If you've ever trained for a longer distance race you might be forgiven for thinking signing up to a 10k with a goal to PB will require a long period of training. Well think again! Four weeks is enough time to give a good boost to your fitness and put some speed into your legs.
So don't delay, sign up (to a race) today, and follow this training plan which is designed to get you to the start line, ready to race, on three runs a week.
About the plan:
- Runners embarking on this plan should already be comfortable with running 10km as a distance. Not quite ready yet? Build up a bit first - we've got plenty more Health & Injuries here.
- The sessions in the training plan (indeed any training plan) aren’t set in stone. Be flexible with speeds and distances where you need to, especially if you start to feel tired all the time.
- Feel free to change the order of the sessions to fit in with your daily schedule. Just be sure to follow the basic principle of not scheduling hard sessions back-to-back.
Our 4-week training 10K training plan:
Week 1:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3 miles at an easy pace (5/10 effort)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2 Couch to 5K: How to start running in six weeks.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K. Walk some sections if you like.
Sunday: Rest
Week 2:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3 How slowing down can help you speed up
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K, then 4 x 90 seconds fast, with 2 mins between reps, then 2 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K. Walk some sections if you like
Sunday: Rest
Week 3:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K, then 4 x 2mins fast, with 2mins between reps, then 2 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 Free half marathon training plans for every goal.
Sunday: Rest
Week 4:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3 Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2 miles easy, then 4 x 90 secs fast, with two mins between reps, then 2 miles easy.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10K race!
If you're looking for training plans of the same length, but want to up the number of times you run each week, take a look at the two below:
Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 5 times a week – Approximately a 40-50 minute 10K
Train for a 10K in 4 weeks, running 6-7 times a week – Approximately a 35-40 minute 10K
