If you've got a month to train for your 10K, take a look at this four week training plan, where you'll be out running five times a week. That means two rest days to give your body time to recover, and different schedules of speed, fartlek and recovery runs. Sticking to this training plan should mean you'll be able to pace yourself to a 40-50 minute 10K.
Two key things to remember when following this training plan:
1. The sessions aren’t set in stone. Be flexible with speeds and distances where you need to, especially if you start to feel like your legs are getting tired.
2. You can change the order of the sessions to fit in with your life, just make sure you follow the basic principle of not scheduling hard sessions back-to-back.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Rest | 2.5M warm-up, then 6 x 600m or 2 mins, with 400m or 2-3 min jog recoveries, then 2.5M cool-down | 6M easy, inc 8 - 10 x 100m strides | 3-4M fast but controlled | Rest | 6-8M easy, inc hills | 6-7M easy |
| Week 2 | Rest | 2-2.5M warm-up, then 5 x 800m or 3 mins, with 400m or 2.5-min recoveries, then 2-2.5M cool-down | 5-7M easy, inc 8-12 strides | 2M easy, 2M fast, 2M easy | Rest | 6-8M fartlek, emphasis on pyramid efforts | 7-8M easy |
| Week 3 | Rest | 2-2.5M warm-up, then 5 x 1000m or 3.5-4 mins, with 400m or 4-min recoveries, then 2-2.5M cool-down | Rest | 6-8M steady, inc hills | Rest | 2M easy, 1M fast, 1M easy, 1.5M fast, 2M easy | 8-9M easy |
| Week 4 | Rest | 2-2.5M warm-up, then 4 x 800m or 3 mins, with 400m or 4-min recoveries, then 2.5M cool-down | 5-7M easy | 6M steady | Rest | 3-5M easy, inc a few strides | RACE |
If you're not sure you can fit five days of running in to your week, take a look at our 4-week 10K training plan, running 3 days per week.
If you're an experienced runner looking to reach a goal of a 35-40 minute 10K, look at our more advanced 4-week 10K training plan, running 6-7 days per week.
