Speedwork for Competitive Runners

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By Josh Clark
Posted 8 April, 2002

The charts below can help to give you a general idea of the appropriate speeds and distances you might use in your speedwork sessions. Because training for the 5K demands workouts different than those for the 10K or marathon, we have presented a separate chart for the shorter distance.

These workouts are intended for competitive runners. This means that for men, 5K time is under 17:00, 10K is under 34:00. For women, 5K time is under 19:00, and 10K is under 36:00.

Both charts are divided into two sections, for on-pace speedwork and fast speedwork. Both sections include suggestions for pace, number of repeats, and the appropriate amount of rest during intervals for five types of workouts. Keep in mind that the race paces referred to are not your goal pace but the pace you expect you could run today. In other words, if you are training for a 5:00 5K pace but you're running at a 5:10 pace now, the 5:10 pace is the speed at which you should run your repeats.

5K Speed Training

On-pace Intervals	440s	880s	Miles	Hills	Long Hills
Repeats	8-12	6-10	4-5	8-12	6-10
Pace	5K	5K	5K	5K	5K
Rest (minutes)	1-2	2-3	2-3	Jog Down	Jog Down

Fast Intervals	440s	880s	Miles	Hills	Long Hills
Repeats	6-8	6-8	--	6-10	5-6
Pace	5K minus 15 secs	5K minus 15 secs	--	5K minus 15 secs	5K minus 10 secs
Rest (minutes)	2	3	--	Jog down	Jog down

10K and Marathon Speed Training

On-pace Intervals	440s	880s	Miles	Hills	Long Hills
Repeats	8-12	6-12	4-6	8-12	6-10
Pace	5K	5K-10K	5K-10K	5K-10K	5K-10K
Rest (minutes)	1-2	2-3	2-3	Jog Down	Jog Down

Fast Intervals	440s	880s	Miles	Hills	Long Hills
Repeats	6-8	6-8	--	6-10	5-6
Pace	5K minus 15 secs	5K minus 15 secs	--	5K minus 15 secs	5K minus 10 secs
Rest (minutes)	2	2-3	--	Jog down	Jog down