Are you looking for a sub 40 10K training plan? You are in the right place. If you want to get started right away, you can find 8-, 12-, and 16-week sub 40 10K training plans on FinalSurge and TrainingPeaks .
Breaking 40 minutes over the 10K is a milestone. It’s far from being elite, but it’s achievable for many runners who put in the time and effort in training. It puts you in the top 10-15% as a male and the top 1-3% as a female.
In this article, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to break 40 minutes over the 10K.
What it Takes to Run a Sub 40 Minute 10K
First off, I would create false expectations if I said that anyone can run a sub 40 10K with the right training. It takes talent, responsiveness to training, and the ability to withstand a certain weekly training volume.
Weekly Training Mileage
Although there is no set weekly training mileage deemed necessary to achieve a sub 40 10K, data from runners suggests that 40 miles (64 km) per week should be sufficient for most. Of course, it’s doable on much less mileage, given talent or a strong endurance background. Others benefit from more mileage. But 40 miles per week is a good vantage point.
Training Frequency
4 runs per week is possible, but you’d have to stay well below 40 miles. I managed sub-35 minutes on 4 runs with 25 miles per week, but the low mileage/high-intensity approach left me frequently injured and pushed my limits in key sessions. Doing 5 or 6 runs is the better choice, as you can comfortably fit in more mileage without making any individual runs too demanding.
Current Fitness Benchmarks
Last but not least, consider your current fitness level. For a sub-40-minute 10K performance, your VO2 max needs to be in the ballpark of 55 – 60 ml/kg/min, and you need a lactate threshold approaching 90% of your maximal aerobic capacity. Those figures can’t be specified precisely because running economy plays a significant role here. With a superior running economy, you’ll get away with a lower VO2 max.
Equivalent Race Results
If you can’t currently break 19:00 minutes over the 5K, a sub 40-min 10K is unrealistic. And if you use your half marathon time as a benchmark, it should be under 1:28 hours. But keep in mind that the 10K does not sit in the middle of the 5K and the half marathon. The 10K is only 5 km longer than a 5K, yet a HM is 10 km longer than a 10K.
Key Workouts in a Sub 40 10K Training Plan
There’s no one magic workout that gets you ready for a superior 10K race performance. You need a variety of runs at different intensities to target different aspects of your running fitness. For runners targeting sub 40 minutes, 10K race pace is significantly slower than VO2 max pace but faster than lactate threshold pace. Therefore, 10K pace isn’t the most effective intensity to maximally stimulate a training response for either of those important running metrics.
Direct Aerobic Support
From the endurance side, the most relevant support workouts are at half marathon pace and 15K pace. At the 40-minute 10K level, half-marathon pace is a high-end aerobic pace above the aerobic threshold (LT1), and 15K pace roughly corresponds to the lactate threshold pace (LT2). Both intensities are foundational for maintaining a 10K pace for 40 minutes.
Direct Speed Support
From a speed perspective, 3K and 5K paces are essential for boosting your VO2 max to the required level, training fast-twitch muscle fibers, and improving buffering capacity at speeds above the lactate threshold. The 3K pace should be almost equivalent to vVo2 max (velocity at VO2 max), meaning the slowest speed at which you reach your maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). However, 5K pace has been shown to be more beneficial as the interval duration can be longer, and therefore, more time can be spent near VO2 max.
10K Race-Specific
Ultimately, the goal is a fast 10K pace. In training, that means building up to 10K race-specific workouts. These could start with 6x 1000m at 10K pace and culminate in 4x 2000m at 10K race pace, with progressively shorter rest intervals as the race draws near. This will not only condition you physically and mentally for the demands of a 10K race but also perfect your running economy at the 10K target pace.
Timeline of a Sub 40 10K Training Plan
The duration of the 10K race preparation depends largely on your current fitness level. If you have a solid aerobic base, you may only need 8 – 12 weeks build up to a 10K peak performance. But if you’re coming off a break, you will need to rebuild your base for 6 – 8 weeks.
Base Training
Base training for the 10K doesn’t differ much from other race distances. That means building up to desired weekly mileage totals with primarily easy running sprinkled with short hill sprints, strides, and short intervals. Over a span of 6 weeks, this establishes an appropriate aerobic base and the neuromuscular power to handle the more demanding workout in the following training phase.
Support Training
This phase entails workouts 1 – 2 race distance up and down from 10K race pace. As mentioned, the aerobic support workouts include efforts at 15K and half-marathon pace, and the speed support workouts are composed of 5K and 3K pace. The support phase should also last about 6 weeks, during which the support workouts evolve to longer segments and shorter rest intervals.
Race-Specific Training
Once the support workouts are complete, your body is ready for race-specific training. 10K-paced efforts are paramount, but challenging direct aerobic support workouts at 15K pace and direct speed support at 5K pace are continued. Long runs are deemphasized to ensure a timely recovery from the 2 weekly key workouts. The taper for the 10K starts 10 days out from race day.
Common Mistakes When Training for Sub 40
Training for a sub 40 10K peak performance certainly isn’t easy. But many runners blunt their progress by making training harder than it needs to be. They run their workouts too fast, do long runs that would put runners of longer distances to shame, and race too often.
Running Workouts Too Fast
The 10K often attracts speed-oriented runners who are endowed with a high percentage of fast-twitch fibers. And those runners thrive on running fast intervals. Unfortunately, many of those runners fall into the habit of running those intervals as fast as they can. The problem with that approach is that these efforts do not result in an additional stimulation of VO2 max but unnecessarily strain the anaerobic system. This comes with a heavy tax on recovery that gets in the way of the following workouts.
Exhausting Long Runs
Long runs are essential for the 10K, and I urge you to approach 12 – 13 miles (20 km) weekly. But as an amateur runner, you don’t need to get past that distance. There is also no need for elaborate, long progression runs as in half marathon and marathon training. You’ve got to remember that the 10K features more intense key workouts on 2 days of the week, and the long run shouldn’t interfere with recovery.
Racing Too Often
Tune-up races are good for gaining race experience and developing the mental fortitude to sustain a challenging pace for a prolonged period. But racing weekly or even biweekly disrupts the training process too much. It takes almost a full week to bounce back from an all-out 10K effort. For that reason, the 5K is often the better choice for a tune-up race. However, since races typically fall on the weekend, make sure you account for the long run that is lost.
