Top tips for pacing your next 10k

Running a 10k is a huge achievement, whether you're an experienced runner or this is your first time running for charity. But it also requires planning – to reach your goal time, to chase a PB, or to simply to ensure you have the best possible experience.

That’s why it’s wise to go into your race with a pacing strategy.

A pacing strategy is simply an idea of how fast you want to run each kilometre to ensure you finish your race in your goal time.

Who is a pacing strategy for?

A pacing strategy is for everyone, regardless of your previous racing experience. Even if you’re running your first ever 10k and your target is simply to finish, it’s important you know what pace to run to ensure you don’t burn out too soon.

The first thing to know before establishing your pacing strategy is what your desired end time is. It’s important to be realistic and to choose a time that, with training, you can reach.

You need to ask yourself what pace you can realistically sustain over a period of time. But be confident too. Remember, a standard 10k training block gives you 12 weeks to work towards your desired time.

Once you’ve established a goal time, you can start to build your pacing strategy by determining your pace per kilometre of the race. To ensure you don’t start too fast, you’ll want to start slower and build up to a faster pace throughout the race (this is known as a negative split).

• So, if you’re hoping to finish in just under an hour, you’ll need an average page of 5:59min/km.
• If you’re hoping to finish in 50 minutes, you’ll need an average pace of 5min/km.
• And if you’re hoping to finish in 45 minutes, you’ll need an average pace of 4:30min/km.

Now that you know your goal time and the average pace needed, you can start to think about your pacing strategy.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that you won’t be able to stick to an average pace entirely. So you’ll need to allow some wiggle room of a few seconds either side of your average pace goal.

One of the most important rules to stick to on race day is to not go out too fast. If you do, you’ll risk burning yourself out early and potentially struggling to finish the race.

To help avoid this, it’s recommended to divide the race into three sections.

1. The first 3k
2. 4 to 8k
3. The final 2k

Think of this block as the foundation of your race. You want to start strong. But that doesn’t necessarily mean fast.

It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the day or to try to keep up with people around you. But try to stay in control and remember it’s early; you’ve still got a lot of ground to cover.

To keep yourself on track, try and pace the first 3km around 5 seconds per kilometre less than your target pace. So, if you’re aiming for an average pace of 5 minutes per kilometre, try to run your first three kilometres at around 5:05 minutes per kilometre.

The middle of your race is where you can start to increase your pace towards your target race pace. You’ll want to do this slowly to avoid using all your energy at once. So be strategic. And remember, if you’re struggling, use the runners around you to help pull you along.

This block of your race should feel hard and challenging, but make sure you save some energy for the final 2k.

At this point, you’re near the end of your race. But you’ve hopefully got some fuel left in the tank. You’ll need that now in the final push.

However, as you near the end it’s up to you when you decide to go. For some, this may be around 8km. For others, it may be 9km. If you’re already struggling, save that final push for the finish line.

And as you cross the finish line, remember to celebrate and be proud of your achievement.