A 10K plan with room to build
A 10K asks more of a plan than a 5K: higher mileage and long-run targets, and a taper. Our 10K plans add those pieces gradually from where you are today.
The planner grows the long run by at most a mile a week and caps it by a share of your weekly miles, so a long run never swallows the week. Harder sessions are limited in number and length and stay away from the long run.
Free preview, no account. Answers stay on your device. General training information, not medical advice.
Who this plan suits
- You run regularly now, on at least three days a week, or you can add a third day.
- You have enough weeks for a gradual build. If you do not, the planner explains why.
- You want pace guidance only if you have a recent race to base it on.
How the plan is shaped
- Higher mileage and long-run targets than a 5K, with the long run becoming a real feature of the week.
- Easier weeks every fourth build week, so mileage rises in steps rather than a straight line.
- A short taper in the final week, with rest before race day.
What a 10k build looks like
A real plan generated by our planner for a regular runner at 20 miles a week, 4 runs a week, training 10 weeks, with regular runs capped at 60 minutes and the long run at 2 hours. Easier weeks are outlined. This is an illustration, not a prediction for any runner.
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- 22
- 23
- 18
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- 25
- 25
- 25
- 25
- 10
Miles per week, weeks 1 to 10. Engine version 0.3.1. Peak week 25.1 miles, longest run 8 miles.
A sample week
Week 5 of the plan above. Every run says how hard it should feel, and rest days are part of the plan. Gradual build. A bit more mileage and one controlled harder session. Keep every other run easy.
- MonRest day
- TueEasy run · about 5.0 mi, 53 minEasy, conversational (about 3–4 out of 10)
- WedRest day
- ThuTempo run · about 5.0 mi, 53 minComfortably hard (about 6–7 out of 10): short phrases only
- FriRest day
- SatEasy run · about 5.0 mi, 53 minEasy, conversational (about 3–4 out of 10)
- SunLong run · about 8.0 mi, 1 hr 24 minEasy and relaxed (about 3–4 out of 10)
What the planner needs for a 10k
The planner will not recommend this goal if a gradual build from your current running cannot reach a peak week of at least 14 miles and a longest run of at least 5 miles. A base of at least 2 runs and 3 miles a week is needed to start any plan. When a goal does not fit, you get the reasons and options, not a squeezed plan.
Try the race readiness checker to see whether your timeline fits, or the race time predictor to estimate times from a recent result.
10K plan questions
Can I go from a 5K to a 10K?
It depends on your weekly miles and the weeks you have. Use the readiness checker with your numbers to see whether a gradual build fits.
How far is the long run?
It depends on your experience and schedule. The planner builds toward a target for your level, grows it by at most a mile a week, and never exceeds the time limit you set.
Will the plan include speed work?
Only if you have a base, at least three runs a week and enough weeks. At most one harder session a week, kept short, and never right next to the long run.
Related reading
Guide
Easier weeks and the taper: why plans back off on purpose
Why our plans schedule an easier week every fourth build week and taper before race day, and what those weeks look like in a real plan.
Guide
Easy pace: how slow is easy?
What "easy" means in our plans, the pace the planner assumes with and without a recent race, and what to do when an easy pace feels hard.
Guide
How to read your Milewell training plan
A plain guide to the calendar, week phases, session types, effort descriptions and pace estimates in a plan, and what each one means.
Other distances
5K training plan · Half marathon training plan · All training plans
Free tools that help with any plan: Pace calculator, Race time predictor, Training pace calculator, Race readiness checker.