Sub 60 Minute 10k

Target Race Pace 9:39 per mile / 5:58 per km for a Sub 60 minute 10k

Running a sub 60 minute 10k is a great achievement for many runners. The prospect of stopping the watch in under an hour can be a strong motivation if you are fairly new to running or are looking to get fit and lose weight.

To consider following this sub 60 minute 10k plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 09:40 minute for at least a mile (6:00p/km) and/or have a PB under 65 minutes. 


Other 10k training plans: Sub 60 min 10k training plan|| 55 minute 10k || 50 minute 10k || 45 minute 10k || 40 minute 10k || 35 minute 10k

Please read before starting a training plan:
Frequently Asked Questions | Signs of Overtraining

Your Speed/Distance Training Zones: Sub 60 minute 5k

Pace per MileTreadmill Pace400m /800m Splits1km Pace5km Race Pace
09:406.2 mph / 10 kmh2:23 / 4:466:0030:00
*for speed/distance conversation allow for a small amount of rounding up/ down.

Sub 60 minute 10k Training Plan

DayWeek 1Week 2Week 34 (rec week)
Monday45mins easyRest/ cross-train30mins easyRest/ cross-train
Tuesday30mins easy3 mile tempoRest/ cross-train3 mile tempo
WednesdayRest/ cross-train30mins easyRest/ cross-trainRest/ cross-train
Thursday3 x 2km
@9:39 p/m (5:58 p/km) 2 min Rec
5k Paced Run5 x 800m
@9:39 p/m (4:46 p/km) 90s Rec
Rest/ cross-train
FridayRest/ cross-trainRest/ cross-trainRest/ cross-train30mins easy
Saturday45mins easy5 x 1km
@9:39 p/m (5:58 p/km) 90s Rec
45mins easyRest/ cross-train
SundayLong run, gentle pace: 60-75 mins45mins easyLong run, gentle pace: 60-75 minsRest/ cross-train
Summary
Article Name
Sub 60 minute 10k
Description
Training plan built around a target race pace of 9:39 per Mile /5:58 per km for sub 60 minute 10k.

Sub 60 Minute 10k Training Plan Components

Breakeven Sessions – sub 60 minute 10k

These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:

  • Easy Run – this should be no quicker than 11:40 p/m.
  • Long Run – this doesn't need to be any longer than 60-75 minutes.

Breakthrough Sessions – sub 60 minute 10k

These sessions are meant to be challenging intense efforts, treat them as mini-milestones towards your target:

  • Tempo Run – hard but sustainable effort, usually about 30 mins in total and aim for 10:10 p/mile pace for 3 miles with a 1 mile warm up/down either side.
  • 800m Reps – should be reps at 9:39 p/m pace (4:46 per 800m) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
  • 1km Intervals – hit 9:39 p/m pace (5:58 per km) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
  • 2km Intervals – hit 9:39 p/m pace (11:56 per 2km) with a 2min jogged recovery.
  • 5km Time Effort – run a 5k race/training run at your maximum, try and aim for a sub 29:49.

Notes on the Sub 60 Minute 10k Training Plan

The sub 60 Minute 10k plan has been put together so it is cyclical and can be used over a period of weeks until you feel you are ready for your 10k event. At the end of each cycle you can repeat from the beginning or tweak the plan to suit your current ability and time commitments etc. As you improve you'll  maybe want to incorporate some sessions from our other 10k training plans.

If after a couple of rotations you want to make the plan harder, you could slowly increase the number of reps for the breakthrough speed sessions. Introduce changes slowly and over a few weeks, i.e., Week 1 = 3x2km Reps, Week 5 = 4x2km Reps, Week 8 = 5x2km reps, etc. Obviously there is only so far you can go with this, there would be no point in extending these way beyond the 10k distance. The other way of making the plan harder is to adjust the pace slightly and run faster!

It is recommended that after three months of using the sub 60 Minute 10k plan that you reduce your training for a period of one to two weeks to allow your body time to recover from the impact of running. This should mean more time cross-training with a couple of nice easy runs every few days to keep the legs ticking over.

To realise improvements it’s worth remembering that training is cumulative and it takes time and dedication to follow any training plan and achieve the results you want.

5 Responses

  1. Boago Hule says:

    Very doable

  2. Tobi says:

    I also think there is a mistake on Thursday week 3
    Mile and I’m pace don’t match

  3. Rolands says:

    I think there is a mistake on Thursday, 3rd week – shouldn’t it be ~ 6 minutes per km? Also below in a description at “800m Reps”?!

  4. Steve says:

    I love how you set up your 4 week cycles. My thoughts are wether these programmes carry over to off road trail/fell running as that is 90% of events in my area. I appreciate split times will be a lot harder to achieve due to elevation etc.

    • Matt says:

      Hi Steve, in terms of the approach to the training cycle then I think they do carry over, i.e., having the intense interval type sessions mixed with the base/ recovery sessions. The difficulty is as you suggest, with factoring in the required paces per mile. This is much easier on the road as there are probably less hills and things to run and jump over than when fell running!

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