At a glance
Plan length
16 weeks
Built with phases, cutbacks, and a taper you can actually execute.
Weekly rhythm
4–6 days/week
Choose one variant and follow it for 2 weeks before tweaking.
Typical session time
Easy: ~40m • Long: ~90m
Prefer consistent minutes over heroic single sessions.
Readiness gate
- • You can run 30 minutes comfortably 3–4×/week.
- • You can complete a longer easy session (60–75 min) without being wrecked for 2 days.
- • You’re willing to keep easy days easy so workouts stay controlled.
Default recommendation
4 days/week (Beginner-friendly)
Start here to reduce decision fatigue. Customize only after your first two weeks feel stable.
- • Best if you’re building durability while learning to handle workouts.
- • Keep intensity controlled; consistency is the win.
Safety first
This is general training information, not medical advice.
- • Pain that changes your gait (scale down and get assessed).
- • A rapidly increasing injury history with volume increases.
- • Illness symptoms that worsen with training load.
Coaching beta
Want this adapted to your recovery?
Get coach-style adjustments when you miss sessions, sleep poorly, or feel fatigue signals.
Week by week
Structure you can scan
Use this as your decision map: what matters this week, what the long run is doing, and where you should back off.
| Week | Phase | Focus | Long session | Key workouts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 50 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | — |
| 2 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 53 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | — |
| 3 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 57 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | — |
| 4 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 51 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | Cutback week |
| 5 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 4m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 6 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 7m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 7 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 11m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 8 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 3m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | Cutback week |
| 9 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 18m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 10 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 21m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 11 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 25m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 10K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | — |
| 12 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 15m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 10K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | Cutback week |
| 13 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 32m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 10K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | — |
| 14 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 35m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 10K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | — |
| 15 | Taper | Reduce load; keep rhythm; arrive fresh. | 1h 16m long run (short + relaxed strides) | Short sharpening reps • Easy aerobic + sleep focus | — |
| 16 | Taper | Reduce load; keep rhythm; arrive fresh. | 57 min long run (short + relaxed strides) | Short sharpening reps • Easy aerobic + sleep focus | — |
Workout library
The sessions you repeat
You don’t need 50 workouts. You need a small library that you execute consistently, then progress safely.
Easy aerobic run
Purpose: Build volume without accumulating fatigue.
Prescription: 25–55 min at conversational effort. If you can’t talk in full sentences, it’s too hard.
Substitutions
- • Bike or easy elliptical for the same time if impact is an issue.
Red flags
- • Pain that changes your gait.
- • Easy pace drifting harder to hold the same effort.
Strides + drills
Purpose: Improve mechanics and economy without a heavy metabolic cost.
Prescription: After an easy run: 6–10 × 15–20 sec fast-but-relaxed, full walk/jog recovery.
Substitutions
- • 6–8 × 20 sec hill strides for reduced impact.
Red flags
- • Sprint-like intensity that leaves you sore.
- • Tight hamstrings or sharp calf pain.
Tempo / cruise intervals
Purpose: Raise sustainable pace and teach controlled discomfort.
Prescription: 2–4 × 8–12 min at ‘comfortably hard’ with 2–3 min easy between.
Substitutions
- • 20–30 min steady tempo continuous if you pace well.
Red flags
- • Breathing out of control early.
- • Needing to ‘surge’ to hold the last reps.
Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled)
Purpose: Improve speed and economy without turning every session into a test.
Prescription: 5–8 × 3 min hard with 2–3 min easy; finish with form, not desperation.
Substitutions
- • 6–10 × 400m on the track with equal jog recovery.
Red flags
- • All-out reps.
- • Form collapse or sharp pains.
10K-pace reps
Purpose: Practice race-specific rhythm and pacing discipline.
Prescription: 5–8 × 1K at controlled 10K effort with 2–3 min easy; finish feeling like you could do one more rep.
Substitutions
- • Fartlek: 10 × 1 min on / 1 min off (controlled) if you don’t have a track.
Red flags
- • Going to the well early.
- • Needing to sprint the last rep to hit pace.
Long run (easy with light structure)
Purpose: Build durability and the aerobic base that supports faster running.
Prescription: Mostly easy. When stable: finish the last 10–20 min steady (not a race). Add strides occasionally.
Substitutions
- • Split long run (AM/PM) on high-stress weeks; keep total time similar.
Red flags
- • Long-run pace creeping; next-day fatigue lasting >48h.
Strength (short + consistent)
Purpose: Support durability and running economy with minimal interference.
Prescription: 2×/week, 20–35 min: hips, calves, hamstrings, trunk. Leave 1–2 reps in the tank.
Substitutions
- • Bodyweight circuit if you’re traveling.
Red flags
- • Heavy DOMS that ruins key sessions.
- • Form breakdown under load.
Adaptation rules
What to do when life happens
Most training failures are not fitness failures — they’re pacing, sleep, or scheduling failures. Use simple rules.
Missed workout
- • Don’t ‘make up’ missed sessions by doubling hard days.
- • If you miss one workout: keep the long run, skip the extra intensity.
- • If you miss a week: repeat the last week you completed confidently.
Low sleep week
- • Cut intensity before you cut easy volume: keep it aerobic.
- • Shorten the long run by 15–25% if sleep is poor for multiple nights.
- • Add one extra rest day if stress is high.
Fatigue signals
- • If your easy pace feels hard: keep the day easy and shorten duration.
- • If soreness persists >48h: remove the next hard session.
- • If motivation tanks + HR drifts: treat it like a recovery week.
Pain or injury
- • Pain that changes form is a stop signal — do not ‘push through’.
- • Swap running for low-impact cardio until pain-free in daily life.
- • Return with short easy runs; add intensity last.
Travel week
- • Protect one key session: either the long run or the workout — not both.
- • Use time-based training (minutes) when terrain/schedule changes.
- • Keep strength micro-sessions (10–15 min) instead of skipping completely.
Tools
Numbers to train with
Pick one tool, generate outputs, then plug them into your training week.
Calculator
Running pace + splits
Enter distance and finish time. Get pace per km/mile and a simple splits table.
Same unit as distance.
Pace / km
Pace / mile
Total time
| Split | Distance (km) | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5:00 |
| 2 | 2 | 10:00 |
| 3 | 3 | 15:00 |
| 4 | 4 | 20:00 |
| 5 | 5 | 25:00 |
| 6 | 6 | 30:00 |
| 7 | 7 | 35:00 |
| 8 | 8 | 40:00 |
| 9 | 9 | 45:00 |
| 10 | 10 | 50:00 |
Assumptions: steady pacing; no terrain/wind adjustments. Use this to plan, then calibrate by effort in real conditions.
Calculator
Race time predictor (Riegel model)
Start with one recent performance, then estimate equivalent 5K / 10K / half marathon / marathon times. Useful for goal-setting and workout planning.
Default 1.06. Higher = more slowdown as distance increases.
Known result
Predicted half
A good checkpoint for endurance readiness.
Predicted marathon
Assumes you train the endurance + fueling required.
| Distance | Predicted time | Pace / km | Pace / mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5K | 23:59 | 4:48 | 7:43 |
| 10K | 50:00 | 5:00 | 8:03 |
| Half marathon | 1:50:19 | 5:14 | 8:25 |
| Marathon | 3:50:01 | 5:27 | 8:46 |
This is a simplified model. It does not account for heat, hills, fueling, or whether you’ve trained the durability needed for longer races. Use it for planning — then execute by effort.
Evidence (high level)
Why this structure works
- • Most improvement comes from repeatable easy volume — not from ‘winning’ workouts.
- • Threshold work builds the foundation; race-pace reps sharpen execution.
- • Cutback weeks reduce injury risk and help you absorb training.
- • Strength supports durability when speedwork increases.
FAQs
Is a 16-week 10K plan enough time?
For many runners with a base, yes. If you’re building durability from low volume, extend the timeline and keep intensity conservative.
How many speed workouts should I do per week?
A good default is one quality workout plus one long-run focus. If you add a second quality session, keep it short and only when recovery is stable.
Do I need long runs for a 10K?
Yes. Long runs build durability and aerobic capacity, which makes your speedwork more effective and your racing more repeatable.
What should my easy pace feel like?
Easy means conversational. If you can’t talk in full sentences, slow down or add walk breaks. Easy days are what make workouts possible.
What if I miss a workout?
Don’t cram. Keep the next session easy, protect the long run, and resume structure when your legs feel normal again.
Do I need strength training?
Two short sessions per week is a high-ROI habit for durability. Keep it consistent and avoid leaving yourself sore for key runs.
Keep going
10K Training Hub
10K training plans, pace tools, and guides — structured to improve fitness without burnout or weekly time trials.
Running Pace Calculator (with Splits)
Convert distance + time into pace per km/mile and generate a splits table. Useful for planning workouts and race pacing.
Race Time Predictor (Riegel Model)
Estimate equivalent 5K/10K/half marathon/marathon times from one known result using a simple model. Useful for goal-setting and pacing.
Long Run Progression (Cutbacks + Fueling Practice)
A practical long-run progression guide: how to increase time safely, when to cut back, and how to use long runs to rehearse pacing and fueling.
Taper Week Checklist (Arrive Fresh, Not Flat)
A practical taper checklist: what to reduce, what to keep, and what to rehearse so race week is calm and repeatable.
Sources
- Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
- Physical Activity
- ACSM guidance and position stands (see journals for specifics)
- Effects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance: A Systematic Review
- Effects of 16 weeks of pyramidal and polarized training intensity distributions in well-trained endurance runners
- Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition (PDF)