10 km running program under 60 minutes in 8 weeks

This running program can help you get under 60 minutes in 8 weeks on a 10 km distance. The program is a 10 km beginner running program and for those of you who have previously run 10 km, but who want to get a little faster on the distance. You can also use the program if you have not run 10 km before, but with good confidence that if you tried, you would be able to do it.

The beginner program is only 8 weeks. In general, I recommend running programs around 12 weeks, but if you are in a hurry because your competition is already 8 weeks away, you can use this program. I refer you further down to the 12-week program. If you do not have a specific deadline, I would always recommend the 12-week program.

If you follow the program for all 8 weeks, you can expect to be about 5 minutes faster on your 10 km. The program on this page is tailored for you who can run 10 km in 63 minutes. If you are a little slower, you can use the suggested paces further down this page.

Useful links before you get started

• Everything you need to know about tempo, interval breaks and intensity
• Good to know about the structure of 10 km running programs
• Useful knowledge (not necessary) about the structure of running programs
• A link to the same program over 12 weeks of training.

Download: 10 km under 60 min in 8 weeks

In this section you will find the actual running program, which you can download as a PDF file. You can see an overview as an image below.

Download running program (PDF)

The structure of 60 min in 8 weeks

I would strongly recommend that you read this section before you start the program.

Number of training sessions per week (quality + quantity)

The program consists of 3 weekly running workouts. That’s what it takes. The running workouts vary in difficulty. 1 of your workouts is quality training in the form of interval training. In addition, you have 3 calm workouts.

Types of training

Week 4 is a recovery week. This means a week where your training volume is significantly reduced. Week 4 is at least as important as the other weeks, as this week you give your body space to recover and get ready for extra hard training. At the same time, having a quiet week with low intensity is injury prevention. In weeks 1 and 4, training has been moved to Monday, which is done solely for practical reasons.

Weeks 7 and 8 are a tapering period for your final 10 km race. It is important that you do not run more than what is specified in the program. The tapering period is essential for running a good 10 km race.

Tuesday’s running workout is interval training. In week 5 you run speed training, while in weeks 2, 3, 6 and 7 you run VO2-max training. You can read about how speed training and VO2-max training are done in the link I referred to at the top of this page. Thursday’s workout is easy running while on Sunday you train at marathon pace.

Heating and dehumidification

When doing interval training, I recommend that you include a 2-3 kilometer warm-up and a 2-3 kilometer cool-down. You don’t need a warm-up for marathon pace training or easy running.

Alternative tempo suggestions

If you are currently fit enough to run 10 kilometers in around 63 minutes, you can use the program as it is now. If you are a little slower (66 min or 69 min), you can use the pace suggestions you see below.

Are you faster than 60 minutes for 10 km? Learn it with these programs: 12 weeks – 8 weeks.

If you have any doubts, I can be found in the comments section below.