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- There are certain benchmarks
when it comes to times and distances for running.
And for me, it's that elusive 40-minute 10K.
- But whatever your current running goal is,
we're going to give you the training tools
and tips that will make you run a fast 10K.
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- Let's be realistic and start by working out
what your current 10K time would be.
Now, don't worry if you don't have
a 10K PB at the moment.
There are several other ways in which you can
work out your predicted 10K pace.
- But just to be clear, a predicted 10K time
wouldn't simply be double your 5K time
should you have one.
But if you do, or a half-marathon or other
similar running distances, then you can input
them into this pace calculator which should
give you a 10K predicted time.
- If this predicts you at a minute or so
and you're eight weeks away from your target race,
then that should be a realistic target,
depending on the training you've been doing
up until now.
If, however, it comes out at you being able
to already run a 40-minute or under,
then, with the correct pacing and the right conditions,
there's no reason you can't go and do that tomorrow.
- If you have a different target time, however,
then let's be realistic.
Assess how much training you're currently doing,
the timeskill you've got 'til your target race,
and just simply work backwards from there.
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- Now you've got your race pace, you can
work out what pace you need to train at.
So, it's time to get the work done.
In order to run a fast 10K, you're going
to need to mix up your training.
That includes speed work, so running faster
than your race pace.
You'll need to do some work that's at
or around race pace, tempo runs, which
will be a little bit slower,
and then long, steady runs.
But if you are stepping up from being a 5K runner,
consistency is going to be key.
- And for the simplicity of the maths,
let's issue a spot-on 40-minutes 10K.
So that gives us four minutes per kilometre,
or, for the non-metrics amongst you,
6:26 per mile.
So let's assume that you've got the ability
to do four to five runs in your week,
however, if you're only currently doing,
let's say, two to three, then be sure not to
build that frequency up too quickly.
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Include one long, steady run.
Should be longer than your race,
so in this case, more than 10K.
And if you're going to be running with a friend,
then you should be able to chat for the whole duration.
And this is important, because you really won't
gain any extra from doing it that much faster,
and that builds the aerobic base that we're looking for.
And going any faster actually is going
to be detrimental in the long run.
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- This is running at your anaerobic threshold
where your body isn't producing more lactic
than it can remove, so you're not going to get
a build-up of lactic acid and you won't get
that horrible jelly-leg feeling.
It's often thought of as being comfortably hard
so running at around 90% of your maximum heart rate
and a pace that you should be able to maintain
for 20 to 25 minutes.
This is going to be slightly slower than your race pace,
but don't get hung up on looking at your watch.
It's more about the effort, so you're going
to be running at your top-end, and it's
a session I personally really enjoy
'cause it feels like you've done a really decent
amount of work afterwards.
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- Speed work.
These are about the sessions that are going
to help you with your top-end speed.
But I'll warn you, if it's done correctly,
they're going to hurt.
This is about the quality.
It's going to be running faster than your race pace,
but, of course, for shorter intervals.
For example, a session of six to eight by 800's
targeting just faster than your race pace.
Race pace being 96 seconds per lap,
so giving us 3:05 to 3:10 per 800 metres
with two minutes of rest between each 800.
Then, each week, progress this by reducing
your rest and or increasing the number of reps.
But crucially keeping the pace the same.
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- You need strength endurance for a 10K
and hills are a great way to build this.
So try to incorporate at least once a week
either a short, sharp hill effort
when you run hard up the hill
and then recover by jogging back down it.
So, for example, 45-second efforts times 10,
or incorporate it into a longer run.
If you're doing it on a longer run,
find an undulating terrain and then you'll
naturally work hard up the hills,
easy down the hills, making it into
a natural Fartlek-type run.
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- Now, this is as per the long run
but it should be even easier.
This is just about the mind switching off,
you're getting the body moving.
And it really doesn't matter how slowly you run
for this run because it really is just about
getting the blood flowing, the legs moving,
and simply spending some time on your feet.
I know we've talked about five sessions here,
but if you're only going to do, say,
four sessions in the week, then you could
interswap the Fartlek and hill session
with, say, the tempo run.
Or you could simply remove the easy active recovery
and add in a swim or some other form of active recovery.
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- No matter how long your training block has been,
don't forget to include in a taper
and make sure your legs are fresh
when you get to race day.
There's no point in doing loads of training
but then coming in with tired, heavy legs.
And on the flip side, you also don't want
to taper off too soon because you don't want
to start losing form and fitness.
So, as you do reduce the volume,
keep up some work with intensity,
so a few bits of efforts running at race pace,
doing some strides slightly above race pace
as well will help just keeping your legs
tuned in and getting them ready to race.
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- By race day, you've done all the hard work
and you should have a pretty good gauge
of where you're at from all that training
and pretty much have that pace locked in.
And, if you're going to be racing using a GPS watch,
be sure to set the lap times to give you splits
per K or per mile so you can check
the pacing during the event.
But please be mindful that it's all too easy
to go off too hard, so just be careful because
you're going to have fresh legs,
especially if the taper has gone well.
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- On race day, you've already rested,
and because of that, your legs
are going to need a thorough warm-up.
There's nothing worse than having
really fresh legs that feel great,
but take a couple of K to actually
get warmed up into the race.
So, if you want to actually see how
to do a good race warm-up,
we've already made a video on that
which you can find in the description
below this video.
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- Finally, don't forget to nail your race nutrition.
Try and have a high-carb meal minimum
of three hours before and limit fibre intake
in the 24 hours leading up to it.
Don't forget about being well hydrated either,
but equally try not to overdo it.
As for fueling during the race,
you're not going to deplete your glycogen stores
in the 40 minutes but should you wish to take
a gel during the race's second half,
please make sure you try that in training beforehand.
And remember, if you're racing somewhere
particularly hot, then taking water on board
throughout is a good idea.
But only small steps at a time.
Consistency is key for anything,
especially when you're aiming for a personal best.
- Yeah, exactly.
So, find a target race and then work out
your target time and stick to your training plan.
I think, on that, I probably should
practise what I preach and find
a fast 10K course and break that 40-minute barrier.
- Well, good luck with that, Heather.
Hope it goes well. - Thank you.
- And if you've liked this video,
please give us a thumbs-up.
And if you want to subscribe,
please do that here.
And if you want to see the video
that Heather talked about,
about how to warm up for running,
please click here.
- And, if you want to try and work out your
run pace for your next triathlon,
we've done a triathlon training explain video
and that's just here.