Running
Negative-Split Race Plan
Sharpening plan that drills negative-split execution for 5K to half. Ten weeks, five runs a week.
- Distance
- 10K
- Length
- 10 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Time goal
Who it's for
You already run a few times a week. It is built around a specific 10K time you want to hit.
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 12 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.
- Blocks at your goal race pace, so it feels familiar when it counts.
- 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.
Setting your paces
Start with a 5K time trial. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Later benchmarks: a 10K time trial. Use them to adjust your paces rather than to chase a number.
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.
