How to Run 10 KM in 1 Hour?

Running 10 km in 1 hour is accessible to beginners in running provided they take a few precautions and put in place a structured training plan.

Before taking action

Running 10 km in 1 hour in a given time cannot be improvised. Certain conditions are essential. You must first ensure that you are in excellent health. To do this, it is necessary to seek the advice of your doctor and do a complete check-up in order to rule out any possible contraindications.

To be able to achieve such a performance, you must also be able to run 1 hour, or even a little more, without stopping even at a low pace and be ready to train several times a week because it is only with a regular training that it is possible to improve your performance.

Some precautions to take into account

If the training is physical preparation aimed at a race, it is preferable to already have a few races under your belt over a distance of less than 10 km. If not, try doing 5 or 8 km runs already.

Wanting to go too fast only delays performance. It is useless, or even counterproductive, to try to run 10 km hard every workout, because you risk burning out, demotivating yourself and even injuring yourself. The joints of the body, the muscles and the respiratory system must adapt to sustained effort, which is why it must be done gradually.

Success factors

To successfully Running 10 km in 1 hour, the VMA must be equal to or greater than 12.5-13 km/h.

What is VMA?

VMA corresponds to the speed at which our maximum oxygen consumption is reached (=VO2 max). Concretely, it corresponds to a very intense running speed that we are capable of maintaining. It is calculated by doing a stress test or with the half Cooper test: after a good warm-up, the goal is to cover the greatest distance in 6 minutes.

You generally have to make several attempts to be able to correctly assess your abilities and accurately determine the maximum speed that you are capable of maintaining for 6 minutes. Then simply measure the distance covered in 6 minutes, the ideal being to do it on an athletics track, and divide it by 100 to obtain your VMA.

For example

If you covered 1560 meters in 6 minutes, you must divide your distance covered by 100: (1560/100 = 15.6 km/h).

Fundamental Endurance

Basic endurance consists of jogging at a slow to moderate pace between 60% and 65% of your VMA or 75%-80% of your MHR (Maximum Heart Rate).

What is sought in fundamental endurance is not speed, nor duration (the duration of an endurance run is between 30 minutes and 1 hour).

Why do basic endurance jogging?

Fundamental Endurance jogging is important: it allows you to progress effortlessly because it does not cause fatigue or shortness of breath. However, they generate interesting physiological adaptations by improving heart rate and strengthening muscles, which ultimately increases power and, more generally, improves physical performance.

Do interval training

So-called split sessions are short and sequenced sessions. The runner alternates between periods of brief but intense effort with moments of active recovery. Performing interval sessions is essential to achieve your goal of Running 10 km in 1 hour.

This type of training, unlike Fundamental Endurance, requires effort and strains the body intensely but it will allow you to strengthen your body and gain speed. To practice interval training well, you need to know how to measure your efforts and not “give it your all” in intense periods because over time, you risk losing performance and that is not the goal: the power must be the same. even from start to finish of training in short sequences.

Recovery

Recovery should be an integral part of the training plan. It is strongly recommended not to run every day: this would put too much strain on the muscles and joints and prevent the body from properly recovering. Recovery also requires a healthy lifestyle: restful sleep and a balanced diet every day.

Here is a typical training example

This training example is given over a week, to run 10 km in 1 hour for 3 workouts per week.

• Session 1: 45-minute jogging session in Fundamental Endurance;

• Session 2: 30-minute jogging with interval training;

• Session 3: 1 hour jogging in Fundamental Endurance.