10K Training For Intermediate Runners

As I say in every one of my training programs, the first thing you need to do when you start your program is to specify your goals.  As an intermediate 10K runner, I’ll assume your goal isn’t just to finish, it’s probably a specific time goal.  

I want you to set three performance goals. 

The first goal is your stretch goal.  This is the race pace that you’ll be absolutely ecstatic about.  Your second goal should be your most realistic goal.  This is the goal you truly believe you can accomplish if you train hard (and if you follow my program, I guarantee you will achieve your desired race results).  Your third goal is the one that you have to reach to be satisfied.  Failing to reach this goal is a huge disappointment that should only happen if things go seriously wrong.  Don’t be afraid to set this bare minimum goal!  In fact, this is your most important goal, because it’s the one that will scare you into training hard when you’re not sure it’s worth it.

Let’s talk about the 10K training program

For an intermediate 10K program, I like an 8-week training cycle.  You should already be capable of running 10 kilometers; this is really about getting faster.  If you have to walk a little during a 6-mile run, that’s OK.  Don’t run off to the beginner program, you can still handle this.  For a peak 10K performance, I prefer to ramp up to 6+ miles very quickly, dip the miles around week 4, then amp it back up again to make sure you are peaking and healthy for the race. Without further adieu, let’s get started.

Intermediate 10K Training Program

Details about the 10K Training Plan

All runs should start with a short 3-5 minute warm-up and 3-5 minute cooldown.  This is to get the blood flowing, nothing more.  This can be a swift walk or a slow jog.  It’s a critical part of the training, don’t think about skipping it!

Easy means easy.  Not as easy as the warm-up, but heavy exertion.  A simple test is the “talk test.”  You should be able to carry on a conversation.  If you are alone, you don’t need ot talk to yourself, just make sure you could talk if you wanted to.

Medium means it would be a little difficult to talk.  You can talk, but there’s some heavy breating between sentences.

Hard means you can’t talk.  You can grunt some words, but you shouldn’t be able to have a conversation.  No matter your age or fitness level, you can run hard (relatively).  This is important if you really want to reach your stretch goal.  If you don’t want to reach your stretch goal, you shouldn’t have set it.

A tempo run should start easy for 5 minutes, run hard for 10+ minutes, then back to easy for 5 minutes.  So a 20 minute tempo run is 5-10-5, a 60 minute tempo run is 5-50-5.  Got it?

Recovery means take it as easy as you need to.  You should feel better when you finish than when you started.  If that means walking or a painfully slow jog, then do that.  Remember, the goal of recovery is to set yourself up for a future run, don’t do anything that would degrade your next performance.

Intervals are a series of running fast for a short duration, then slow to recover.  For all intervals, I want you to run 10 minutes Easy, then run 5 repetitions of 3 minutes Hard, 2 minutes recovery.  The hard parts should be very hard.  The purpose of interval training is train your body to recover, so make sure you recover well dring those 2 minutes of recovery. 

X-training is something physical you like to do for fun.  No, Wii Fit does not count.  Biking, hiking, walking, yoga, stretching, and weight lifting are all good examples, but there are many more.

Preparing the night before your 10K race

You have done all the hard work to prepare, now relax.  You don’t need to carbo load like you would a marathon, so don’t do it.  You have 1800 calories worth of available carbohydrate cells with immediate energy stored away.  You burn somewhere between 125-150 calories per mile.  You will not come close to needing those carbohydrates.  So eat a normal meal, drink lots of water, and get to bed early.

Have a beer or glass of wine if it helps ease your nerves, but just one! 

After your race, make sure to come back and let me know how it goes.  Just add a comment to this article.

See Also:

• 5K Training For Beginner Runners