Sub 50 minute 10K
5:00/km
Going under 50 minutes means holding 5:00/km, or a little faster, for all 10 kilometres. Steady running is the simplest way there, and the splits below show what that looks like on your watch.
Check this goal against your own timeEven-pace splits
| 1 km | 5:00 |
|---|---|
| 2 km | 10:00 |
| 3 km | 15:00 |
| 4 km | 20:00 |
| 5 km | 25:00 |
| 6 km | 30:00 |
| 7 km | 35:00 |
| 8 km | 40:00 |
| 9 km | 45:00 |
| 10 km | 50:00 |
To finish under the goal, be a little ahead of these.
Who this goal suits
You have run 10K recently. A time up to 51:32 reads as realistic in the goal check, and up to 54:20 reads as ambitious. Slower than that, a nearer goal first may serve you better.
You can give it three or four running days a week, with one or two of them harder than easy.
Other race times that project to this goal, from the same formula as the goal check:
- 5K
- 23:59
- Half marathon
- 1:50:19
An example week
This is an example from the middle of a block, not a plan for you. Its paces assume you are already at goal fitness, so use the goal check to see yours.
| Day | Run | km | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | Intervals | 10 | 2 km warm-up, 5 x 1 km at 4:48/km with 90 seconds of jogging between, then easy to finish |
| Thu | Threshold | 9 | 2 km warm-up, 20 minutes at 5:03/km, then easy to finish |
| Sat | Easy | 6 | Conversational, around 6:05 to 6:55/km |
| Sun | Long | 14 | Steady and unhurried, around 6:05 to 6:55/km |
| Week total | 39 | Other days are rest. | |
The key sessions
- 5 x 1 km
- At 4:48/km, faster than goal pace, so 5:00/km starts to feel controlled.
- 20 minutes at threshold
- At 5:03/km, about what you could hold for an hour. Build it towards 30 minutes.
- The long run
- Well above race distance at 6:05 to 6:55/km, so 10K stops feeling long.
How long it takes
As a rule of thumb, allow 8 to 12 weeks from a recent 10K up to 51:32, and 12 to 20 weeks from one up to 54:20.
These are general guides rather than promises. Your history, sleep and the rest of your life all move them.
Want a plan for this goal?
RacePacer turns a goal time into a training plan, then updates your predicted finish as you log your weeks. We are in private beta and invite runners in waves, so join the waitlist and we'll email you when it's your turn.