attack the ultimate 10K workout. I suggest you perform this workout nine to 12 days before your race to allow enough time to recover before the event. Start with your usual warm-up (which you should perform for each workout described in this article), then run three 2-mile repeats at your goal 10K pace. Take a 5-minute recovery jog between each repeat. Prepare for this intense workout like you will your race -- be well-recovered, properly hydrated and fueled, use the equipment you'll use in the race, run at the time of day that you'll be racing.

SUPPLEMENTARY WORKOUTS
While the 10K buildup workouts occur every other week, the in-between weeks provide a great opportunity to perform other important 5K and 10K workouts. I like 200m and 400m repeats performed at 5K effort. I find that running slightly faster repeats on the in-between weeks makes 10K race pace feel easier. You may even perform a 5K race in preparation for your 10K. I also recommend at least one tempo run during this buildup. The pace will be slightly slower than 10K pace but will build your stamina for the goal event.

SIMPLE EIGHT-WEEK WORKOUT SEQUENCE FOR A FAST 10K

WEEK KEY WORKOUT & NOTES

1 6 x 1M 3-minute jog between 1M repeats

2 10-12 x 400m Run the 400m repeats at 5K race pace; 200m jog between

3 2M + 4 x 1M 5-minute jog between 2M repeats, 3-minute jog between 1M repeats

4 3M Tempo Run or 5K Race One simple prediction method is to double your 5K time & add 1 minute to get your 10K time. Are you on track for your goal 10K time?

5 2 x 2M + 2 x 1M 5-minute jog between 2M repeats, 3-minute jog between 1M repeats

6 20-24 x 200m Run the 200m repeats at 5K race pace; 200m jog between

7 3 x 2M Run the 200m repeats at 5K race pace; 200m jog between

8 RACE: 10K

Right; new year new goal. Going to start this week with the aim of running sub 38:30 on St. Paddy's day in Belfast.
Picked it up about 3 weeks from the end last year, breaking 40 as aimed for (39:30).

Anyone else?

Itziger · 14-01-2017 05:32PM

onrail wrote: »

Right; new year new goal. Going to start this week with the aim of running sub 38:30 on St. Paddy's day in Belfast.
Picked it up about 3 weeks from the end last year, breaking 40 as aimed for (39:30).

Anyone else?

I'm not sure this year to be honest. Two reasons. I've got a sore glute/hamstring that I can't shake and I think the fast and tough sessions here might really stress it, whereas, if I stick to marathon pace stuff I might get away with the strains and niggles.

Other reason is I'm aiming for Cork marathon and want to give it a real good go. By mid March, which is when the best 10ks are on, I'd want to be going long.

I'll make a call in the next week or two. Good luck with the plan. I've always said I'd like to see a variety of posters and ability give this a good go.

Itziger · 18-01-2017 07:54PM

Started on the long road to sharpness today with a 6x800 @ just under 10k pace off 90 secs. Temp of about -4/5 and a nice chilly breeze made for a challenging session but one I kinda enjoyed. Felt good to be in a structured session instead of plodding the roads as I have been doing of late. Hopefully the body stays healthy and I can get in PB or near to PB shape in 2 months time.

Anyone else having a go??

rooneyjm · 19-01-2017 12:24PM

Why not. Goal is to go sub 38 this year, pb at the moment is 39.20. First get under 39, 38.30 is 6.12 per mile so that's my target pace. Have the great Ireland run booked for the 9 th April, not a great coarse for pb's but we'll give it a go. More than 10 weeks out so I can build up to the 6 X 1 mile. Did 7 x 3 mins this week @ 6.00 min pace, next week I'll try 5 x 1km and then I've booked the Raheny 5 mile on the 29th, so that will give me a good indication of where I'm at.

After that I'll do 5x 1mile and then into the plan the following week. The plan says to do a tempo or 5k. I do a tempo most weeks, I assume this is ok.

Tigerandahalf · 19-01-2017 01:27PM

I find the 3x2 mile workout will give you a great idea of where you are at. It is a tough one but gives great confidence if you nail it 7/10 days out.

I also find the 3x1 mile a great indication for a 5k.

These are now my go to workouts before a key race.

I did the 3x2 mile at the end of last year before a race but had to bail out before the last interval.
I had a cold on and off so wasn't sure if I had enough done.
I still went sub 39.30 in the race which was the target so these are a great indicator.

Paddy1234 · 19-01-2017 08:22PM

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

I find the 3x2 mile workout will give you a great idea of where you are at. It is a tough one but gives great confidence if you nail it 7/10 days out.

I also find the 3x1 mile a great indication for a 5k.

These are now my go to workouts before a key race.

I did the 3x2 mile at the end of last year before a race but had to bail out before the last interval.
I had a cold on and off so wasn't sure if I had enough done.
I still went sub 39.30 in the race which was the target so these are a great indicator.

What kind of pace would you recommend for these long intervals. I presume a little bit quicker than goal 10k pace allowing for the breaks? I never know how fast to run these intervals. Should you empty the tank or should you have a bit left at the end of the session. Thanks

Tigerandahalf · 19-01-2017 08:55PM

Paddy1234 wrote: »

What kind of pace would you recommend for these long intervals. I presume a little bit quicker than goal 10k pace allowing for the breaks? I never know how fast to run these intervals. Should you empty the tank or should you have a bit left at the end of the session. Thanks

Your goal race pace. It should be very hard but you should be recovering quickly afterwards and the following day be fine for another run.

For me these shouldn't be done unless you have a good base of work done including lots of slow miles, hill sprints and shorter intervals in the previous 6 weeks or so.

Remember you will be doing this session having had no taper. A few easy days before the race will bring freshness back to your legs. I find a complete rest day before race day serves me best.

Itziger · 19-01-2017 08:57PM

Paddy1234 wrote: »

What kind of pace would you recommend for these long intervals. I presume a little bit quicker than goal 10k pace allowing for the breaks? I never know how fast to run these intervals. Should you empty the tank or should you have a bit left at the end of the session. Thanks

Do you mean the 3x2 miles? It says run at goal pace. They're tough enough at that!

rooneyjm · 19-01-2017 11:43PM

Paddy1234 wrote: »

What kind of pace would you recommend for these long intervals. I presume a little bit quicker than goal 10k pace allowing for the breaks? I never know how fast to run these intervals. Should you empty the tank or should you have a bit left at the end of the session. Thanks

Before you go anything go back to the top of the page and read it. "Do not try and beat the workout"

Itziger · 20-01-2017 09:31AM

rooneyjm wrote: »

Before you go anything go back to the top of the page and read it. "Do not try and beat the workout"

Yep, very important. I will repeat another piece of advice from previous years. I would say, if you haven't been doing speedy stuff and if your target is not soft, then you should lead up to the 6x1 mile 'first' session. As I'm particularly rusty this year I started with 6x800's and I might do 6x1k or 6x1.2k next week. Alternatively do a 4x1 mile session before the 6x1.

Keep the thoughts coming folks.

Cartman78 · 20-01-2017 09:57AM

Any more room on the 10K bandwagon?

Had decent enough success with these back in 2012 so hoping that the experience I've gained since (ie. stop being an overtraining eejit) will mean I get even more out of it this time around.

Ran 41:00 on St.Stephen's Day with a fairly conservative race strategy.

Training has gone fairly well since...have a 10K next weekend so would be hoping to go near 40 mins but won't be too disappointed if I miss out.

Plan is to race at least once a month with target races taking place in June (2) and another one in mid July.

Will give the 3 x 2 Mile a lash today I think

The Best 10k workouts - by Greg Mcmillan

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