Advanced 10k Training Plan: 10 Weeks for 35 to 40 Minutes

A 10-week advanced 10k plan for 35 to 40 minute runners: six runs a week, peak 65 km, 86 % easy, 25-minute tempos and 10k-pace reps. Free, from your race.

Sven Ahrens

An advanced 10k plan runs 10 weeks at six runs a week, peaks at about 65 km, and keeps 86 % of that running easy. It fits runners whose fitness predicts a 35 to 40 minute 10k: roughly a 16:50 to 19:20 5k, or a half marathon between about 1:17 and 1:29. Sub-38 sits in the middle, sub-35 at the fast edge.

The 10 weeks

Sample plan · Advanced 10k

10 weeks, 6 runs a week, peak 65 km, longest run 17 km. Built for a recent 5k of 18:00 (VDOT 56.3). 86 % of the running is easy.

BaseBuildPeakTaper
WeekKmKey sessionsLong run
1 Base46Easy running only13 km long run
2 Base51Easy running only16 km long run + strides
3 Base55Tempo run: 15 min T16 km long run
4 Base, recovery43Cruise intervals: 3 × 1.6 km T (1 min jog)13 km long run
5 Build58Broken tempo: 2 × 11 min T (2 min jog); Long intervals: 4 × 4 min I (4 min jog)16 km long run
6 Build65Tempo run: 25 min T; 5k time trial17 km long run + strides
7 Peak6410k pace reps: 3 × 1.6 km race pace (90 s jog); Cruise intervals: 4 × 1.6 km T (1 min jog)16 km progressive long run
8 Peak, recovery4810k pace sets: 2 × (2 × 1 km race pace / 200 m jog), 3 min between sets; Broken tempo: 2 × 9 min T (2 min jog)14 km long run
9 Peak6410k pace reps: 3 × 1.6 km race pace (90 s jog); Tempo run: 25 min T16 km progressive long run
10 Taper35 + raceSharpener: 4 × 2 min race pace (2 min jog); race dayNone, race week
Open this plan with your own race time →
Generated by the TrainingZones plan generator. Easy runs fill the other days. T threshold, I interval, R repetition, M marathon pace.
  • Base, weeks 1 to 4. 46 to 55 km, long runs of 13 to 16 km. Threshold from week 3: a 15-minute tempo, then 3 × 1.6 km cruise intervals.
  • Build, weeks 5 and 6. Up to 65 km. 2 × 11 minutes broken tempo with 4 × 4 minutes at interval pace, then a 25-minute tempo. A 5k time trial closes week 6. Long runs of 16 and 17 km.
  • Peak, weeks 7 to 9. 3 × 1.6 km at 10k pace, sets of 2 × 1 km with 200 metre jogs, 4 × 1.6 km cruise intervals and a 25-minute tempo. Long runs of 16 km finish with 3 km at threshold.
  • Taper, week 10. About 55 % of peak volume, four 2-minute race-pace pickups, then race day.

Who counts as advanced

The level comes from Jack Daniels' VDOT, one number from a recent race that sets every training pace. Advanced means a predicted 10k of 35 to 40 minutes, roughly VDOT 52 to 61. A 38-minute 10k is VDOT 55.2. Breaking 40 is where this plan begins. The sample runner has an 18:00 5k, VDOT 56.3, which predicts 37:20.

10k finishRace paceEasyMarathonThresholdInterval
35:003:304:11–5:013:503:383:20
37:303:454:28–5:214:063:533:33
40:004:004:45–5:414:234:073:47
Paces per km for advanced 10k runners (35:00–40:00), from Daniels' VDOT equations.

More easy running, not more intervals

Compare this plan with the intermediate version. The advanced runner gets about 15 more kilometres a week at the peak. Almost none of that is hard. The quality sessions are a little longer: tempo from 20 to 25 minutes, cruise intervals from three reps to four, VO2max reps from three minutes to four. The rest is easy running, and the easy share rises from 85 to 86 %.

That is the pattern in the research. Casado (2021) found world-class distance performance is best predicted by the volume of easy running plus deliberate practice of tempo and short intervals. Haugen (2022) found world-class runners keep at least 80 % of their volume at low intensity at every point of the year. This plan follows it: more easy running under the same two quality days.

The structure around it:

  • Two quality days that never touch, and a rest day after the long run.
  • Weekly volume rises at most 10 % between loading weeks.
  • Recovery weeks 4 and 8 at about 75 % volume.

Your own plan

The 10k training plan generator builds all 10 weeks from your recent race, your weeks until race day, your running days and your long-run day. Add a goal like 37:59 and it shows the gap to your prediction. The week-6 time trial updates every pace. Free, no email, PDF included.

FAQ

What 5k time do I need for a sub-38 10k? About 18:20, VDOT 55.2. A half marathon of 1:24 predicts the same.

How many kilometres a week for a sub-38 10k? This plan peaks at 65 km on six days. On five days it caps at 65 km too, with longer mid-week runs.

Why is there only one VO2max session a week? In the build, one VO2max and one threshold session share the week. In the peak, 10k-pace reps take the VO2max slot. The race runs 7 to 8 seconds per km faster than threshold and 10 to 13 seconds per km slower than interval pace, so the plan spends more of its time near threshold.

Can I use this plan for a 10k in the middle of a marathon build? Better to run the marathon plan and race the 10k as a tune-up. This plan's taper and peak are built around the 10k itself.

Only need your training paces? Enter a recent race:

당신의 수치

해당 거리의 완주 기록.

모든 계산은 브라우저에서 즉시 이루어집니다. 어떤 것도 저장되거나 전송되지 않습니다.

VDOT

49.8

Daniels 러닝 피트니스 점수

존범위무엇을 단련하는가
E

쉬움 / 롱런

4:54–5:53 /km

M

마라톤

4:26–4:51 /km

T

역치

4:16–4:28 /km

I

인터벌

3:51–4:01 /km

R

리피티션

3:19–3:42 /km

E · 쉬움 / 롱런. 유산소 기초, 모세혈관, 지방 대사; 주간 볼륨의 대부분. RPE 3–4, 대화 가능.

M · 마라톤. 마라톤 특화 지구력과 경제성. RPE 5–6, 꾸준함.

T · 역치. 젖산 역치; 편안하게 힘든 템포와 크루즈 인터벌. RPE 7, 약 1시간 레이스 강도.

I · 인터벌. VO₂max; 3–5분 강한 반복. RPE 9, 힘듦.

R · 리피티션. 스피드, 경제성, 러닝 파워; 충분한 회복과 함께하는 짧고 빠른 반복. RPE 9–10, 빠르고 통제됨.

  • 당신의 VDOT 49.8은 현재 러닝 체력을 담아낸 단일 수치입니다(러닝 경제성을 반영해 조정한 'VO₂max'). 모든 훈련 페이스가 여기서 도출됩니다.
  • VDOT는 최근의 강도 높은 레이스나 타임 트라이얼 하나에서 나옵니다. 전력을 다해 레이스한 결과를 사용하세요. 이상적으로는 5 km 이상이며, 하프 마라톤이나 10 km가 가장 안정적인 추정치를 줍니다.
  • 단위 토글을 전환하면 마일당 페이스로 볼 수 있습니다. 체력이 향상되면 다시 레이스하세요. VDOT와 모든 페이스가 갱신됩니다.
  • 이것은 다니얼스의 개별 훈련 페이스(E, M, T, I, R)이며 연속된 존이 아닙니다. 각 페이스를 특정 목적에 맞춰 달립니다. 더 힘든 페이스(T, I, R) 사이의 간격은 오류가 아니라 의도된 것입니다.

당신의 개인 맞춤 결과가 담긴 PDF와, 언제든 다시 열 수 있는 QR 코드.

More in this series: the beginner, intermediate and sub-elite 10k plans, the advanced 5k plan and the advanced half marathon plan.

Sources

Cover image: TrainingZones.

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