Let’s get one thing straight: If you are looking into running 10K in 35 minutes, you will be taking on a challenging goal and accomplishing something very few runners can achieve.
After all, Running Level1Report: 10k in 35 minutes – Clearscope. (2024, August 8). Clearscope.io. https://www.clearscope.io/broadsea-media/reports/6d8605c310d6c9cd/editor reports that the average 10K time across all ages and sexes is 49:43, which is quite a bit slower. However, the 10K world records for men and women are both much faster than 35 minutes, so it’s definitely possible to run 10K in 35 minutes if you put in the work.
In this guide, we will cover how to run a 10K in 35 minutes and provide a complete training plan so you can get started today.
How Far Is 10K?
If you’re looking into how to run 10K in 35 minutes, there’s a good chance you’re an experienced runner and very well acquainted with this race distance, but just in case you’re a sudden phenom with little running experience, let’s review the basics.
The “K” component of the 10K distance stands for the metric distance of a kilometer, so a 10K is 10,000 meters. For runners in the United States who are more accustomed to miles, this converts to 6.214 miles.
For simplicity, most people shorten the 6.214 miles to 6.2 miles when they discuss 10K, but the distance of any official 10K event will be the full 10 kilometers or 6.214 miles.
10K Is The Pace Of A 10K In 35 Minutes?
To achieve a 10K run in 35 minutes, you must run 5:38 per mile or 3:30 per kilometer. This means a 35-minute 10K pace is 5:38 per mile (5 minutes and 35 seconds) or 3:30 per kilometer (3 minutes and 30 seconds).
However, since most people looking to run 10K in 35 minutes want to run a sub 35 minute 10K (running 34:59 or faster), aim to run the race at 5:37 per mile or just under 3:30 per kilometer. This will give you a tiny buffer to come in under 35 minutes.
If you are running on a track instead of a road race, 10K in 35 minutes works out to roughly 84 seconds or 1:24 per 400 meters and 2:48 for 800 meters.
How Fast Is A 10K in 35 Minutes?
If you are training to run 10K in 35 minutes on the treadmill, your race-pace workouts will be run at a treadmill speed of approximately 10.6 mph (17.1 km/hr).
How Can I Improve My 10K Time To Under 35 Minutes?
Running 10K in 35 minutes is a super impressive feat. According to Run Repeat,2Compare Running Finish Times [Calculator] – 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon. (n.d.). Athletic Shoe Reviews. https://runrepeat.com/how-do-you-masure-up-the-runners-percentile-calculator running 10K in 35 minutes places a male in the top 0.7% of all finishers (faster than 99.3% of all finishers) and places a female in the top 0.2% of all females (faster than 99.8% of all females).
As a running coach, these are the requirements I provide my athletes who are looking to achieve this goal:
Running 10K in 35 minutes is an appropriate goal if you’ve run a 10K around 37 minutes or faster. If you have yet to run fairly close to this time, you might want to start with running a sub 40-minute 10K.
If this is your first 10K, you should be able to run a 5K race in 17 minutes.
You should also be able to run 2 miles in 11 minutes (or at least 2 kilometers in 7 minutes, though preferably 3-5 at that pace), as this will be your race pace for 10K in 35 minutes.
Once you take care of the basics in terms of run training and are following an appropriate 10K training plan, an additional edge you can get for further improvements can come down to lifestyle choices—the things you’re doing when you’re not running.
For example, you should eat a nutritious diet with minimally processed foods and a wide range of healthy natural foods, get at least 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night, drink plenty of water, limit alcohol and soda, and minimize stress.
Work on figuring out the timing of your running and eating so that you feel energized and fueled without being bloated and full. Focus on carbohydrates before you run and a balance of protein and carbohydrates to refuel afterward.
See yourself as a runner, not just someone who runs. When you do all the little things, they can add up and help you hit a 10K personal best.
What Are The Elements of Training to Run 10K in 35 Minutes?
Our sub 35 min 10K training plan involves running 4-5 days per week and resting at least one. You should be able to run 6-7 miles comfortably without stopping and have about 6-12 hours per week to train.
To run 10K in 35 minutes, you must follow a well-rounded training program with long runs to build your endurance, aerobic runs to build up your base, interval training workouts, hills, threshold intervals, tempo runs, cross-training, and strength training.
Since you’re likely an advanced runner if you’re trying to run 10K in 35 minutes, we probably don’t need to cover all of these basic training schedule elements, but we will review a few of the more advanced types of training:
Speed Workouts
Speed workouts on the track will involve reps of race pace intervals (1:24/400 meters for the goal of running 10K in 35 minutes), and intervals run slightly faster than race pace.
These interval workouts get your body used to running fast, building comfort and tolerance to race pace.
Threshold Workouts
Threshold workouts are designed to increase your lactate threshold, or the point at which your body can no longer clear lactate from the muscles as quickly as it is being produced. Beyond this point, you will rapidly fatigue, and your legs feel heavy and tired.
The lactate threshold occurs around 83-88% of your VO2 max, so your threshold run pace would be the pace you are running at 83-88% of your VO2 max according to your lab results or roughly the pace you could hold at max effort for an hour of running.
For most runners, the threshold run pace is about 15-20 seconds per mile slower than 10K race pace. Therefore, if you are training to run 10K in 35 minutes, your threshold workouts should be run around 5:53:-5:58 pace per mile or about 3:38-3:43 per kilometer.
Critical Velocity Training
Critical Velocity training, CV training for short, is a training method created by Tom Schwartz that involves running at a “somewhat hard” pace you can sustain for half an hour.
Therefore, critical velocity training involves any running workout done at a pace that you could hold running at maximal effort for 30 minutes.
In this way, CV training can be equated to threshold training, which involves any workout where a threshold pace is used. A threshold pace is one that can be sustained all out for an hour of running.
If you run 10K in 35 minutes, your critical velocity pace is slightly faster than 10K race pace, so it’s faster than threshold pace. CV running can be equated to an effort level of around 90 percent of your VO2 max.
CV training can increase the aerobic capacity of Type IIa muscle fibers. These adaptations will help you sustain harder efforts for longer distances without producing the fatiguing byproducts of glycolysis and anaerobic metabolism, meaning you can sustain a faster “hard cruising speed.”
Strides
Strides are usually 50-200 meters or so and should be run at near-maximal speeds. Running strides conditions your neuromuscular system to handle faster paces in a controlled and coordinated manner. Strides also increase your cadence, or turnover, which can help you run faster.
You can increase your stride length, stride frequency, or both if you want to run faster. However, research indicates3Heiderscheit, B. C., Chumanov, E. S., Michalski, M. P., Wille, C. M., & Ryan, M. B. (2011). Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(2), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ebedf4 that increasing your cadence can reduce your risk of injury, whereas increasing your stride length can increase your chance of injury.
When you run with a faster cadence and a shorter stride length, your feet are always closer under your center of mass—not too far in front of your pelvis, which increases the force on your joints because it lengthens the moment arm through the joint.
Cross-Training Workouts
Cross-training is an effective way to still get an aerobic workout while using different muscles and reducing the impact of your activity relative to running. Low-impact exercises like cycling, pool running, swimming, elliptical, and rowing can supplement your running and help prevent overuse injuries.
Strength Training
It is important to include core work, mobility exercises, and strength training workouts 2-3 times per week.
Total-body strength training workouts help prevent injuries by correcting strength imbalances and building functional stability so that your body can handle the miles of running.
10K In 35 Minutes Training Plan
This 6-week 10K training plan will help you break 35 minutes in the 10K. In addition to the workouts listed on your training plan below, try to add 2-3 days of strength training per week.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Rest or 30-45 minutes cross-training | Rest or 30-45 minutes of cross-training | 4 miles (7 km) easy run or 30 minutes | Rest day | Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 2 x 15 minutes at 5:51-5:56 pace per mile or 3:39-3:44 per km with 90 seconds in between 4 x 30 seconds at sprint/mile pace with 30 seconds rest Cool down 1 mile or 2 km | 4 miles (7 km) easy run | Long run 6 miles or 9 km |
| Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 8-10 x 1,000 meters in 3:28-3:30, with a 200-meter jog in between Cool down 1 mile or 2k | Rest or 30-45 minutes of cross-training | 4 miles (7 km) easy run or 30 minutes | Rest day | Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 8-10 x 1,000 meters in 3:28-3:30 with a 200-meter jog in between Cool down 1 mile or 2k | 4-5 miles easy run or 7-8 km | Long run 6 miles or 10 km |
| Rest or 30-60 minutes of cross-training | Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 2 x 20 minutes at 5:50-5:55 pace per mile or 3:38-3:43 per km 90 seconds in between 4 x 30 seconds at sprint/mile pace with 30 seconds rest Cool down 1 mile or 2 km | 4 miles (7 km) easy run or 30 minutes | Rest day | Rest or 30-45 minutes of cross-training | 4 miles (7 km) easy run | Long run 7 miles or 11 km |
| Rest or 30-60 minutes cross-training | Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 5-6 x 5 minute at critical velocity training pace with 90 seconds jog recovery in between each and then 6 x 30 seconds at mile pace. 8 minute jog cool down | 4-5 miles (7-8 km) easy run | Rest day | Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 1 x 2 miles in 11:10-11:15 200 meter jog 5 x 1,000 meters in 3:25-3:29 with 60 seconds recovery Cool down 1 mile or 2 km | 4-5 miles easy run (7-8 km) 4 x 50-75m strides | Long run 8 miles or 13 km |
| Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 40 minutes at threshold pace (5:52-5:57 min/mile or 3:38-3:42 min/km) Cool down 1 mile or 2 km | Rest or 45-60 minutes of cross-training | 5-6 miles (8-9 km) easy run | Rest day | Warm-up 1 mile or 2 km 10 x 1,000 meters in 3:28-3:30 with 200 meter jog in between 4 x 200 meters at mile pace with full recovery Cool down 1 mile or 2 km | 4-5 miles easy run or 30 minutes 4 x 50-75m strides | Long run 6 miles or 10 km |
| Rest or 45 minutes cross-training | Rest or 45 minutes of cross-training | 4-5 mile easy run or 30 minutes | Rest day | 20 minute easy jog + 4 strides | 10k Race | Shake out or active recovery walk |
After you crush the 35-minute barrier, maybe you’ll want to tackle a half marathon!
