- Length
- 10 weeks
- Runs a week
- 4
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
- Longest run
- 7 mi (11 km)
- Biggest week
- 18 mi (29 km)
Before you start
You can run 3 miles (5 km) comfortably and run about three times a week. If you have a heart condition, a recent injury, are pregnant or haven't exercised in a long time, check with a doctor first.
The 10-week schedule
Every day of the plan. Distances are for the whole run.
Week 1
11.5 mi
- TueEasy 3 mi
- ThuEasy 2.5 mi
- SatLong 4 mi
- SunEasy 2 mi
Week 2
12.5 mi
- TueEasy 3 mi
- ThuEasy 3 mi
- SatLong 4.5 mi
- SunEasy 2 mi
Week 3
14 mi
- TueEasy 3 mi
- ThuTempo 3.5 mi
- SatLong 5 mi
- SunEasy 2.5 mi
Your first tempo run.
Week 4
12 mi
- TueEasy 3 mi
- ThuEasy 3 mi
- SatLong 4 mi
- SunEasy 2 mi
A lighter week to absorb the work.
Week 5
15.5 mi
- TueEasy 3.5 mi
- ThuIntervals 4 mi
- SatLong 5.5 mi
- SunEasy 2.5 mi
Your first intervals.
Week 6
16.5 mi
- TueEasy 3.5 mi
- ThuTempo 4 mi
- SatLong 6 mi
- SunEasy 3 mi
Week 7
18 mi
- TueEasy 4 mi
- ThuIntervals 4 mi
- SatLong 7 mi
- SunEasy 3 mi
Your longest run.
Week 8
16 mi
- TueEasy 3.5 mi
- ThuTempo 4 mi
- SatLong 5.5 mi
- SunEasy 3 mi
Week 9
18 mi
- TueEasy 4 mi
- ThuIntervals 4 mi
- SatLong 7 mi
- SunEasy 3 mi
Your biggest week.
Week 10
11.2 mi
- TueEasy 3 mi
- ThuEasy 2 mi
- SunRace 6.2 mi
Race week. Keep it light.
How the plan works
Each week has an easy run on Tuesday, a second run on Thursday, a long run on Saturday and a short easy run on Sunday. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are rest days.
The long run grows from 4 to 7 miles (6 to 11 km), a little past race distance, so 10K feels manageable on the day. Week 4 is deliberately lighter: fitness is built when you recover from training, not just when you do it.
From week 3, Thursday alternates between tempo runs and intervals. Everything else stays easy enough to hold a conversation.
How to run each workout
- Easy run
- A comfortable, conversational effort: you can speak in full sentences. Most of your running should feel like this.
- Long run
- Your longest run of the week, at the same easy effort. It builds the endurance to go the distance. Walk breaks are fine.
- Tempo run
- Warm up with a mile of easy running, run the middle at a steady, comfortably hard effort (you can say a few words, not sentences), then cool down with an easy mile.
- Intervals
- Warm up with a mile of easy running, then repeat 2 to 3 minutes fast with 2 minutes of easy jogging between, and cool down with an easy mile. The distance shown is the whole session.
Not sure what those efforts mean in minutes per mile? The training pace calculator works them out from a recent race.
Pacing a 10K
The first half should feel controlled. If you're breathing hard before halfway, you started too fast. Use the race time predictor to set a realistic goal from a recent 5K.
If you miss a week
Repeat the week you missed, or the one before it, and carry on. Don't try to squeeze missed runs into the following week.
Know your paces
The training pace calculator turns a recent race into easy, tempo and interval paces.
Common questions
- How long does it take to train for a 10K?
- About 10 weeks if you can already run 3 miles (5 km). If you're starting from zero, allow a further 8 weeks to build up to that first.
- How far should my longest run be before a 10K?
- 6 to 7 miles (10 to 11 km). Covering the distance once in training, at an easy pace, builds confidence for race day.
- Can I go from 5K to 10K?
- Yes. If you can run 5K comfortably, this plan takes you to 10K by adding a little distance each week.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, talk to a qualified professional before training.