Practice race-day pacing with this workout

Learn how to dial into your 5K and 10K pace with these timed intervals

Part of the art of running is learning how to get into your planned pace and maintain it, then sprinting to the finish line. Many runners have fallen into the trap of going out too hard or too easy, only to crash and burn in the last few kilometers, or have too much left in the tank at the finish. This simple workout will help you practice your pace for the 5K and 10K so that you know how it feels and when race day comes, you can nail your pacing like a pro.

There are three parts to this workout: the first is a short tempo run. You can think of this as an extension of the warmup, where you’re giving your body a chance to work down to the faster paces you’ll be trying to hit in the rest of the session. To do this, start at about half-marathon pace and gradually speed up so that you’re running your 10K pace by the end (say, for the last 20-30 seconds).

The second two sections are your chance to practise your 5K and 10K paces. Transitioning from tempo pace to 5K pace might feel awkward, so if you don’t hit your pace perfectly on the first fast interval, don’t sweat it–you’ve got three more chances to nail it down. Complete the workout by running another longer interval, this time at 10K pace. When you’re doing this after the short intervals, it will be tempting to start out too fast, so be sure to stay focused right from the start.

The workout

Warmup: 15-20 minute easy jog

Workout: 

5-minute tempo run, followed by 2 minutes of rest

4 x 2 minutes at 5K pace, with 1:30 rest between each interval

5 minutes at 10K pace

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jogging, followed by light stretching

posted Tuesday July 18th
by Brittany Hambleton