In setting a 40 minute goal, I'm going to assume that you run enough to believe that it is an achievable goal for you. The fact that you're asking this question, and that you phrased it as "strategy" implies to me that you have run 4min/km or faster in shorter races, and you're looking for tips on race-day strategies to translate your shorter distances into the 10km distance. I'll also assume that you have been following a suitable training plan that includes a long run (15+km), speed workouts, and recovery ("off-day") workouts.

Based on my experience (PB 10km 38:20, 5km 17:58), I recommend trying for a fairly even split. Most people, myself included, run the first 500-1000m in faster than target time. Some people frown upon this, but I feel that going out quick with the pack is ok as long as you settle into your target pace before the 1km mark. If you are looking at your average min/km for the first 1km, you will be tempted to back off when you reach the 1km mark, but chances are that you are already running slower than your 1km average, so don't back off too much for your second km.

Many people think about trying to "bank" time in the first half so that they can afford to slow down when they tire in the second half. More experienced runners will shy away from this strategy, opting instead for even splits, or even the highly coveted negative split (running the second half faster than the first). In practice, I usually bank 10 sec or so in the first km and go for even splits after that.

Finally, you should gradually accelerate over the last km or so until you are in an all-out sprint for the last ~200m. Do not pace yourself slower to allow for this effort, but convince your body that it can put in the sprint even thought it really doesn't want to.

I generally warm up for a 10km race pretty similarly to how I would warm up for a 5km race. Starting 50-60 min before race start, I run easy until 25-30 min before start. I then come back for a pit stop, change shoes and shirt, do some dynamic stretching (not static), then run easy for a bit more and do some short accelerations to quicker than race pace, but slower than sprint (aka "strides"). This usually brings me to about 5 min before start, when it is time to line up. Slower runners will line up 10 min before start, but do not give into the temptation to join them.

I never drink during a 5km race, but especially in the heat, keeping hydrated in a 10km is important. Make sure you are well hydrated before the start, and take advantage of the water stations along the course.

In my opinion, there are four main factors that go into race results: training, strategy, mental drive, and excuses. Competing in lots of races can help you practice strategy and mental drive, as well as practicing not letting yourself make excuses.

If my assumptions about what type of advice you were looking for aren't correct, feel free to post a clarification to your question.

I've run over 30 marathons and over 80 ultramarathons. My PR marathon was at age 42 in 2:46.

Lots of good answers to your question but what I would want to know BEFORE answering is what kind of running speed do you have? A sprinter usually has great short distance speed but is not a marathon runner. A marathon runner is not a sprinter. Each of us has unique abilities.

My first marathon which I completed in 3:27 at 38 years old was done on a base of about 30 miles a week, less than 10 months of running and one long run of 20 miles 3 weeks before the marathon. I met another finisher after the race and asked him about his race. He was a couple of years younger than me and had tried to finish the course before the 5:30 cut off time the prior 3 years. He ran 50 miles a week, did numerous long runs, interval workouts, ran with a group and tapered before the race. He finished in 5:15. He was ecstatic. He never asked about my time and I never volunteered it.

I've known people who trained for years trying to run a 4 hour marathon, worked at their training far more than me, did everything right in training yet never broke 4 hours. There is no simple formula of training that will get you a specific time goal.

If you have the right genes, you can reach that goal with the right combination of training, goal setting, support and enthusiasm. If you don't have the right genes, you should be able to improve your time and still achieve success that can't be measured by a timing device or arbitrary goal like 4 hours. That guy who worked so hard to just be an official finisher was a success in a way that I had not achieved. I still marvel at his ability to keep at it and succeed.

If sub 4 is a reasonable goal for you, fantastic! If it's 4:30 or 2:45 or any other time, I wish you success. Set your goals in a way that tests your abilities and maximizes your potential for achieving your best. Good luck!

I'm so glad you asked!

I started at a similar age and it took me 6 and a half years. During this time I ran 11 marathons, about 20 halfs, a 20 mile, three 10 mile, several 10ks, lots of 5ks, a few 3000m track and cross country (that's only the races).

All to run a quicker marathon.

It may take you more or less for you though, depending on a wide range of factors including:

Your natural ability, starting fitness level, training regime, support (club, runner friends, family willingness to allow to time and space to train), approach, tendency to get injured, diet, commitment, ambition, wisdom and ATTITUDE.

I began distance running when I was 28 years old and soon developed a major passion for it.

I started running 5–10 miles a week (first year), which turned into 40 (second/third years), then 60 (fourth), peaking at around 75 (end of fourth), then down to 50 again (yielding even greater successes…).

It's amazing how your sensitivity to, perception of and appetite for mileage changes over time!

After a while (about four years of running regularly and a 3:30 under my belt), I realised that running a marathon in under 3 hours might, just might be within my grasp, but only if I put everything I had into it, forsaking most other things.

In 2013, after 6 and a half years of progressively more advanced, more committed and generally tougher, but overall SMARTER and more focussed training, I finally ran this time:

If you're interested in what it was like, I wrote a blog story about it here.

My London Marathon 2013 experience.

After years of dreaming hoping, and planning, it was…… well, an experience of absolutely epic proportions and one I shall never forget.

Endnotes: I'm not really naturally built for distance running. My body shape is generally quite heavy and muscular, I'm too well built (5′7″ and naturally around 175 lbs). But I've proved that it can be done (I trimmed down to 145 lbs for my final marathon).

My first marathon was run in 4:08. Every successive one I ran was quicker than this and almost all were quicker than the others I'd run.

It may take more or less time for you to achieve the same goal, depending on your natural body type. My main ‘talent’ where distance running is concerned is having quite a strong mind - I'm very determined, stubborn and will not give up if I've decided to do something.

This will probably help you above all other things, even being physically predisposed to distance running (providing you're not aiming to contend with the elites of the sport or break any world records, in which case, you'd need a damn good dose of both ;-)).

Good luck.

I was in the same boat 4 years ago. I was stationed at a boring military base, well camp actually because it wasn’t a very big base, and decided I had nothing better to do than to try and become a better runner. I’ve always been one of the faster kids growing up. I’ve been playing basketball since I was five and was told growing up that long distance running would hurt my “game,” due to the reduction of fast twitch muscle fibers….

Anyways, up to that point, the longest I had ever run was 7 miles, but I considered 3 miles to be my upper limit with 1 mile being my optimum distance (I could run it in 6:04), but could only run 2 miles in 14:50. Things changed once I bought a Garmin fitness watch that tracked everything from my pace, to total distance, to seeing the route I ran on my phone, to cadance (how many steps per minute…180 SPM is what you should aim to achieve), etc. I started setting goals for myself. Running further each day, seeing if I could run around my camp, logging more total miles onto my watch.

Not that I necessarily recommend this purchase, but I even bought an elevation breathing mask (which looking back, was quite painful and intense) to use while I ran. Essentially running with the mask is like running with one nostril and not being able to use your mouth to breathe in or out. I’m telling you this because it actually helped me to learn the importance of controlling my breathing and mainly, the importance of the out-breath. I had always thought that when I got winded, I should try to focus on the inhalation. I discovered through trying to become a long-distance runner and the elevation mask that having a steady out-breath (3 second out-breath:1 second breathing in) allowed me to run further at a decent pace.

After a year of starting (with the Garmin watch, elevation mask), I completed a run of 14.6 miles. I ran to a nearby city and took the metro back. I was dead. exhausted…but proud that I achieved running a distance I always thought I couldn’t ever do because I was more of a sprinter.

Another thing to note, I’m muscular for my size (was skinny in high school and wanted to achieve a bodybuilding type of build…which was a journey and a topic for another day). So, I had that working AGAINST my goal of being a long distance runner. Since my goal of running four years ago, I’ve logged….4257 Miles in 561 hours:50 mintues (roughly 24 days worth of running). That’s an average of more than a 1000 miles a year. My longest run to date was last year on March 25th, at 34.58 miles. I had run from a different base in Seoul to another base up north. I had also set a goal to run as many miles in a month as possible.

As an experiment to see if I could eat whatever I wanted while doing mass amounts of cardio, I aimed to run as many miles in one month while not monitoring what I eat. I’ll never forget this, but I gained 8 lbs, despite running 210 miles that month (SEPT 2017) which equates to roughly 22,000 calories burned for my body weight.

How did all this training translate for my fitness? Being in the military at the time, I started getting better…A LOT better…at events that required stamina. I got first place our of 250 in a 12-mile ruck march for an Air Assault Course, first place in an 8-mile ruck march for a Best Warrior competition, I got a 350 (out of 300) on my PT test and ran the 2-mile run in 11:40. Basically my stamina had increased to proportions that I felt I would never be able to achieve. In four years, my longest run went from 7 miles to 5 times that amount. These days, my goal is to run a respectable time in the Boston Marathon. My fastest time in marathon training is 2 hours and 56 minutes and I’m trying to get that down to 2 hours and 40 minutes. I’ll never be an elite long-distance runner and I can accept that. I also plan to eclipse my longest run goal by running across the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (in Northern Virginia) this year which is a total of 44 miles and at my pace should take a little more than 6 hours to do.

Running is hard. I get injured, I recover. I gain weight, I lose it. Requires discipline and strong mental fortitude (AND/OR Amazing music to listen to keep you going). In that same vein, you’ll mental strength will grow from setting/achieving your running goals. Set goals for yourself. I’ll go on runs where my only aim is to go as far as I can and then drop a pin on my GPS and have a friend pick me up in a car 15 miles away. I love the challenge and the scenery while being engaged and the tunes motivating me through my headphones.

TO conclude, what worked for me…. (1) Get yourself a Fitness Watch and start tracking your miles/times (2) Set Goals/Having Something to strive for (3) Rest, Massage, Stretch, Recovery, Eat Correctly (depending on your current weight/diet) (4) WEAR proper equipment/shoes (NOT just Nike Frees or regular gym shoes…invest in a proper running shoe that fits your Style (Pronation). Any specific questions you have, just let me know.

GOOD LUCK! Time to run. Who knows where I’ll end up….

It would depend on the person's age. For someone under the age of 25, I would say it's absolutely possible. For most people over the age of 40, I would say no. In high school, I ran a sub 36 minute 10k. Even when I took the summer off, I could still run a sub 40 minute 10k without training. After high school, I went 15 years without running. At the age of 33, I started walking, and became very fit doing so. At the age of 40, I started running again. I could barely run more than 100 yards before I had to stop to walk. Two months later, I was in adequate running shape again to enter a 5k race. I finished in 27 minutes. Three years later after completing a couple dozen 5k races, I finally entered a 10k race. I finished in 42 minutes, just three minutes under a sub 45 - and that was after training by running 20 miles a week, every week, for three years. A fit person over the age of 40 is extremely unlikely to run a sub 45 without training.

I ran a 37 min 10k in high school.

Best way to train is to run by time, not mileage.

Here are the three phases of training:

1. Base training: Build up your endurance by running against time at a slow-average pace. Start by running for 10 minutes in one direction and then 10 minutes back. Increase until you can run for an hour without getting too tired. Do this 4-5 times a week for 3–4 weeks.
2. Fartlek: This is to crank out your speed gears. Do the same thing as base running but alternate speed. For example, run for 10 min at an average pace then increase pace to 75% race pace for 5 min, then 10 min at average then back to 75% race pace for 5 min. You can try shorter bursts (average pace for 5 min, then go fast for 2 min). Do this in conjunction with your base training (3 times fartlek, 2 times base running a week. Do this for 2–3 weeks.
3. Tempo: This is to fine tune your speed gears. Instead of running for long periods of time, you run to increase speed. Run 400m, 800m at 90% race speed with 1 minute breaks in between. Repeat this 4–6x each time until you’re tired. Then wind down. By then your training format should look like this (2 times tempo, 2 times Fartlek, 1 time base run a week). Do this for 2–3 weeks before the race.

On race day, make sure you get a good night rest, stay hydrated and come up with a race strategy. I’m a fan of running negative splits (running faster as the race progresses vs. slowing). I recommend starting off with the mid-front pack, then breaking off as the race progresses (hopefully you’ll have the runners high by then).

It depends on what you mean by the ‘average person’. Here are a few alternative answers, which should cover it:

1.The average untrained person:

Might just be able to jog/walk 10k in about 70–80 minutes.

2. The average fun-runner with a few months regular training under their belt:

60–70 minutes

3. The average keen runner, frequently getting out for 3–6 mile runs

50–60 minutes

4. The average club runner:

35 - 45 minutes

5. The average top-line club runner:

29–32 minutes

6. Average national-level runner:

28–29 minutes

7. World record holder:

26:17:53

(Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia - Brussels, Belgium on August 26, 2005)

Legend….!

I started training when I was 22. A mononucleosis just made me so sick that I was forced to stop smoking (which I started at 17). I also decided to stop being sedentary and lose some weight (I was then overweight at 6 feet and 220 pounds).

So I subscribed for 3 months in a local gym and a personnal coach measured my VO2 max at the beginning of my training, I was at 41 ml/min/kg, which was below average for a man of my age. I trained during the whole 3 months, 4 days a week, doing 30 minutes of stationary bike, 10 minutes of rower and musculation. My goal on the bike was to keep improving the distance day after day in a 30 minutes ride. Sometimes I was also running on a treadmill for periods of 15 to 20 minutes. At the end of the 3 months, the coach measured my VO2 max again and I was now at 52 ml/min/kg. Those 3 months allowed to improve my cardiovascular capacity dramatically.

Then I started running outside. I remember well because during my high school years, a physical education teacher forced us to run a 3k. Without prior training, I finished it in 16:30 and I was completely dead. But after only 3 months of indoor training, I easily break the 15 minutes barrier after only a few 3 km runs outside.

That’s when I decided to join a club and get a serious training program with a professionnal running coach. I was 23. Over a period of a few months, my coach brought me to an average week of 90 km (around 56 miles a week). I ran between 5 and 6 days a week, with 2 days including interval training and a long run (between 25 and 35 km) every sunday. After 2 years of this, I started running competitively. My first 10k time was 46:08. It was in september 1997. I was very happy with it, but I was still improving a lot and I trained hard during winter, mixing indoor gym training and ouside running. In May 1998, I ran a second 10k in 39:16 and it went pretty well. My weight was down to 185 pounds and I was ready for more, so I started training for marathon. After a summer of competition, constantly improving my time over 5k and 10k, I ran my first marathon in August 1998 in 3h24.

That’s when my coach told me that I could do a lot better. So I increased my weekly mileage up to 120 km a week in preparation for a second marathon. During the summer 1999, my time on 10k was down under 36 minutes, my 5k was in the low 17 and 3k on a track was down to 9:50. I was then weighting under 180 pounds and I was ready for a sub-3 hours marathon. I did it (2:58) at the same marathon in August. I was 26. Looking at a chart, my estimated VO2 max was then around 67 ml/min/kg. More than a year later, in Philadelphia, I ran a second marathon under 3 hours (2:58 again). That was my last marathon. I was 27. I would then start a family and my time available for training was greatly reduced.

So, it took me 4 years of very intense training to achieve a marathon under 3 hours. At 27 you can still do it, the secret is perseverance and intensity.

I would deem it very improbable.

Why?

Firstly, a fit person who is not used to run longer distances will most surely get out too fast and get tired very soon.

One of the reasons for training is to get a feeling for the right speed, not only at a conscious level. There are a whole lot of automated responses from our body that need tuning in order to avoid our “central governour” from raising a lot of alarms that we will interpret as pain or utter discomfort, even if our body were working perfectly well from a physiological point of view.

Another aspect is the muscular endurance of all the muscles and tendons in your legs, feet, glutes and lower back will not be optimal for running, even a very fit bodybuilder, cyclist or swimmer will have issues with that even if the latter two will be sufficiently trained at a cardiovascular level. And if by “fit” we mean somebody who does sport I assume that she will not want to risk injury either.

I once trained a 19 year old very fit football player for a 10K, the guys was able to do a 40:00 10K (shame on me, I did 42 this day) after 2 weeks of training. A football player is able to run for the most part of 90 minutes and sometimes more, but he still had to learn how to dosify his effort. But here the second requirement, muscular endurance, was already met so that I only had to work on the first. But after these two weeks this guy couldn’t be considered “untrained”.

A2A

‘Good’ is pretty vague. Who are you comparing yourself to? There are people who are destroyed when they barely miss out running sub-15 5k’s and some are over the moon with sub-30. It’s very subjective.

My definition of ‘good’ is ‘better than the goal you set for yourself’. If you beat it, then you can pat yourself on the back. That’s how people fall in love with running and it becomes part of their lives. By setting goals, achieving them and appreciating the work they’ve done in the process.

Nevertheless, I suppose the OP of this question wanted a more concise answer in terms of actual 10k and 5k running times, so I’ll give an example based on the running club I’m part of, which is for all ages but mainly school age (8–18). Additionally I’ll use the 10k race that took place alongside the Tel Aviv marathon in February 2019 as a reference 10k, since that race was a huge one, with all sorts of people coming and about 14,000 finishers so it’s a good representation of the distribution of 10k results. I’ll append the equivalent 5k result in order to save time and space, but that equivalent result is very approximate and it relies on the runner properly training for the distance, or else the transition doesn’t apply well.

Just keep in mind, this is the viewpoint of an amateur, so it’s purely subjective and you can totally disagree with this.

This is the distribution of the results of the reference 10k. Green stands for males and orange stands for females. Now I’ll explain each region in detail.

>60:00- TL;DR- First Timer, aiming just to finish- A result for someone running their first race with the simple goal of finishing. In the reference 10k race, results over 60 minutes comprised the bottom 62% of the results, although I think some people walked there as well so maybe the actual percentage is smaller. (Equivalent 5k: >28:30)

55:00–59:59- TL;DR- New to running, some training consistency- The runner is probably relatively new and/or not training a lot but still showing consistency in training. This won’t win any competitions (unless you’re 80 years old, then it’s an age group win :D) but beating 1 hour is a nice milestone and an achievement to be proud of for many! In the reference 10k, the top 62-78% of the results were in this range. In our running club, some of the female adult recreational runners have these results. (Equivalent 5k: 26:00–28:29)

50:00–54:59- TL;DR- More experienced, dedicated runner- This is a more serious result and most people will require some work to get here. In our running club, the ones on this level are some younger adult female athletes that train 3 times a week and some new teenagers that train 2–3 times a week. In the reference 10k, such results comprised the top 78-90% of the results. (Equivalent 5k: 23:30–25:59)

45:00–49:59- TL;DR- Getting closer to competitive, some speedwork- The next round milestone after 1 hour, 50 minutes is harder to achieve and requires some dedicated training. Even more so in order to dip further into the 40’s region. This is the level of more dedicated runners in our running club that train 4–5 times a week and have done some speedwork, most likely. Reference 10k: Top 90-97% of the results. (Equivalent 5k: 21:15-23:29)

42:00–44:59- TL;DR- Serious Runner, good amount of speedwork done- Now it’s becoming pretty fast. Unless you’re very talented, you need to train for quite some time and incorporate speedwork in order to achieve this. In our running club, this range of results belongs to mid-level teen boys and high level teen girls who train 5–6 times a week. Reference 10k: Top 97-98.5% of the results. (Equivalent 5k: 20:00–21:14)

40:00–41:59- TL;DR- Competitive, training hard, regular speedwork- In our club, this is considered a quality result for anyone. The club record for women, set by one of our youth, is 41:20, so that’s our gold standard for females. Even for a teen male, this is a totally respectable result, and someone who ran such a result most likely would’ve gone sub-20 in 5k, which in our club is a prime benchmark for being considered fast. Reference 10k: Top 98.5-99.2% of the results. (Equivalent 5k: 19:00–19:59).

<40:00- TL;DR- My standard of ‘fast’ - Now we’re talking. If you went sub-40, you’re one of our club’s fastest runners. This was achieved by a few of our high school boys. Currently 3 of our HS males have run between 39:00 to 39:59 and that’s considered the tip of the spear of our youth division. The record for the youth division (19 and under) of our club is 37:54, which I set in the reference 10k. I placed 69th out of 14,237 finishers. The general club record is 34:01, set in April by one of our male adult runners, something I hope to achieve one day. This is some fast running! After going sub-40, expect winning age groups or maybe overall in smaller races, with increasing chances of winning as you dip lower into the 30’s. Reference 10k: Top 0.8% of the results. (Equivalent 5k: <19:00)

Thank you for the A2A :)

It's a not big deal….

The world record of 10km marathon is 27 minutes …….

As A army person we did 5km run with 5 kg weight about 20–22 minutes. So you have to set mind about time approximate 40 min.

Run long route and practice daily about 15–20 km,if you are beginner in running than increase km day by day or if you already a good runner than practice as much as long run.

I heard someone said that running is only athletic competition where you have no need to put your mind in it but it's wrong, running is a passion and you have to take challenges day by day to yourself.

Training-

1. First of all, you should get up early and run. It's the time when all mood fresh up and fill very fresh air.
2. Running is all about mind, so your mind control your body not body control mind. Never stop when you feel tired and paining in body because it's temporary pain which try to become barrier in your mission.
3. 2–3 months enough to achieve 10km with expect time but in this duration we have too become harder than hard, Always run on soft ground like soil or Grass field avoid run on roads because it's causes knee and ankle pain.
4. Run one month for make stamina. Never start running with full speed, start slowly than gear up.
5. Take a lemon in pieces in your hand and when you feel tiredness while running, place it in your mouth, its work like magic.
6. While running lots of mind thoughts appear including negative thoughts so always think about your goal that time.
7. Always take breathing with your nose most of person do this by mouth but it's not good choice and it's reduces your stamina (nose breathing helps regulate your breathing and warms the air before it hits your lungs)
8. In long run take high step like this image-

When you take short step,your body feel tired very soon and by long step covered good distance in same time with same stamina.

#Take good diet ….

These small things is very important in running and create difference in same runner.

I am not know my answer is satisfied you or not but I write with my experience….

Happy Running..

Sorry for my English

It can be possible with proper practice and diet plans. But other than this, your willpower plays a vital role in achieving this target. According to my experience, I would like to share the training and diet plan.

Final Goal: Distance - 10KM and Pace 6 min/km

• Training Plan

Try to run four times in a week and focus first on distance then work on your timings. And do proper stretching before and after your practice run to avoid injuries and soreness.

Sharing youtube link for reference -

If you are running four times in a week, you will get around 18 training runs.

1. Training Runs 1 to 8: Increase your distance from the currently possible distance to 12 km, and don’t worry about pace. But try to maintain speed what you have now.

Distance with your training runs -

1 KM -> 2KM -> 4 KM -> 6KM -> 8KM -> 10KM -> 10KM -> 12KM

2. Training Runs 9 to 14: Now you should start reducing your distance and work on pace. For Example, your current pace is 9 min/km

Distance and timing with your training runs -

10KM (8.5min/km) -> 8KM (8min/km) -> 7KM (7.5min/km) -> 6KM (7min/km) -> 5KM (6.5min/km) -> 4KM (6min/km)

3. Training Runs 14 to 18: This is the time for a real push. Maintain your pace and increase the distance.

Distance with your training runs -

5KM -> 6KM -> 7KM -> 8KM

All above with 6min/km

Now you are ready for your race day. With a little push and proper training, you can achieve it. But try to not skip any step to avoid any type of injury.

• Diet Plan

Disclaimer: Better to consult your dietician because everyone's body is different. But I can share my diet plan in brief when I was doing the same.

Try to consume 50 grams of protein to protect your muscles but it can vary according to your weight.

Note: I will update this part later

for more information, you can refer to below links

6 Simple Rules For Fueling Your Runs With Healthy, Whole Foods

Optimal Performance: The 9 Best Foods for Runners

Best of Luck!

Enjoy RUNNING

Frankly, it is not a very tough task. But it requires consistency and discipline.

• Keep running daily (5 days a week). Take 2 days off in a week.
• Initially run at your natural pace which is comfortable to you.
• Gradually increase the distance first, not the speed. Achieve 1 hour continous run first.
• Once you have the stamina for 1 hour continous run, try increasing your speed gradually.

Below is my 10K feat:

Keep the below things in the mind:

• Don't push yourself much.
• Take proper sleep.
• Eat healthy.
• Keep yourself hydrated.
• Use good quality shoes.
• Everyone has different pace. Listen to your body.

Good luck for your running journey👍

This is me running 10K:

Peace out ✌️

I did manage to finish a 10K race without training. My last run prior to the event was 13 months ago.. I have been more of a recreational weekend cyclist and had been commuting to work on weekdays, so my fitness was above average but only on cycling. ZERO running mileage going into a 10k race event.
I know I was able to run 6min/km pace previously, so that was my pace. Started slower to warm up. Take it 1 km at a time. The key was not to overdo it and had to slow down to a walk. Found an adhoc running buddy while running and we were going at about same pace, so that helped. We both paced each other till the finish line. In the end, I managed to complete it in 58mins. I guess it’s pretty good timing for ZERO training.
However, I have DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) on my quads and calves for pretty much the whole of the following week..

One word answer to this is PRACTICE

But practice doesn't mean you run few km like blind sheep everyday and try to improve your speed. It consist of regular and well mannered plan of Running, Recovery, Cross Training Exercise and Diet.

First of all you need to spend some time (6 months) to slash down your timing from 53 minutes to 43 minutes. Here I assume that when you are running 10km in 53 minutes means you have good physical condition and you are not too obese.

Now come to schedule, you can start with 15-20km mileage per week and increase 10–15% every week. Your everyday run should consist variety like Interval/Tempo/Long/Recovery/Fartlek etc.

Let’s understand what all runs are.

1. Interval Run: This is short distance multiple runs with best efforts of yours. Usually it is 10x200m; 6X400m or 4x800m, you can also do 1000m or 1200m in later stage when you near to achieve your goal. Do one lap and rest for 3–4 minutes and again go for another lap.
2. Tempo Run: Tempo Run is normally 3–5km Nonstop run at constant speed with little bit slower pace then of your best effort in Interval Run.
3. Recovery Run: This run is to recover your body next day after Interval or Tempo Run, very easy pace that you should not feel tired after you finish your run.
4. Fartlek Run: This is like Tempo run but not at constant speed, if you are not able to maintain constant pace in Tempo run then go for Fartlek run where you run 3–4 minutes at normal pace; 1 minute at faster pace and then repeat, you can do it according to distance also. Run 700–800 meter at normal pace; do 200 meter at faster pace and then repeat. Do such Fartlek run for 4–5km
5. Long Run: This is to develop endurance for longer distance. Do long run starting from 6–7km and then add 0.5km in it every next week.

So your weekly schedule should consist all these runs to improve your timing. You can make schedule like this

• Monday: Rest + Cross Training
• Tuesday: Interval/Tempo Run (Any one, also can do it on alternate week)
• Wednesday: Recovery Run
• Thursday: Rest +Cross Training (HIIT)
• Friday: Recovery Run
• Saturday: Recovery Run
• Sunday: Long Run

Apart from running you should consider light cross training everyday and spend more time on cross training on rest days. Cross training will help to improve strength and mobility which is essential for speed. And also be careful about what you eat everyday, because diet also plays effective role in improvement of your endurance and speed.

Before you go for a run do little warm-up for 5–10 minutes and do stretching post run. Even though there is different opinions among runners regarding stretching, I would suggest to do it little after you finish the run, it really helps to get relaxed. Eat fruits like berries and drink water 15–20 minutes before you start working out, and have healthy meal full of fiber and protein after you complete.

My PB for 10K is 49:47 minutes this year, so i guess i am eligible to put my thoughts here.
I will say that it is possible to run 10K in 1 hour or less. But for that you have to practice and have patience ! Same race i finished in 60:25 in 2014. Then i decided that i need to be put extra effort to improve my timing. Became more disciplined, started my own training plan and started taking care of nutrition simple and healthy food, cut down on junk food (fast foot, aerated drinks, very less sugar etc) and started building foundation for my runs
So don’t expect to go to the race and finish in 1 hour, unless you are fit enough and your body can tolerate this speed. But over the time you can do it

No: I am 79 years old, and walk a lot. In 1986, At age 45 I ran a 36:56 10K race, and did not even place in my age group.

First congrats if you are a sub 4 hr marathoner. That is the goal of so many that run a marathon. Great work.

Lets use the website - Marastats - which has over 4 million finish times in marathons to see what it means to break 4 hrs and then 3 hrs

So in the first image you see that the median finish time for all finishers is about 4:21 - 4:10 for males and 4:39 for females. At 4 hrs you are already in the upper half by quite bit. You can go to this website and find how you compare to others in your gender and age group.

Now - it says only 43% of males and 21% of the females break 4 hrs!

It also says that only 4% of the males and 1% of the females break 3 hrs.

Breaking 3 hrs is a grand achievement. - that is an average pace of 6:52!!

Even breaking 3 1/2 hrs is difficult. (18% of the males and 5% of the females).

I know many sub 4 hr marathoners of all ages that will never break 3 - it is training for sure but also some natural abilities.

That said, what can we say about you. I am not sure of your age or how many marathons your have run or how much you trained for them. I am not sure what your 5K and 10K PR’s are. Those would give some indication of how feasible it is and how much work you have to do to get there.

In 2020 the qualifying time for someone under age 30 to get into the Boston Marathon was 2:58:50. So Indeed it is super goal.

I can relate my personal experience. I was a slightly above average HS runner (4:35 mile, sub 17:30 5K - a long time ago (in the early ‘60s!! Yikes!). I took running up again in my early 20’s while in grad school and after about 18 months of building an aerobic base plus some speed work I did my first marathon - 3:34. I did that on an average weekly mileage of about 35 miles. (Maybe a peak week was 50 and a low week less than 10). It took 3 more tries and 2 + years of mostly aerobic base training plus some tempo runs, Yasso 800’s, some hill work, etc and I broke 3 hrs at 2:56. Again when I was in a training cycle - 20 weeks from the marathon - my weekly mileage was about 35, peaking at 55 for at most 2 weeks. So it can be done. It is not so much mileage as the type of mileage. About 4 yrs more in my early ’30s is when I hit my PR 2:40:10 (needing back then a sub 2:50 to get into Boston). My training during that time was probably more disciplined on what I did each day when in a training cycle but in between is was just very aerobic mileage. Nothing fast, nothing to cause injuries, etc By the way, that was so long ago that there was none of this chip timing - clock time is all you had.

I offer this link to the Running Wizard - a website that uses the training programs set out by Arthur Lydiard - the famous New Zealand coach that trained many Olympic medalists. Many of the training programs you find on the internet have his principles in them. Anyhow, on this website - if you enter previous race times and age, etc it will estimate your probable improvement with using his program for 1 cycle - if you are still young enough you can see what might be your potential with repeated cycles. At 72 I am still glad to be able to toe the line and be right around 4 hrs. But I do use the principals laid out by Lydiard. I will be heading to Boston again this year and I am following his program very closely with some minor modifications. In this cycle I am training 5 days and resting two.

I do advise the following -

1. Find a program that fits you and your schedule and stick with it.
2. Example programs other than Lydiard above - McMillian, Galloway, Higdon, Others. This last one compares several other popular programs. I just happened to be more familiar with the ones I listed but I have heard of all the other and know of successful runners that have used them.
3. Use a training log - I use Final Surge. If you have a smart watch (Garmin, Polar, iWatch, etc) they come with their own training apps. I use a Garmin that is synched to my Final Surge log - it is important to be able to see how you are doing including notes on nutrition, sleep, etc.
4. It is so easy to over train - to fun fast on race day you need fresh legs and a metabolism that loves to burn fat even at 80% of your max HR. Go Slower to Go Faster.
5. There are courses that are considered fast courses - run one of those. Boston and NY are not fast courses. Chicago is fast. Columbus, OH is fast. Traverse City, MI is fast. There are a lot of courses everywhere that are fast. There are some which are very difficult.

Have Fun - Run Well - Stay Healthy!

You have plenty of time, and a nice base already. If your 10k race time is 65 minutes, I’m guessing your time for a 10k training run is 72–75 minutes. For the next two months leading up to the race, keep all of your daily runs the same as they are now, with one exception.

One day a week extend your long run by 10–15 minutes each week. Week 1 - about 90 minutes, week 2 - about 1:45, week 3 - 2:00, week 4 - 2:15, week 5 - 2:30. Week 6, cut back to about 75 minutes, and cut your overall mileage by half. If it’s 8 weeks until the race, run the same distances in week 6 that you did for week 5, and use week 7 as your taper week.

On race day, don’t have a time goal, just pace yourself so you can pick up the pace at 15k. From 15k to the finish, pick up the pace just a little, and concentrate on passing people.

Good luck, and have fun!

If you just want to finish regardless of how you feel or consequences to your body, don't read on. However, if you want to have a great experience and perhaps even consider doing more in the future, these are my top tips:

1. Get a physical exam to rule out any health risks before you do anything else. If you can find a doctor who understands runners, even better.
2. Make sure you can run 20–30 miles a week comfortably (i.e. injury free) distributed over minimum 3 days before you start any plan. You don't want to start training plans from 0 mileage. This takes different times for each person to reach this level. I didn't run a marathon for the first two years after I started running.
3. Choose your training plan wisely. There are many free plans out there with very little detail concerning why and how to execute each workout. There's not a single best plan, and all of them will work if you stick to them. But, please, don't start mixing and matching several and try to come up with your own. There is usually a reason why the plans are laid out the way they are. You'll most likely overdo it if you start cherry-picking workouts. There are a couple of books and online plans I strongly recommend from personal experience: Professional athlete, Tina Muir offers an amazing plan that teaches you to run by effort. It's really well balanced and comes with a booklet which describes how to execute each workout. She also offers a strength program to accompany your training, should you be interested. Another option is Jay Johnson's book Simple Marathon Training. It, too, guides you through each workout as if you had a coach right there with you. And finally, I've also used Hanson's Marathon Method. It has you running high weekly mileage, but you'll feel strong and prepared come race day. As I said, they all work, but some prefer one style over another.
4. Alternatively, hire a coach. Find someone with experience and who's willing to answer all your questions. You could also join a running group and ask about their experiences. Runners love sharing their information.
5. As for training, make sure you do the vast majority of your runs at a very easy pace. You should be able to have a conversation without running out of breath. The biggest mistake most newer runners make is to always run at the same pace. You really only want to run hard once or twice a week. It might seem counterintuitive that running slowly will make you faster, but it will. If you take it easy on most days, you'll be better recovered and can run faster on the hard workout days. Remember, it isn't the run itself which makes you stronger and faster, but how well you adopt to it afterwards. Feel free to look up my other answers regarding polarized training.
6. Make rest and fueling a priority. To sustain the marathon training, you need to recover well between each training session. That means plenty of sleep and good, wholesome nutrition. Don't try and run a marathon to lose weight. It might happen as a result, but you want to make sure you are properly fueled for your runs.
7. Don't worry about your finishing time. The first marathon is always about covering the distance. For that reason, downloading a training plan with random assigned paces might be either over- or undershooting the target. As a consequence, your training won't be optimal. Start with where you are at physically at the moment; not where you want to be. For that reason, running by effort, as by Tina Muir's plan, is the safest bet to reach your optimal performance. Your body will let you know how hard you are ready to train each day, whether you are stressed or well-rested.
8. Don't get scared about the high mileage runs later in the program. You'll slowly build up to it, as each week is another step up the ladder. Make sure your program also contains a down weeks every three to four weeks to give your body time to absorb the training.
9. Enjoy the journey. Make sure you have fun in the process. Yes, there will be days when training is arduous and monotonous. And yes, there will be tough days where you feel like quitting. But remember, overcoming those hard days will make you tougher and give you sufficient resilience to conquer the marathon distance. If it was easy, there wouldn't be any challenge. But mostly, training should be fun and inspiring. Remember, you don't HAVE to do it, you GET to do it.
10. Be prepared to change for life. Becoming a marathoner is a transformational experience that you'll take with you to your grave. Know and trust you can do it, regardless of your age or body type. The front runners might be a lean, young bunch, but if you've ever been to a marathon you'll see that the majority is really a mixture of all people. With patience, motivation and the right training, just about anyone can run a marathon. So get out there, and have fun!

Not bad. That’s a 7:35 min/mile average. It’s a good start.

My advice to get faster:

Run 5 days per week. Gradually increase your mileage to 50–60 miles per week. Increase by no more than 10% per week. 30% of your mileage should be a long run, which should be easy. You should be able to keep your “easy” pace forever.

Two other runs are also “easy” each about 15% of your weekly mileage.

The remaining 2 runs are when you build your speed. Each will total about 20% of your total mileage. They are usually done on a track, but can be done anywhere if you have a gps watch.
The first one alternate between 200m and 400m interval. Warm up 1–2 miles. Run 200 or 400m FAST, then recover for 400m, then another repeat FAST. As your mileage increases, so will the number of repeats. Pace yourself intelligently so your last repeat in the fastestCool down 1–2 miles.

The second interval workout is 800 repeats.

warm up 1–2 miles. Run 800m fast. Recover 400m. Repeat based on your mileage for the week. Pace yourself intelligently so your last repeat is the fastest. Cool down 1–2 miles.

Good luck!

Hey! As the others have said, a 10KM race isn’t a marathon but is still a large distance, roughly 6 and a quarter miles.

First, you should get plenty of rest at least starting two nights before. The night before a race is usually nervous and you get poor sleep, so get some sleep before that! And try to sleep as best you can the next night!

Second, hydration hydration hydration! Drink lots of water the week of and day of the race! It is super important to keep water in your system!

Third, long-distance races are very much a mental game as much as they are physical. Just keep telling yourself you can do it and you will! Keep a square head!

Fourth, make sure to have food in your system! Eat 5–6 hours ahead of the race, and have a banana 4 hours before it!

Fifth, don’t pay attention to other runners! Running is a single-person sport! No matter how fast or slow someone is going, you don’t have to keep with them! Run at your own pace, unless you have someone who you think is at your personal running ability and pace with them!

Let me start with facts.

Fastest 10K run - by Leonard Komon from Kenya in 26 minutes 44 seconds.

Being Non-Athlete, Let me assure you that 10K in 50 minutes is not an easy task but definitely achievable with regular and continous practice.

Firstly, Motivation and dedication is the key to accomplish task.

Secondly, Proper breath in and breath out during the run.

Thirdly, proper use of your hand swing.

Fourthly, strengthen your leg by doing squats, lunges, ankle raise, pistol squats etc.

Fifth and most important, mentally preparation that you have to complete 10K within 50 minutes.

So, it is a combination of mentally and physically preparing yourself for the run.

Practice is the key. So a lot and lots practice.

Not really sure how to break this to you, but a marathon is _slightly_ longer than 10 km. It’s 42.2 km.

Assuming that you are planning on running your first 10k, congratulations! It’s a good distance to get started with distance running.

I assume that you have trained for a while, building up to being about to run 5k comfortably and complete 10k without any significant issues (even if slowly). If that is not the case, start with building up mileage and speed (unless you are fast already). Once you are comfy at 5k and can compete 7-10k at a medium pace, you are ready to start.

A very wise runner told me that the secret to long distance running, especially in the beginning, is to start off slow. Everyone tends to zoom off as fast as they can, then crash and burn about 3/4 the way through. So start slowly, and let your pace build up gradually. Don't push yourself until yo’ve got about 2k to go, then start to speed up. By 1k to go, you should be running pretty fast, passing lots of people who started too fast, but still have something in reserve. Keep that pace until about 100 or 220 yards out (depends on how tired your legs are), and the just let rip. Give it everything that you have got to get across the finish line as fast as you can, and pass as many runners as you can.

This will give you a major boost, make you feel wonderful, and get you hooked on competitive running. It doesn’t matter what position you are in, the buzz from that final sprint is the key!

This is a great question! The answers are varied of course. It really depends on your fitness level. Is the 10k your goal race or part of something bigger? Before any of my big goal races I often battle this thought, even today after nearly 20 years of running. Generally now, before any big race I’ll head out for a walk and do some light jogging and some sprints. I like to know how I’m feeling the day before. I go out at the same time my race is scheduled for the next day and get a feel for the air and my body. If this race is simply a small step toward your goal race then it’s business as usual. If you had a run planned the day before I’d do it, but at 60% of my training speed. Generally I train at about a 4:15/km pace for most of my aerobic and long runs (unless coach has other things in mind). If you’re just starting out and this is your race, maybe go for a walk the day before, move a little, get on a bike but definitely do something light. Most importantly: have fun out there. Racing is a special event for runners. Soak it in, enjoy the competition and challenge yourself. Don’t fall into doubt and pace too conservatively, you’ll only regret it later. I’ve always enjoyed the nerves I’ve had before a run, because I know the moment I start racing it all vanishes. Whether you’re a front runner or pack runner you’ll find yourself doing what you know best. Best of luck! I’d love to hear how it went!

As Enric Martinez said there is not much you can do in 4 days. Nevertheless, I suggest the following:

1. Rest sufficiently beginning immediately; these next three nights are the most important for your race (ironically, the night immediately before is the least important of the week).
2. Eat healthy food to which you are accustom; eat enough but don’t over eat. The night before eat light; the morning of just nibble if you eat at all.
3. Don’t do anything very different; don’t wear new clothes or shoes, especially shoes; don’t try a new activity (e.g. sailing, yoga, massage); don’t try any new foods, no matter what they might be sampling at the race expo.
4. As an exception to #3, you *might* consider a plymetric workout three days before: warm-up light; measure out 75m, take a big step with your right foot let your left knee descend to a few centimeters above the ground stand back up, repeat stepping with the left leg and descending with the right knee, continue for all 75m; jog one minute repeat 4–6 times. Finish with 8–10 striders. Do NOT over due this workout: six repeats MAX.
5. Visuallize your race; work through every imaginable scenario; consider how things can go haywire and how you can react; imagine all possible weather conditions; scout out the track or race course; know where you’ll run, if possible whom your run against.
6. Relax.

Good luck!

Interesting question. The easy answer is infinity.

Say you run a 10k today at 50 minutes. 5 minutes / kilometer. So you put a target of running a half at the same pace. 1:45:36 I think it works out to be.

As you train and train, building speed and distance, guess what? Your 10k time goes down. I assure you, if you can hit a 1:45:36 half, you can go faster than 50m for your 10k.

There really is not a real answer to your question because it depends on too many factors. My best 10k time when I was in shape was a bit less than 48m. My best half time was a bit less than 1:48. My 5k time was just over 20m.

It probably took me about 4 months of hard work to get from a 55m 10k time to a sub-2h half marathon. By the time I had done that my 10k time was down to 52m and stayed there for a while.

ymmv

have fun trying!

"Beginner" is a meaningless category for running, because at the lower levels, running is not a skilled sport dependent on technique, but a basic fitness test dependent on your overall fitness, age, weight, etc. I can do it in about 30 minutes on a good day (or just under 10 minutes a mile), so since I am marginally fit, marginally overweight and marginally middle-aged, I will declare that "unfit" begins at the 30 minute mark.

You can find a nice spread of stats for the Crystal City 5k Fridays held every April in Crystal City, Arlington, VA. It's a relatively upscale DC Metro neighborhood, mostly full of relatively well-off, young and fit types, but not necessarily a fitness obsessed neighborhood.

http://pacersevents.com/crystalrun5kfridays/index.html

I ran these a couple of years ago, and clocked 30-33 minutes.

In terms of demographic/psychographic breakdown of the results, based on my subjective take on both the stats and the other runners I saw in the field, I made up this graph.

I did one recently and didn’t die so I feel qualified to answer :) Here’s how I did it:

• I ran the NYC Madhattan 50K. It was my first ultra. My time was 6:02:05, which is a 11:15 min/mile pace.
• I had never competed in a marathon or even a half marathon prior to this.
• My training timeline was roughly 10 weeks.
• Weight training is a priority for me, so my run training was very minimal.
• Here’s how my run plan pretty much looked like:
• Monday: intervals of some sort. Either 7x200 or 4x400. Sometimes I would do 800s but they suck. I would time myself and try to keep as consistent as possible.
• Wednesday: a fartlek run. These runs are basically just medium distance runs with fast and slow running mixed in. I would usually do the 1->5->1 approach. Run fast for 1 minute, jog for 1 minute, run fast for 2 minutes, jog for 2 minutes, etc. Go all the way up to 5 minutes and come back down to 1 minute. 1->5->1 takes 50 minutes. Sometimes I’d get lazy and only get to 4 minutes.
• Saturday: the weekend long run. This is SO essential for bringing up your endurance and confidence. I started my long run with 10 miles and incremented 2 miles each week (more or less) until I hit a long run of 26 miles. The trick is to not increment too much.
• Two weeks before the race I didn’t do any hard runs. A handful of 3–4 mile jogs but nothing extreme.

Give yourself enough time to train. I gave myself 10 weeks and it was adequate, but everyone’s starting point is different. Get a good pair of shoes. Experiment with nutrition on your long runs - see what does/doesn’t work.

Running across that finish line was so amazing. Best of luck!