Running is a seasonal affair. And I’m not just talking about putting away the thermal tights and digging out the short shorts for some sun’s out – buns out runs. I’m talking race distances.

Spring and autumn are marathon season, but those sunny months in between are all about shorter distances. It makes sense, your muscles are warmer and primed for running fast, and nobody wants to be slogging it out round 26.2 miles through the hottest hours of the day through the hottest months of the year. That’s what beer gardens were invented for. And a 10k race allows you to collect your medal and have a shower in time to grab your spot in the sun when the pubs open.

This summer I’ll be working on getting my 10K PB down and running the Vitality British 10K London in July. It’s a pretty spectacular route through the center of London on closed roads past some of the famous sites.

So whether it’s your first ever 10k or you’re coming off the back of a longer race this spring, here’s some training advice for a faster summer 10k….

Runners and GVs during the Vitality British 10K London Run 2015, part of the Vitality Run Series For further info please contact Geoff Binding 07540052202 Copyright image 2015© For photographic enquiries please call Anthony Upton 07973 830 517 or email info@anthonyupton.com This image is copyright the photographer2015©. This image has been supplied by Anthony Upton and must be credited XXXXX/Anthony Upton. The author is asserting his full Moral rights in relation to the publication of this image. All rights reserved. Rights for onward transmission of any image or file is not granted or implied. Changing or deleting Copyright information is illegal as specified in the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. If you are in any way unsure of your right to publish this image please contact Anthony Upton on +44(0)7973 830 517 or email:

Vitality British 10k London

First-time 10K

  • Your first 10K is a big deal. You’re going to need a plan, but don’t panic. You can map one out loosely yourself – look at how many weeks you have until the race and look at where you are now. Even adding half a mile a week to one of your runs should give you enough time to gradually build your mileage up.
  • If you’re not already doing it, introduce some sort of speed work to one of your runs each week. A lot of new runners are scared by this but you don’t have to be. I use ‘surges’ with some of my runners as a way to introduce faster running. So in a 3 mile run I might ask them to do 5 30 second surges – which just means running a bit faster for 30 seconds then carrying on at a relaxed pace.
  • Hills are your friend. Even if you intend to race a flat 10k, introduce a bit of hill running to build your leg strength and speed and you’ll go faster on the flats.
Vitality British 10K London run Copyright image 2015© For photographic enquiries please call Anthony Upton 07973 830 517 or email info@anthonyupton.com This image is copyright the photographer2015©. This image has been supplied by Anthony Upton and must be credited Jason Bye/Anthony Upton. The author is asserting his full Moral rights in relation to the publication of this image. All rights reserved. Rights for onward transmission of any image or file is not granted or implied. Changing or deleting Copyright information is illegal as specified in the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. If you are in any way unsure of your right to publish this image please contact Anthony Upton on +44(0)7973 830 517 or email:

Vitality British 10k London

Post-marathon 10K

  • The good news for you is that those long, slow runs over the past few months have built up your endurance and if you play this right, you can expect a nice, quick 10K this summer.
  • But first let’s talk about recovery. There’s no PBs for injured runners, so make sure you take enough rest before gradually returning to running.
  • After a few easy weeks of running, introduce some speed sessions. It might feel like your speed has disappeared with all those long runs, but it will be back in no time.
  • If you’re not already in a running club or group, consider joining one to do some speedwork and tempo runs. It’s much easier to get these harder wokouts done with company, and with a coach on hand you’ll be able to make sure you’re going at the right speed for you to get the most benefit.

I’ll be taking park in the Vitality British 10k London as a guest of Vitality.