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Training for: a Faster 10K

I'm getting back into my running after a couple of years off. I've run two 10k races recently and clocked 40:13 and 38:49. The latter was a flat, fast course, and the time probably reflects the best I can do at present. 38:49 is around the best I've ever done, so I'm a little uncertain about how to now push on to get back time further down, eg I've been training consistently towards 10 k races for ~4 months, but have trained regularly for most of my life. I do 3 sessions a week: (1) 45-min somewhat hard; (2) 5x 6-min above race pace with 3-min easy recovery; (3) 10x 1-min at 20kmh, 1-min jog recovery. I progress duration or intensity of session over 3 weeks, then have a recovery week. I then start the next block of 3 weeks at the levels/times of the previous week 2. Have also been working with a sport psych to get my head right for my races. Is it simply a case of continuing to progress my intensities and durations gradually? Do I need to increase my frequency? Any advice would be much appreciated.
Best wishes Garry

Hi Garry,

Thanks for your question and congratulations on that 38:49 — genuinely impressive for someone who's been back at it for just four months.

I'll break my response down as follows:

1. Why your current training is keeping you stuck at 38:49
2. How to restructure your weekly training balance
3. Building your aerobic base with proper periodization
4. Adding frequency with easy volume

Let's face it — you're hammering yourself with three tough sessions every week, and that's exactly why you're stuck at 38:49.

Why Your Current Training Keeps You Stuck at 38:49

Garry, the problem is immediate. You're doing a 45-minute "somewhat hard" run, 5x6 minutes above race pace, and 10x1 minute at 20kph. That's three quality sessions with zero easy running.

Here's what I'd recommend instead — flip it completely. One hard session per week, two maximum. The rest should be easy aerobic running that builds your engine.

For your 38:49 fitness level, structure it like this: one or two tempo running sessions, and everything else easy. This gives your body time to absorb the training stress while developing speed.

Many of us get trapped in this cycle of constant intensity. You feel like you're working hard, but you're preventing the adaptations that make you faster.

Restructure Your Weekly Balance

Your three-week progression with a recovery week is smart periodization, Garry, but you're applying it to the wrong type of training. I'd like you to build aerobic capacity first, then add speed work.

For the next 8-12 weeks, focus primarily on easy mileage with minimal intensity and some tempo running. This sounds backwards, but it's exactly what your body needs to break through this plateau.

Your aerobic system powers 85%+ of a 10K race. By running everything hard, you're neglecting the engine that determines your race performance.

Build Your Aerobic Base First

You're currently running three days per week. And getting to 38:49 with only three runs per week is very impressive. But to get significantly faster, I highly recommend you run more often — but those additional runs should all be easy.

Start next week by adding one 30-minute easy run. After two weeks, add another. Within a month, you could be running five days per week.

These easy runs should feel genuinely conversational — if you can't chat comfortably, you're going too hard. These runs do the heavy lifting for your 10K improvement.

Your weekly mileage should gradually increase. from your current level to around 35-40 miles per week. This gives you the aerobic foundation to support faster race paces.

When it comes to mileage, more is almost always better. However, take your time with it. See this as a long term plan. You are running 2-3 hours per week at present. Build it up over the next few months to 3+ hours. When you are feeling fine with that additional training stress, build up further.

When You Add Speed Work Back

When you do include intensity after building that base, it can be more targeted for 10K racing. Your current workouts are intense.

That 5x6 minutes above race pace is perfect structurally. Keep this as your main tempo session, but run it at 10K-15k pace, i.e. at or below race pace, not faster. This type of pace teaches your body to clear lactate efficiently at race pace. I know it sounds completely the wrong way around; slowing down to get faster. But I hope you believe me and give it a shot - it's a great way to train and to get structurally faster.

I prefer to see structurally more tempo running in your schedule. Anything around the 15k-30k pace mark will do wonders for your 10k races. I'd remove the 10 x 1 minute at 20kph. It is too short and too fast for 10K development. If you have to do intervals, move them to about 5k pace and make them longer, e.g. change the session to 6x3 minutes at 5K pace (roughly 6:00 pace for you) with 90-second recoveries. This develops your VO2 max more effectively through proper interval running.

A simple way to think about is that you are doing one workout slightly slower than race pace (tempo) and one slightly faster (intervals). This brackets your race pace and develops both systems you need.

These workouts should feel controlled, not like you're hanging on for dear life. Good training should leave you feeling like you could do one more rep.

You have sub-37 potential if you restructure your training properly. The mental side work you're doing with all this hard training is excellent, but your physical preparation needs this rebalancing.

For somewhat slower runners than Garry looking to break similar time barriers, a good read is the following page: how quickly you can get to sub-40 minutes for a 10k.

Keep posting on how it goes, and don't be afraid to slow down most of your running. Counter-intuitive as it sounds, that's exactly what will get you faster.
Dom

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