The Best 10k workouts - by Greg Mcmillan

averagejoe123 · 22-02-2016 2:48pm

Ye the 6.05 was a stupid mistake especially since it was into a slight ascent too. I'm usually pretty cautious not to do silly things like this but the wind threw me off my game.

I thought a tough but achievable goal would of been 38.30 but based on the last session this may be slightly out of reach at the moment. My main 2016 goals are to get my 5k, 10k and half times sub 18,38 and 1.25 but as long as I continue to improve I'll be happy enough.

As I have 2 buffer weeks between now and my target race I will probably use these weeks to do a 5k/parkrun and I will either repeat the last session or add in a 4*1.5 mile workout some stage in the next few weeks.

Do you have your goal race for a PB planned?

Itziger · 22-02-2016 5:25pm

My goal race is one local to me here in Luxembourg. Called the Postlaf cos it's sponsored by the P&T lads. It's a fine run, lots of joggers but a decent top 50 or so too. The course is fair, only one or two sharp turns and only one real hill at km 7. The downhill is long and with a low gradient, perfect for striding out.

Then a week later there's a flat one. It is a bit twisty though and I'm crap at going around bends. I'm not kidding, I lose yards everytime. Last time I did both I was 20 secs faster in the second. Both middle of March. Need to shake this chest thing now and start jogging for a couple of days. I had a buffer too so I won't actually lose any of the sessions.

You're close enough to the 38.30 all the same with that last workout.

aoboa · 22-02-2016 8:06pm

Starting this this week.
Is the one session enough in the week or should I be adding in anything else?

aoboa · 24-02-2016 10:02pm

Well that was tough but kinda fun at the same time.
6 x 1m
Set the watch for 3:30 recovery time.
Gave it a pace range of 7:20 - 7:40 from my Raheny 5m time (37:46)
7:22
7:31
7:16
7:30
7:14
7:35

The odd splits were slightly downhill, the evens slightly uphill.
Hit max HR at the end of each from the 3rd one on.
Funnily enough the first one felt the hardest.
Jogged and walked on the recoveries.
2m warm up, 2m cool down.

Itziger · 25-02-2016 7:30am

aoboa wrote: »

Starting this this week.
Is the one session enough in the week or should I be adding in anything else?

Check back a couple of pages; that is addressed.

aoboa · 25-02-2016 9:46am

Itziger wrote: »

Check back a couple of pages; that is addressed.

Cool. Got it.

Itziger · 28-02-2016 11:08am

Any updates folks? I'm still on easy street, as well as antibiotics. Chest infection taking a while to clear. First target race is a bit touch and go now. Will see how the next few days go and if I'm ok by Thursday or Friday will try the 3x2miler. Any runs at the moment are slow, just to keep the legs turning over and not lose fitness. Don't know if this is right strategy or not tbh.

Myles Splitz · 28-02-2016 11:28am

Itziger wrote: »

Any updates folks? I'm still on easy street, as well as antibiotics. Chest infection taking a while to clear. First target race is a bit touch and go now. Will see how the next few days go and if I'm ok by Thursday or Friday will try the 3x2miler. Any runs at the moment are slow, just to keep the legs turning over and not lose fitness. Don't know if this is right strategy or not tbh.

Be smart regarding the come back, antibiotics tend to hammer the immune system as well as the illness so you want to keep up a few days of low intensity running when you get back before considering sessions.

Mind if I pop in here?

Not following the plan per say however targetting a 10k in May
provided my time gets me into the race (staggered entries open tonight based on your PB every few weeks opening to next 2 min bracket (sub 30, sub 32, sub 34 etc)

The sessions slowly starting to look similar to the ones in the plan. Great to see some of these larger training threads kept going

Last three weeks have had a 10k specific session added in

8x1000m off 2 min rec
7x1200m off 2 min rec
8x1000m off 2 min rec

This week the aim is 6x1500m off 2.30 rec

Paces have been pretty much where I want them in around my current PB which is alot better than this time last year, a good winter has helped with that.

Itziger · 28-02-2016 12:41pm

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Be smart regarding the come back, antibiotics tend to hammer the immune system as well as the illness so you want to keep up a few days of low intensity running when you get back before considering sessions.

Mind if I pop in here?

Not following the plan per say however targetting a 10k in May
provided my time gets me into the race (staggered entries open tonight based on your PB every few weeks opening to next 2 min bracket (sub 30, sub 32, sub 34 etc)

The sessions slowly starting to look similar to the ones in the plan. Great to see some of these larger training threads kept going

Last three weeks have had a 10k specific session added in

8x1000m off 2 min rec
7x1200m off 2 min rec
8x1000m off 2 min rec

This week the aim is 6x1500m off 2.30 rec

Paces have been pretty much where I want them in around my current PB which is alot better than this time last year, a good winter has helped with that.

Good stuff, Myles. Nice to see an alternative, keep posting those sessions.

I'm taking the runs nice and easy. Hoping to do 12k now at 5 min/km, which is about rec. run pace. Bloody chilly out though with a stiff breeze. I'll go on a protected route.

averagejoe123 · 29-02-2016 10:36am

As I have 2 buffer weeks as part of this plan I decided to try a slight variation with 4*1.5 miles off 3 minutes.

I did this on Sunday morning in ideal conditions. First one was actually the hardest just trying to wake up the legs but after that it was manageably tough finishing strong with the 4th being the fastest.

1st- 6.10 average
2nd- 6.08 average
3rd- 6.12 average
4th- 6.04 average

Total average pace- 6.09

52 miles for the week off 6 days running. Only other faster stuff this week was 4 miles progression on Wednesday towards the end of a 10 mile run- 7.10, 6.51, 6.28, 6.11.

I will probably do a parkrun this Saturday with a few strides on Wednesday.

wrstan · 29-02-2016 11:36pm

I have used an abridged version of this plan which works well as a relatively short tune up. It's clearly not as comprehensive as the full McMillan programme, but I have found it good for example during a base building phase, when you want to sharpen up for a 10k race while working towards an A goal at a later stage.

Week 1 key session: 6X800m
Week 2 key session: 6X1m
Week 3 key session: 3X2m @ 10k pace
Week 4: 10k Race

All other runs are easy or recovery, apart from 1 long run with some steady miles each week.

It came from this article

aoboa · 03-03-2016 10:42pm

Did the 12x400m @ 5k off 200m jog tonight.
Wasnt in the mood so had to kick myself out the door.
Found that harder than the 6x1mile last week.
400s all in around 7;10
2.5 mile warm up and 2.5 mile cool down.

muloc · 04-03-2016 10:34am

BUILDUP WORKOUT NO. 1: 6 X 1 MILE

did the first week of this. took a day off the day before to rest which probably helped. Conditions were ideal.
found it ok...was aiming for 6.10 so a few seconds to spare. 3 minutes walk between each:
6.08, 6.08, 6.04, 6.09, 6.08, 6.07

Have increased mileage (as suggested by a few of ye) to about 35/week the last few weeks so I think this has helped a lot. Will increase steadily over the next couple of months.

aoboa · 04-03-2016 11:31am

I need to drop one of the workouts from this plan cos the k-club 10k has moved back a week.
Thinking Week #4: 3M Tempo Run or 5K Race
New to this so unsure if that's the best one.

averagejoe123 · 04-03-2016 1:25pm

aoboa wrote: »

I need to drop one of the workouts from this plan cos the k-club 10k has moved back a week.
Thinking Week #4: 3M Tempo Run or 5K Race
New to this so unsure if that's the best one.

That's good going on the 6*1, very consistent splits.

I would be in favour of the 5k race as you can always throw a few tempo miles into a mid week run as long as sessions are not too close together. I did an 8 miler on Wednesday evening with 4 progression in the middle @ 7.15, 6.54, 6.35 and 6.18. If you are doing 2 sessions a week though I would be very careful not to overdo it on your other runs and keep it very relaxed.

A 5k race will also help you set your goal for the 10k.

Itziger · 05-03-2016 10:01am

About to try the 3x2miler. Haven't done a hard session in two weeks. I have been doing some easy running mind and a small bit of slightly faster stuff. Have been on antibiotics for a week but stopped yesterday. Not sure what to expect. I'll give it a go and if the body can't handle it, I'll step back.

Itziger · 05-03-2016 12:19pm

Done! More or less on target. First and third were spot on, second was a bit of a struggle.

1st 11.44, 2nd 12.00

and 3rd 11.51

Took the full 5 min rec.

averagejoe123 · 07-03-2016 11:20am

That's a great session done Itz especially after coming back after a bad dose. When is your target race? Reading back over the thread you haven't had the best of luck with injuries/illness in the lead up to races so hopefully that's the worst of it over.

Had a strange old week myself, only ran 4 days and 28 miles. Had planned on doing a 5k race on Saturday but after seeing the snow on Friday I thought the weather would be too bad so I decided to do a session on the Friday evening on a treadmill.

Decided to try the 2*2 miles + 2*1 @ 16 kmph (6.02 minute miles). Used 4 minutes rest in between the 2 mile sections and 3 for the 1 mile ones. Found the 2nd 2 mile section very tough but got through it, the rest was manageable and I upped the pace to a 16.5 for the final mile.

Don't know what to take away from this....if anything. I know that I would not be able to replicate this session on the road at my current ability so I am just going to chalk it up as a decent workout and not read too much into the splits. Luckily I have a buffer week so I will repeat this session on the roads in 2 weeks and see how I get on. Saturday ended up being ideal for running which makes it even more annoying.

Going to do a parkrun all out this weekend and a few strides at the end of Wednesday's run.

Myles Splitz · 09-03-2016 1:34pm

muloc wrote: »

BUILDUP WORKOUT NO. 1: 6 X 1 MILE

did the first week of this. took a day off the day before to rest which probably helped. Conditions were ideal.
found it ok...was aiming for 6.10 so a few seconds to spare. 3 minutes walk between each:
6.08, 6.08, 6.04, 6.09, 6.08, 6.07

Have increased mileage (as suggested by a few of ye) to about 35/week the last few weeks so I think this has helped a lot. Will increase steadily over the next couple of months.

Very good session there did a similar one myself (not yet progressed to 1 mile reps but built up to 1500m reps instead

Be careful with increasing intensity and volume at the same time this can put alot of stress on the body and increase injury risk. If you are going to do this make sure that sleep, nutrition and recovery around this are fine (don't hammer your easy days)

Myles Splitz wrote: »

6x1500m @ 10k w/ 2.30 rec

Splits: 5.08, 5.09, 5.08, 5.08, 5.09, 5.10 - (5.30 mile average)

Followed this up with 800 reps later in the week which was closer to 3k-5k work (average 2.30/5.02) pace approx. The next while has these complementing the 10k work after a couple of months of solid tempo work.

muloc · 10-03-2016 3:32pm

muloc wrote: »

BUILDUP WORKOUT NO. 1: 6 X 1 MILE

did the first week of this. took a day off the day before to rest which probably helped. Conditions were ideal.
found it ok...was aiming for 6.10 so a few seconds to spare. 3 minutes walk between each:
6.08, 6.08, 6.04, 6.09, 6.08, 6.07

Have increased mileage (as suggested by a few of ye) to about 35/week the last few weeks so I think this has helped a lot. Will increase steadily over the next couple of months.

Went for another one of the 6 X 1 MILE
5:59,6:01,6:00,6.11,6.13,6.09 (3 minutes walk between each)

mile 4 was tough...felt like I was running in mud!!
felt good starting into mile 5 but lost gps and had to stop and restart. Then was getting crazy times on watch so reckon mile 5 was possibly quicker. Was hoping for a better mile 6 to finish. ok overall.

Itziger · 13-03-2016 11:39am

So, first actual race to report back on. Not exactly a success but I do have a few juicy excuses for that! Bear with me.

First things first. Not a PB. 37.19 on my watch. Second things second. It is a course PB (37.28 in 2014) and I've done it 5 or 6 times.....

It was cold and windy. I'd had a nasty chest infection that lasted almost two weeks. And a root canal on Wednesday afternoon that the swelling hasn't gone completely from. See, told ya!

Seriously though. A little disappointed that I couldn't hit 37 flat. I faded on the hill at km 7 and couldn't make up the time on the last two kms. The stiff breeze here didn't help but I was disgusted to see I was passed by 4 or 5 blokes. That pissed me off, I can tell ya. Don't know how the M50 category went but it would be slim pickings if I did well in it.

Will give the 10k another lash next week. 36.58 here I come.

averagejoe123 · 14-03-2016 10:58am

Good going Itz. Very impressive getting your course pb under those conditions...Fingers crossed you stay injury free for the week and the sub 37 should be no bother to you.

I did my 5k parkrun on Saturday and got a 30 second pb coming in at 17.53. One of those rare days when it all comes together well. Ideal weather conditions, a strong group of 4 working together for most of the run and being able to find that extra gear for the last km to empty the tank.

Unfortunately the date I had for the k club 10k was wrong and I actually can't make it so I am going to have to find another target race. I will hopefully get something in early April.

I am going to do the Limerick half in early May so I am going to have to add in some extra miles over the coming weeks and look at building up my long runs.

If anyone has suggestions for half marathon workouts similar to the Mcmillan 10k ones I am all ears! Last year I did a 3*3 mile off 3-4 minutes 2.5 weeks out from my goal race which proved to be pretty accurate.

48 miles for the week.

onrail · 14-03-2016 1:01pm

Great discussions on here lads.

Anyone have any experience of simply trying the final 3x2mile reps without any build up?

Saw this plan a bit late for my target 10k (This Thursday!) but decided to jump right in and try the 3x3k @10k pace with 5min jogging recoveries yesterday (T minus 4 days).

Aiming for around the 40:00 mark, but haven't raced since last September due to injury (PB 5k is 18:25, 10k is 41:00, but haven't raced one in a year)

Ended up doing 11:53, 12:21, 12:03. Found the middle stretch incredibly difficult for some reason. In truth I'm probably a bit off the 40:00 pace at the minute.

Will be interesting to see if jumping right in at the end will work, If not, will give the full plan a go

averagejoe123 · 14-03-2016 1:37pm

Hi Onrail,

Good to see you are on the mend and back racing.

I think for me jumping in at the 3*3k 4 days out from a goal race could potentially be more of a hindrance than a help. Mcmillan suggests that you do the last 3* 2 mile workout 10 days out from your race. Fingers crossed you are fresh come Thursday and that you can run your best time based on your current fitness. Your 5k time suggests you definitely have the speed to reach your target at some point.

Even if you do go sub 40 why not try the plan to try and bring your PB down even further?

Good Luck!

onrail · 14-03-2016 1:54pm

averagejoe123 wrote: »

Hi Onrail,

Good to see you are on the mend and back racing.

I think for me jumping in at the 3*3k 4 days out from a goal race could potentially be more of a hindrance than a help. Mcmillan suggests that you do the last 3* 2 mile workout 10 days out from your race. Fingers crossed you are fresh come Thursday and that you can run your best time based on your current fitness. Your 5k time suggests you definitely have the speed to reach your target at some point.

Even if you do go sub 40 why not try the plan to try and bring your PB down even further?

Good Luck!

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah I realise it was a bit too close to race day, but really felt I needed to inject some race pace into the legs after such a time out!

We'll see come Thursday anyway - will keep you filled in!

Itziger · 14-03-2016 3:11pm

onrail wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah I realise it was a bit too close to race day, but really felt I needed to inject some race pace into the legs after such a time out!

We'll see come Thursday anyway - will keep you filled in!

As you say yourself, that is cutting it fine time-wise. I thought I was cutting it fine with the 8 day gap and having done the previous sessions.

Good luck with it.

Any suggestions for this week? I'm thinking just 2 or 3 easy spins with maybe a bit of speed or a couple of reps in one of them. Then 'no-excuses' 10k on Sunday.

onrail · 14-03-2016 3:21pm

Out of curiosity, what would you (all) recommend in the week leading up to a race? Tempted to just lie up now until Thursday morning.

Fairly naive and new to the racing thing, as you can probably tell!

averagejoe123 · 14-03-2016 3:59pm

Itziger wrote: »

Any suggestions for this week? I'm thinking just 2 or 3 easy spins with maybe a bit of speed or a couple of reps in one of them. Then 'no-excuses' 10k on Sunday.

With a small amount of time between races I tend do the same number of runs as I usually would in a regular week but cut back on mileage (roughly 50%) and intensity. Doing a few 100m strides a few days out does the trick for me to keep the legs fresh.

averagejoe123 · 14-03-2016 4:03pm

onrail wrote: »

Out of curiosity, what would you (all) recommend in the week leading up to a race? Tempted to just lie up now until Thursday morning.

Fairly naive and new to the racing thing, as you can probably tell!

It would completely depend on what training I had done in the lead up to the race to be honest. What has your training been like for the last few weeks?

onrail · 14-03-2016 4:26pm

averagejoe123 wrote: »

It would completely depend on what training I had done in the lead up to the race to be honest. What has your training been like for the last few weeks?

Typically a speed session on Tuesdays (intervals, Fartleks etc) followed by a relatively long steady run (7-9 miles) on a Thursday and a 7-10 mile steady run on a Sunday. Speed sessions tend to be short (0.4-1k) intervals to 5k in total.

Went a bit heavier at it last week. Did the above, but included a 5 mile treadmill (@ 7:50/Mile) on Monday and Wednesday and the 3x3k+ on Sunday.

Feeling it now tbh.

averagejoe123 · 14-03-2016 4:35pm

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 4:46pm

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 8:22am

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 3:41pm

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 4:05pm

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 4:11pm

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 4:25pm

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 4:30pm

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 8:25pm

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 11:33am

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 11:47am

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 12:06pm

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 1:24pm

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 3:48pm

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

Itziger · 18-04-2016 5:48pm

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 11:31am

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 3:17pm

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

Seannew1 · 23-04-2016 6:51pm

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 8:39am

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 4:11pm

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?

The Best 10k workouts - by Greg Mcmillan

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