To consider following this 35 minute 10k plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 05:38 for at least a mile (3:30p/km) and/or have a PB under 40 minutes.
If you are not quite ready then take a look at the 40 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: 35 minute 10k
| Pace per Mile | Treadmill Pace | 400m / 800m Splits | 1km Pace | 5km Race Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05:38 | 10.6 mph/ 17.1 km/h | 1:24 / 2:48 | 03:30 secs | 17:30 min |
35 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 | Aim for: 17:30 min | 30mins easy | ||
| Friday | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train | 45mins easy |
| Saturday | 45mins easy | 45mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | |
| Sunday | Long run | 45mins easy | Long run | Rest/ cross-train |
35 Minute 10k Training Plan Components
Breakeven Sessions – 35 minute 10k
These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:
- Easy Run – try and keep it to somewhere in the region of 07:40-08:10 p/mile pace.
- Long Run – this doesn't need to be any longer than 75 minutes at a gentle pace.
Breakthrough Sessions – 35 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 06:10 p/mile pace for 3 miles with a 1 mile warm up/down either side.
- 800m Reps – should be reps at 05:38 p/m or 3:30 p/km pace (2:48 per 800m) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
- 1km Intervals – 05:38 p/m pace (3:30 per km) with a 90 sec jogged recovery.
- 2km Intervals – 05:38 p/m pace (3:30 per km) with a 2 min jogged recovery.
- 3 Mile Tempo – Aim for quicker than 05:38 per mile +1 mile warm up and down at slower pace to suit.
- 5km Time Effort – run a 5k race/training run at your maximum, try and aim for a sub 17:30.
Notes on the 35 Minute 10k Training Plan
The 35 minute 10k plan 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.
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. If you make changes then be sure to introduce them slowly 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 35 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 get the best out of a training plan and achieve the results you want.
I ran 10km 37:44 in February 2023. I want a 8 weeks plan sub 34
I broke 32 minutes when 19year old now I am 36 and would like to go back to 35min
I would do a similar program above when 10 km race fit 4-6 hours is plenty of running specific training as I consistently run 33-34 mins for 10km. The above is better than raw or junk miles for 10 hours.