Running
10K Tempo Ladder Plan
Cruise-interval and tempo emphasis for the 10K. Ten weeks, five runs a week.
- Distance
- 10K
- Length
- 10 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Run it faster
Who it's for
You already run a few times a week. It is built to help you run a faster 10K.
How the weeks work
It runs for ten weeks with five runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 14 weeks, or tighten it to 8 if you are already fit.
The last 10 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- Threshold runs of 15 to 30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace. You could say a few words, not hold a conversation.
- Intervals: repeats a little faster than race pace, with easy jogging in between.
- One long run a week that grows slowly. Run it easy; the time on your feet is the point.
Setting your paces
Start with a 20-minute threshold test. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Making it stick
- Keep easy days slow. Most plateaus come from running them too fast.
- Put an easy day or a rest day after every hard session.
- If you miss a week, pick up where you left off instead of cramming the sessions in.
