Mark Threlfall: The 10K distance is a popular and challenging distance for
many runners. Whether you're stepping up from the 5K distance or simply looking to improve
on a previous 10K time, we have got you covered. Heather Fell: If you've conquered that 50-minute
barrier, you might well have now set your sights on the 45-minute goal. Well, we are here to help
with your training, your structure, and your pacing that's required for this.
[music] Mark: 45 minutes for 10K,
it's a solid benchmark and worthy target for many runners. Of course, some of you may actually be
looking for something slightly faster than 45 minutes and for others, well, it may not be
quite realistic for your current ability at the moment. A good way to find out how close you are
to this time is to use some recent race times or some times from your training.
45 minutes for 10K. I would suggest that you have covered 5 kilometers in at least 21 or 22 minutes.
Now, breaking the run down into its very basics, 10K in 45 minutes works out a
pace of 4 minutes 30 per kilometer. That's a speed of 13.3 kilometers per hour. Simply put,
if you manage to run at this pace over 10 kilometers, you will achieve your target. However,
do not worry if your current paces aren't quite in line with this just yet. It is
still achievable but it just may take a little bit longer following some good, consistent, and
targeted training and you'll get there eventually. Heather: How you approach your training depends
on the time you've got available and also, your current fitness and your running history. There
is no such thing as one size fits all. If you're managing three to four runs a week and you've got
some structure, then, you're going to be able to reach this goal. Talking of structure, we
want to talk about or include three key sessions covering speed workout, tempo, and recovery runs.
[music] Mark:
Now, then, speed sessions. They're all about boosting your top-end speed, your top-end pace,
whilst making that race pace 45 minutes for 10K more manageable and less destructive
on your body. Now, a typical and a very classic example of a speed session is 10 lots of 400
meters with something like a 1-minute jog or a walk of recovery between each of them. Of course,
this can be progressed, it can be changed with time. If you are doing that, then,
you want to consider three key variables: the time or the distance of each interval,
the number of intervals, and the time or recovery between each of those intervals.
Now, as you progress these sessions, a very important and key part is actually the amount
of time spent at effort. You want to make sure that you're progressing this gradually with time,
there's no drastic changes or you're doing too much time at effort. Again, using an example,
something like 10 lots of 1-minute at effort, you could progress this, then, to 8lots of 90 seconds
at effort. You're then going from 10 minutes at effort to 12 minutes at effort, so a nice gradual
increase in the amount of time at effort. Of course, just make sure that you don't keep on
building yourself week in week out and do allow your body time to recover between at some point.
[music] Heather:
Another great session is the tempo run. This is a brilliant one for getting that
racing feeling and it's also a great way of improving your ability to run at race pace
for longer. You can make it very targeted to the pace and the distance that you're aiming
at. In this case, it is obviously 10K and we're trying to get under 45 minutes. With that in mind,
for the actual session, we're going to back off the race pace slightly so around
10 to 20 seconds slower than race pace which will give us around a 4:40 to a 4:50 per
kilometer. The first block we're going to do as two lots of 10 minutes of running at this pace.
You're going to aim to hold that pace for those 10 minutes. If you don't have a smartwatch, then,
it's around a 7 out of 10 when it comes to the effort level. It's that comfortably uncomfortable.
You're pushing it and it will feel a little bit like you want to back off but you need to try and
keep that intensity there. You're going to have a five-minute complete jog recovery in between
those two efforts. As you get fitter and you want to progress it, you can simply make it up
to three lots of 10 minutes or even do two lots of 15 minutes as a nice progression.
[music] Mark: Now then, we've already
spoken a little bit about recovery in today's video. In theory, it is the easiest thing to do
but it is drastically underestimated in terms of its importance. It is just as important as your
speed sessions and it's just as important as your tempo and threshold sessions. It's an opportunity
for your body to recover, to adapt, and absorb all that hard training it's done. That includes some
easy recovery runs that really should be a nice, easy, and aerobic pace. Aerobic not anaerobic.
Now, to give you an example, Kipchoge, the current marathon world record holder runs
his easy runs at around 4 minutes 30 to 5 minutes per kilometer. I think it's fair to say, you and I
should probably be running them far slower than that. Maybe something around 5 minutes 30 to 6
minutes per kilometer and hey, if you fancy going slower than that again, then listen to your body.
[music] Heather:
All right, you've now got the sessions and you know what they look like. It's looking at the
bigger picture of how to structure it into your week. Let's say, you're running four times a week.
A nice idea would be to start Monday with your speed work, then run again on Wednesday as a
nice recovery run, Friday can be a tempo run, and that leaves the weekend for an extra easy
run. Obviously, you can adapt that to fit whatever works for you. It's just a good grounding starting
point that you can build around from there. Mark: Now, then, how about once you've done
all of this hard training, the race is just around the corner. Well, the week leading into the race,
we really recommend you start tapering your training. This is a reduction in the volume
in your training while still maintaining some intensity. That means that it's keeping
your body alert and your muscles firing. We have actually already got a dedicated video on
this that goes into some depth around tapering in the week leading up to a race. I'll drop a
link for that in the description just down below. In addition to this, make sure the days leading
up to the race, you stay well-hydrated and topped up in carbohydrates and glycogen stores for your
body. The night before, don't try anything too adventurous, it rarely ends well. Just
stick with something you're used to, relatively plain, maybe something like chicken and rice is a
pretty common and popular example. The same goes for your breakfast on the morning of the race.
[music] Heather:
I know many of you will be targeting a specific race but you might also just be
going to do a time trial and trying to get a good time which might be in your own setting,
especially, in the circumstances as they are at the moment. You want to consider the terrain
and the environment that you're running in. If it's purely a fast time you're going for, then,
look for something that's going to be relatively flat and a nice loop, also, a firm surface so
tarmac is a better idea than something that's really loose because you're going to be wasting
energy in the ground moving underneath. Also, you might not have a choice but if
you can look at the weather a few days ahead if you're running on your own, then, look for a day
that's going to be less windy and a perfect temperature to really try and nail that time.
[music] Mark:
Now, we all know that the best pacing strategy is an evenly paced run from start to finish. However,
in reality, so many of us stand on that start line pumped full of adrenaline and start off far too
hard. We can be fooled for thinking that time in the bank early on is beneficial because any time
lost later on doesn't matter then. Actually, though, those that evenly pace their run,
more often than not, end up with a far faster time than those that start off too hard.
When you are stood on that start line, try not to get carried away with the other runners that
are starting off around you. Try to lock into your target pace. A little tip here, if you're running
into a block headwind, try and shelter behind another runner, particularly, a taller one if
you can. If you are running solo or just on your own in a training session and trying to go after
this target 45-minute 10K, maybe ask someone to come along on a bike with you, ride at that target
pace for you and also, block the wind too. Heather: 10K is a tough distance but don't
be disheartened if you don't smash your target right away. It's about
consistency being key and you will get there. Mark: As always, make sure you enjoy the process
and the progression through your training. Don't forget, the race is almost like a
celebration of all that hard work you've put in. Well, there you go. That is how to run a
sub 45-minute 10K. I hope you have enjoyed today's video. If so, give it a Like, let us know in the
comments section down below how you get on. Don't forget to give GTN a follow over on social media
and subscribe just down below. [00:09:01] [END OF AUDIO]