8 Interval Workouts to Cut Your 10K Time by 10%! - Lee Grantham

Aug 13, 2025

This is a quick summary of 8 Interval Workouts to Cut Your 10K Time by 10% from Lee Grantham. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

Use a mid‑week (Wednesday) interval day to keep the rest of the week for easy runs and long runs.
All sessions use 60‑second recoveries to teach quick recovery and keep the session paced.
Mix strength, speed, and efficiency with hill repeats, kilometer repeats, pyramid intervals, and short‑interval work.
Gradually increase reps (e.g., 12 → 16 → 20 × 400 m) and aim to run faster than your 10K race pace (ideally 5K or 3K pace) for speed development.
Tailor the pace to your current ability: a 50‑minute 10K runner should target ~4:30 min/km for kilometer repeats and aim for 6‑8 reps.
Consistency is key: schedule the interval session on a Wednesday, then recover with easy runs and a hard weekend long run.

Workout Example – Session 2: Kilometer Repeats

Warm‑up: 10‑15 min easy jog.
Main set: 6–8 × 1 km repeats at 4:30 min/km (or your current 10K pace) with 60 seconds easy jog recovery between each rep.
Progression: Add one rep each week until you reach 8–10 reps, aiming to drop the interval pace toward 5K or 3K pace as you get stronger.
Cool‑down: 10 min easy jog.

Other Sessions (quick reference) 1️⃣ Hill Reps – 15×1 min hill repeats (5‑7% grade) with jog back down for recovery. 2️⃣ Kilometer Repeats – as above. 3️⃣ Pyramid Intervals – 400 m, 800 m, 1 km, 1.2 km, then back down (60 s rest). 4️⃣ 400 m Repeats – start 12×400 m, progress to 20×400 m (60 s rest). 5️⃣ 800 m Repeats – 8×800 m (60 s rest). 6️⃣ 200 m Reps – 10×200 m, start at 10K pace, add ~1 second per rep. 7️⃣ Mile Repeats – 2–6×1 mile at 10K pace, 60 s rest. 8️⃣ Tempo + 400 m – 10 min at 10K pace, 1 min rest, then 5×400 m at 5K pace.

Closing Note Pick the four or five sessions that feel best for you, rotate them weekly, and watch your 10K time drop. Customize the paces in your Pacing app to match your current fitness, and you’ll be on your way to a faster 10K—maybe even a sub‑3‑hour marathon. Give it a try today and keep the progress rolling!