To consider following this 40 minute 10k plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 06:26 for at least a mile (4:00p/km) and/or have a PB under 45 minutes.
If you are not quite ready then take a look at the 45 minute 10k training plan instead and then come back to this one once you are in a position to run at this pace.
Other 10k training plans: Sub 60 min 10k training plan|| 55 minute 10k || 50 minute 10k || 45 minute 10k || 40 minute 10k || 35 minute 10k
Please read before starting a training plan:
Frequently Asked Questions | Signs of Overtraining
Your Speed/Distance Training Zones: 40 minute 10k
| Pace per Mile | Treadmill Pace | 400m / 800m Splits | 1km Pace | 5km Race Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:26 | 9.3 mph/ 15 km/h | 1:36 / 3:12 | 04:00 secs | 20:00 min |
40 minute 10k Training Plan
| Day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | 4 (rec week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 45mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | 30mins easy | Rest/ cross-train |
| Tuesday | 30mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | ||
| Wednesday | Rest/ cross-train | 30mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train |
| Thursday | @6:26 p/m (4:00 p/km) 2 min Rec | Aim for : 20:00min | @6:26 p/m (4:00 p/km, 3:12 per 800m) 90s Rec | 30mins easy |
| Friday | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train | 45mins easy |
| Saturday | 45mins easy | @6:26 p/m (4:00 p/km) 90s Rec | 45mins easy | Rest/ cross-train |
| Sunday | Long run, gentle pace: 60-75 mins | 45mins easy | Long run, gentle pace: 60-75 mins | Rest/ cross-train |
40 Minute 10k Training Plan Components
Breakeven Sessions – 40 minute 10k
These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:
- Easy Run – this should be no quicker than 08:25-08:55 per mile pace.
- Long Run – this doesn't need to be any longer than 75 minutes.
Breakthrough Sessions – 40 minute 10k
These sessions are meant to be challenging intense efforts, treat them as mini-milestones towards your target:
- Tempo Run – hard but sustainable effort, usually about 30 mins in total and aim for 06:55 p/mile pace for 3 miles with a 1 mile warm up/down either side.
- 800m Reps – should be reps at 06:26 p/m pace (3:12 per 800m) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
- 1km Intervals – 06:26 p/m pace (4:00 per km) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
- 2km Intervals – 06:26 p/m pace (4:00 per km) with a 2min jogged recovery.
- 5km Time Effort – run a 5k race/training run at your maximum, try and aim for a sub 20:00.
Notes on the 40 Minute 10k Training Plan
The 40 minute 10k plan has been put together so it is cyclical and can be used over a period of weeks until you feel you are ready for your 10k event. At the end of each cycle you can repeat from the beginning or tweak the plan to suit your current ability and time commitments etc. As you improve you'll maybe want to incorporate some sessions from our other 10k training plans.
If, after a couple of rotations you want to make the plan harder, you could slowly increase the number of reps for the breakthrough speed sessions. Introduce changes slowly and over a few weeks, i.e., Week 1 = 3x2km Reps, Week 5 = 4x2km Reps, Week 8 = 5x2km reps, etc. Obviously there is only so far you can go with this, there would be no point in extending these way beyond the 10k distance. The other way of making the plan harder is to adjust the pace slightly and run faster!
It is recommended that after three months of using the 40 minute 10k plan that you reduce your training for a period of one to two weeks to allow your body time to recover from the impact of running. This should mean more time cross-training with a couple of nice easy runs every few days to keep the legs ticking over.
To realise improvements it’s worth remembering that training is cumulative and it takes time and dedication to follow any training plan and achieve the results you want.
On this plan there is more rest days and includes Tempo runs where as the sub 20 5k plan doesn’t have tempo runs and has more hogher speed intervals. Any reason why they are very different (apart from it being douvle the distance?)
Poor spelling on that one. Sorry!
On this plan there is more rest days and includes Tempo runs where as the sub 20 5k plan doesn’t have tempo runs and has more hogher speed intervals. Any reason why they are very different (apart from it being douvle the distance?)