This is a great session to run when you cannot get to the track.
You can do this over flat or hilly terrain, on or off road.
This is quite an intensive session and you should run this after a rest or very easy day, and follow with another easy day.
It will get you used to running faster and especially running at your 10k race pace when already fatigued.
It will help to raise your aerobic threshold, which will in turn increase the speed that you are able to run before going into oxygen debt.
You’ll need at least 53 minutes to run this session, although time can be added either during the warm up or cool down (or both). The recovery periods are vital and should be kept strictly to 1 minute of very easy jogging.
10k Pyramid Session
10 mins easy warm up.
2 mins at 5k race pace.
1 min recovery.
4 mins at 5k race pace.
1 min recovery.
8 mins at 10k race pace.
1 min recovery.
8 mins at 10k race pace.
1 min recovery.
4 mins at 5k race pace.
1 min recovery.
2 mins 5k race pace.
10 minutes easy cool down.
Note: if you cannot measure or do not know your race paces then run at an effort level that is comparable. The 4 and 2 minute sections should feel hard.
What this session does
The early hard efforts will be bordering on utilising your lactate energy system (i.e entering oxygen debt).
The 8 minute efforts will be run at threshold with the effects of the previous hard efforts still in the legs, so they will feel heavy.
The latter faster efforts will get you used to running faster on already tired legs.
More info on energy systems for running.
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