Sub-40 10k: First Speed Session
Workout - Sub-40 10k: First Speed Session
- 15min @ 5'30''/km
- 20 lots of:
- 1min @ 3'45''/km
- 1min rest
- 15min @ 5'45''/km
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Intro
This pulls from Lee Grantham’s “How to Run 10 Kilometers in 40 Minutes: Your 12-Week Training Guide”. The highlights are below so you can start with today’s session. Watch the full video for the complete picture.
Key points
- Training split. Wednesday is interval day (the toughest workout), Sunday is the long run, and the rest of the week stays relaxed for recovery.
- Pace concept. You’re aiming to run 10 km at 4 min/km. Interval pace sits about 10% faster (~3:45/km), 15 seconds quicker per kilometer. Later in each session you can dial back to goal pace (4 min/km) to build endurance.
- Interval volume. Target 24–30 minutes of hard effort per interval session. Start with 1-minute repeats and build to 2-minute, 1-km, and 2-km repeats over time.
- Recovery. Keep a 60-second jog between intervals to train heart-rate regulation.
- Hill work. Optional 250-m hill repeats (6–7% grade) with the same 60-second recovery to build strength.
- Long-run structure. Build to 60–90 minute runs, with 12–15 minutes of tempo work (for example, 2-min repeats) near the middle.
Workout example (weeks 1–4)
Wednesday, interval day
- Week 1: 20 x 1 min at 3:45/km, 60 s easy jog between.
- Week 2: 12 x 2 min at 3:45/km, 60 s jog.
- Week 3: 6 x 1 km at 3:36/km, 60 s jog.
- Week 4: 3 x 2 km at 4:00/km, 60 s jog.
Sunday, long run
- Start with 60 min easy (~5 min/km). Around the 25-minute mark, run Wednesday’s interval set (for example, 12 x 2 min hard). Drop back to easy pace for the final stretch.
Optional hill session (any day): 15 x 250 m uphills (6–7% grade) at 8–9/10 effort, 60 s recovery jog downhill.
Closing note
Try Wednesday’s interval workout this week. Set the paces based on your current fitness and log the session in the Pacing app so you can refine your numbers as you go. Watch Lee Grantham’s full video for the complete 12-week calendar.