Running · beginner

Beginner 10k training plan

A beginner 10k training plan takes a newer runner managing about 14 km a week, who can run 5 km in around 35 minutes from where they are to race day in 11 weeks, building to 24 km in the biggest week. It spends 8 weeks in build, 2 weeks in peak, with 2 lighter weeks to absorb the work, on 4 days a week.

Build my 10k plan — free

Built from your own numbers and your own week. The first week is free.

Is 10 weeks enough?

10 weeks is a comfortable length for a first 10k. At this distance a separate base phase is not needed — the plan builds steadily from the first week, with a lighter week to absorb the work and time to arrive fresh.

What the weeks are for

Build	8 weeks — the harder sessions arrive and volume keeps climbing
Peak	2 weeks — the biggest, most race-specific weeks
Lighter weeks	2, roughly every fourth week
Total	187 km, 42 hours

The 11 weeks

Generated for a newer runner managing about 14 km a week, who can run 5 km in around 35 minutes.

Week	Phase	Volume	Load
1	Build	13 km	110
2	Build	14 km	119
3	Build	16 km	133
4	Build · down	9 km	75
5	Build	18 km	145
6	Build	20 km	158
7	Build	20 km	169
8	Build · down	14 km	118
9	Peak	22 km	184
10	Peak	24 km	202
11	Race · race	19 km	187

The biggest week, session by session

Week 10, peak phase — the heaviest week of the block.

Tuesday	Threshold — 2 × 9 min — 0h42, 4.5 km
Tuesday	Strength — lower body — 0h27
Thursday	Intervals — 4 × 3 min — 0h42, 4.6 km
Saturday	Easy run — 0h55, 5.7 km
Sunday	Long run — 1h28, 9.5 km

The paces

Pace band	Per kilometre
Easy — the ceiling, not the target	8:38
Marathon pace	7:48
Threshold	7:23
Interval (VO₂max)	6:42

Computed from VDOT 25.6, derived from that time trial using Jack Daniels' model. Your own numbers will differ — the plan builds these from a time trial you enter.

What this plan says out loud

Worth knowing

Some sessions have been cut to fit the time you said you have — 45 minutes on a weekday and 100 at the weekend. That is a real constraint and the plan respects it, but be aware the long session is the one that matters most: if you can find more time anywhere, find it on the weekend.

Worth knowing

Race day looks like about 1:12:53 on today's fitness — Run 1h 13. Assumes a flat course, reasonable conditions and a sensible first half.

Common questions

Is 10 weeks enough for a 10k?

Yes, for most people who already exercise. We would choose at least 10 weeks, and this is 10.

How many days a week does it train?

4, on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in this example. You tell the plan which days you actually have, and it never puts two hard days back to back.

What is the longest session?

Long run, about 1h28 and 10 km. It is capped by share of the week, by absolute length, and by the time you say you have.

Can I use this if I train at altitude?

Yes, and you should say so when you build it. Paces and power are corrected for the difference between where you tested and where you train — in Johannesburg that is roughly 8%, or about 26 seconds a kilometre on an easy run for a 20-minute 5 km runner.

Other 10k plans

Goal times

Worth reading

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