10K Finishing Kick Workouts
By Rick Morris
We have all been there. We maintained our goal pace through the first 6 miles of our 10K. Now it’s time for your sprint to the finish. Guess what. We have no energy left for our finishing kick. If only there were a way to prepare for that situation. Well, there is. Your 10K race pace is very close to your lactate threshold running speed. After running nearly 6 miles at that pace you are reaching a high state of fatigue. Increasing your pace to a sprint or finishing kick pace for the final 400 to 800 meters can be very challenging. Here are some 10K finishing kick workouts that will train your body and mind to meet the challenge of your 10K finishing kick.
10 x 1000 Meter Fast Finish Repeats
This is a standard track workout with a twist. After your warm up run 1000 meters. Run the first 800 meters at 10K pace and the final 200 meters at sprint pace. Repeat this 9 more times with 2 minutes of passive rest between each repeat.
4 x 2500 Meter Repeats
Here is a challenging workout that is a good 10K peaking training run as well as a finishing kick training workout. Warm up and then run 4 x 2500 meter repeats. Run the first 2000 meters of each repeat at 10K race pace and the final 500 meters at sprint pace. Recover between each repeat with 2 minutes of rest.
10K Combination Run
This is a fun workout that combines road running with fast interval training on the track. Go to your local 400 meter track and warm up with about 5 minutes of easy running. Now hit the roads near the track for 2.5 miles at tempo pace. Now go back to the track and run 800 meters as fast as possible. Now hit the roads for another 2.5 miles at tempo pace before heading back to the track for 1200 meters as fast as possible. Take no recovery during this workout.
5 x 400/1200/400 Meter Compound Sets
This compound set workout combines positive splits and negative splits into an effective 10K finishing kick workout. After your warm up run 400 meters at 5K pace. Then slow to 10K pace for 1200 meters before finishing the compound set with 400 meters at sprint pace. Take no recovery within the compound set. Repeat this 4 more times for a total of 5 compound sets. Rest for 4 minute between each compound set.
10K Progressive Long Run
Here is a moderate length 10K specific long run that will challenge your ability to run at finishing kick pace when fatigued.
Run for 12 miles at a progressively faster pace. Run the first 6 miles at an easy pace. Speed up to tempo pace for the next 3 miles. Now increase your pace to 10K speed for 2.5 miles before finishing with .5 miles at your sprint or finishing kick pace.
