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Training for a 10krace is the perfect distance for honing both your speed and endurance. The 10k attracts beginners as well as those firing on all cylinders for an impressive PB, which is the goal of one of track running’s greatest spectacles: the Night of the 10,000m PBs in Hampstead Heath, north London. Whether you’re entering your first 10k or seeking a faster time than ever as an old hand, our training ideas and workout tips will give you a great chance of getting 10 out of 10.

you can afford to experiment, get it wrong and try again at another?

In miles, a 10K race is 6.2 miles long. When completed on an athletics track, a 10K race is known as a 10,000m race What are the 10k world records for men and women.

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What is the average 10K time?

Running Level, which holds data from 50 competitive UK races between 2016 and 2020, calculates the average 10K time as 49:43, spanning all ages and genders. Global database RunRepeat, meanwhile, reports 1:02:08 as the average 10K time, based on the average from 35 million race results worldwide. When the sexes are separated, RunRepeat records the average 10K time as 1:06:54 for women and 57:15 for men.

What are the 10k world records for men and women?

There are a couple of 10k world records depending on the surface: one time on the track and another for 10k races that take place on roads.

On the road, Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich set the current 10K women’s world record of 28:46 in Valencia in January 2024. Fellow Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto set the 10K men’s world record of 26:24 in January 2020, again in the Spanish city of Valencia.

Meanwhile, the current men’s outdoor 10,000m world record of 26:01 was set by Ugandan Joshua Cheptegi in October 2020. The women’s outdoor 10,000m world record of 28:54, held by Kenyan Beatrice Chebet, What you need to know about popular race distances.

How to choose between morning and evening runs?

Strictly speaking, if you’re a complete beginning, it’s better to get up to 10k distance in stages. The Is it possible to do a couch to 10k plan will build your base level of fitness at a careful rate of progression and avoid the risk of injury if you push yourself too quickly towards 10k. Once that’s done you can follow a 5Best Garmin deals which keeps the progression of the longer runs moving upwards ar a rate of about 10-15% a week. As your long runs get longer, it’s well established that Jeffing is good for you – the technique of mixing running and walking named for the US Olympian and author Jeff Galloway

how to run your best 10k

How many weeks should you allow for 10k training?

As we said above, if you’re a complete beginner How to tackle long run anxiety and feel confident 5k training plan first. Otherwise, there are various schedules you can use depending on how much time you have until race day. Here are our suggestions:

Two-week training plan

Clearly this isn’t an option for total beginners, nor does it give seasoned runners much time to see big improvements, but the six sessions in our two-week plan will help with fine-tuning the fitness you already have and give opportunities to run at your best 10k pace. It will also help with learning to run more efficiently.

Four-week training plan

A four-week plan gives you enough time to improve your fitness and put some more speed in your legs. There are two options here: one for runners who can train for three days a week, Agnes Ngetich breaks the 10K record in Valencia five days a week. Each option loosely relates to a range of target 10K times, which are shown at the top of each schedule.

This isn’t really a plan to start from scratch. If you do find yourself with a 10k race in four weeks and not much of a base level of fitness, the most useful thing you can do is concentrate on gradually increasing the distance of your training runs rather than worrying about speed. However if you are already at a point where you’ve been covering around 16-20 miles of running a week, you could see some bigger gains here

Eight-week training plan

With eight weeks to play with, you’re capable of seeing huge gains in your fitness for a 10k. If you’re thinking way ahead, the upcoming 10k is an A-race for you and you want to do everything possible to go for your best time, a two to four month build-up ahead of this, in which the focus is on working off a solid mileage base, would also be a good idea.

Runners who train three times a week should build up to running 20-25 weekly miles before starting the targeted eight-week plan. Runners who train What are the paces I should be running at in training should aim for 35-40 miles of running a week, while those who train six or seven times a week to 45-50 miles. should be hitting 45-50 miles a week. While you can vary your pace slightly to maintain interest during these build-up weeks, save the real speed work for the final eight-week focus.

What time should I be aiming for in a 10k race?

week 10K training plans, newbies to the 10K distance needn’t obsess over it. Doing so can add unwelcome pressure and potential disappointment if you’ve chosen an overly ambitious goal time.

That said, the 10K does lend itself to some watermark time goals. Breaking the hour is a good target for beginners, while faster or more experienced runners might target breaking 50 minutes. For club runners, meanwhile, running a sub-40-minute 10K remains a popular target.

How to choose between morning and evening runs Summer running gear sale to give you a sense of what you might be able to run over 10K.

Here are six tried and tested 10K training sessions that will prime your body and mind for race day 10K-specific running session. This could be something like 5 x 2km at 10K target pace, with three-minute recoveries. If you can nail this session, you can have confidence your time goal is realistic.

You can also predict your 10K time based on your parkrun time. ‘I think you can make pretty good assumptions about what you can run for a 10K when you’re running certain things for a 5K,’ says British Olympian Chris Thompson, a former elite distance runner who boasts an impressive road 10K PB of 28:17. ‘If you’re training for a 5K, specifically, I think there’s a good chance you’re probably doing enough [to accurately estimate your 10K time]. If you can run 20 minutes for a 5K and want to run 40 minutes for a 10K, then you might fall short – but it won’t be by too much.’

What are the paces I should be running at in training?

‘In terms of pace, you have to train over-distance, under-distance and at distance,’ says Thompson. ‘So, when it comes to 10K training, I’d try to dedicate an equal amount of effort each week to training like I’m running a half marathon, training like I’m running a 5K and training like I’m running a 10K. Then, as you hone in on race day, you focus more and more on specific 10K work.’

How should I pace my 10K on race day?

For the vast majority of runners, the best strategy will be to run even splits – in others words, to keep a constant pace throughout. This is easier said than done, however, as race-day excitement can often lead to runners going off How to maintain fitness while relaxing on holiday. Doing so can lead to significant late-in-the-race slowing – and an even more painful race-day experience.

A recent study illustrated the problems with ‘fluctuating pace’ during a 10K. The researchers had 10 male runners complete two 10K treadmill trials: one at a constant speed (80% of VO2 max, approx. marathon pace), one fluctuating between 75% and 85% of VO2 max. Throughout the runs, blood lactate, oxygen uptake, breathing rate and finishing times were measured. While finishing times was identical in both trials – 38:36 on average – fluctuating pacing increased blood lactate, oxygen utilisation and breathing rate. In short, fluctuating pacing was less efficient.

That said, if you’re willing to dig deep and try to hang on, a more aggressive pacing strategy might still pay off. This is what is known as a ‘controlled fade’, a tactic in which you run the first half of your race slightly quicker than goal pace, building in a small time buffer for late-in-the-race slowing. And, since a 10K is not nearly so long as something like a marathon, you can afford to experiment, get it wrong and try again at another 10K race in a month’s time.

‘You’ve got to learn how you, as an individual, best function for the event,’ says Thompson. ‘When you’re starting out at any distance, go into it with an open mind. Tell yourself, “I might have to do this a few times before I find my optimum performance,” and bear in mind that the chance of you nailing a 10K first time and coming away going, “Oh, I couldn’t have got any more out of myself,” is unlikely. We all have to go through that learning process. You can develop a really beautiful relationship with your own ‘red line’ and your own coping mechanisms. You can think, “This is impossible – I’m too tired and I can’t do this.” But then you learn that, sometimes, you can actually pull it off – you can pull off the impossible.’

How to maintain fitness while relaxing on holiday

Here are six tried and tested 10K training sessions that will prime your body and mind for race day.

1.5 mile progression

Why should I do it?

  • It’s hard to resist the temptation to go out How to maintain fitness while relaxing on holiday of a race. This session will help you to get a grip on the feel of your ideal race pace by having you hold back during the first repeat and then make things faster. It will also help with your confidence by giving you plenty of distance to run at around race pace.

How should I do it?

  • After a 10-minute jog and 4 x 50m accelerations, run three repeats of 1.5-mile. Run the first repeat slightly slower than your 10K goal pace, the second right on goal pace and the third slightly faster than goal pace. Recover between each with a slow, three-minute jog. Cool down for 10 minutes.

Cut-down laps

Why should I do it?

  • This session is for practising different race paces three laps at a time. You should wrap up feeling spent, as you’re getting faster each time. It’s a good challenge for your focus and strength to keep this one going all the way.

How should I do it?

  • After a 15-minute warm-up that ends in four 15-second accelerations, do 3 x 400m at 10K pace, with 200m recovery jogs; 3 x 400m repeats at 5K pace, with the same recovery intervals; then 3 x 400m repeats at your one-mile pace, with the same recoveries. Jog for 400m between each set and then, to finish, warm down for 10-15 minutes.

Flying 500s

Why should I do it?

  • This is another session that gets you locked in to your ideal 10k race pace. Because the speed builds it will improve your strength for 5k races too.

How should I do it?

  • After a 10-15-minute warm-up, run 10 x 500m, with two-minute recoveries. Begin at slightly slower than your 10K race pace, then gradually build up your speed so that your last repeat is slightly faster than your 10K race pace.

10K tune-up

Why should I do it?

  • We recommend adding this session to your routine three or four weeks before your race. By mixing both speedwork and tempo running you’ll feel really ready to run a fast 10k.

How should I do it?

  • After a warm-up, do 3 x 800m, with two-minute recoveries between each repeat and a three-minutes recovery at the end of the set. Then, do 3 x 400m, with 90-second recoveries between them and a five-minutes recovery at the end of the set. Do both sets at your goal 5K pace or quicker. Next, run for 10 minutes at tempo (or ‘comfortably hard’) pace and rest for five minutes. Finally, do 4 x 200m at a fast but not all-out pace, with 60-second recoveries.

10K simulation

Why should I do it?

  • This session develops your confidence and helps to give you a strong finish. ‘I call it a simulation because it mirrors the 10K distance while emphasising running hard, even when you’re tired,’ says Linda Somers Smith, a former Chicago Marathon champion.

How should I do it?

  • Warm up for 10 minutes, including 4 x 50m accelerations. Then, run 2 x 800m at your 5K pace, with 400m jog recoveries at the end of each repeat. Follow that with a four-mile run at a pace that is slightly slower than your half marathon pace. Finish with 2 x 800m at your 5K pace, then warm down.

Chris Thompson session

Why should I do it?

  • This session, named for the British marathon runner, is worth doing close to race day. It fine tunes your feel for your race pace by shifting the speed slightly up and down. If you feel comfortable with this one, you’re ready, but if it feels too hard, you may need to lower your expectations slightly for your race.

How should I do it?

Approximately 10-12 days out from your target 10K race, run 12 x 1km, with 90 seconds of rest between each repeat. Work out your target pace – say, 4:00 min/km – and alternate your 1km reps so that they are five seconds faster and five seconds slower than this. (For this example, that would be 1km at 3:55 min/km, followed by 1km at 4:05 min/km).