10K Beginner

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10K Beginner Running Program

As a beginner, training for your first 10K is a good way to step up your endurance. You'll increase your overall fitness and have fun racing this popular distance.

Join some friends and train together. Enter a big city race, support a local fun run or charity race. Aim to cross the finish line feeling good and you'll have a time that you can work on improving.

Get going with this 10K Beginner 12-week running program after you've done some 5K training.

Notes on the Program

Calculating Your Mileage
To follow the mileage suggestions measure your run course with your car odometer. Websites like MapMyRun.com and gmap-pedometer.com allow you to open a free account to track your running routes. There are GPS watches that give readings of your mile pace and total distance covered.

Otherwise, go to a track and time yourself running an easy mile (four laps) or 1K (2 and half laps). Calculate your run on time e.g. a 10 minute mile pace runner would take around 20 minutes to run an easy 2 miles.

Covert Mileage
The workouts are in miles. Click here for distances in kilometers.

Flexibility
Some days we feel tired, other days we feel good. With the ranges in this 10K Beginner running program choose what's best for you. Swap the running and rest days so they fit into your life. If you need extra days off take them, don't feel pressure to hit the mileage totals every day or week.

Running Together
Training with others can help you get out the door or finish a workout. Adjust this program so you can run together and all get to your 10K goals. Some days you might run a few miles with a running partner who's having a shorter run, and then keep going.

Hard/Easy Rule
You'll see that each hard day e.g. speed or long run is followed by easy running or a rest day. Sticking to this habit will help you recover from these workouts and stay injury free.

Rest Days
Giving your muscles a day off from running helps them get stronger. These days are important to prevent injuries. If you want to do something on rest days try a low-impact cross training workout.

Warm Up and Cool Down
The daily distances include your 5-10 minutes of easy running to warm up and cool down. Get started with some warm up exercises. Remember to spend some time stretching after your workouts.

Run Easy
You'll run most of your runs at a relaxed and conversational pace. If you can't talk to your running partners you're probably moving too fast.

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Fartlek Training
You'll use fartlek runs for some of your faster workouts in this 10K beginner program. Read these tips on fartlek training. Here are some sample fartlek workouts to try:

1x3 minute effort with 2 minute easy jog recovery, then 3x2 minute effort with 2 minute easy jog recovery plus 3x1 minute effort with 1 minute easy jog recovery.

2x3 minute effort with 2 minute easy jog recovery, then 2x2 minute effort with 2 minute easy jog recovery plus 2x1 minute effort with 1 minute easy jog recovery.

Hill Running
To build strength and endurance you'll run some hill workouts in your 10K beginner program. Follow this advice on how to run hills.

Intervals
Click here for the run down on interval training.
For your 400m (one lap of the track) intervals run one at a good hard effort (for you). Then walk and/or jog an easy lap to recover and start again. Finding a balance between running fast but not so fast that you can't finish your workout takes time. You'll get the hang of it as you do more of this training.

For your 800m intervals recover with an easy walk and/or jog for at least the same amount of time as it took for you to run the 800m.

Time Trial/Pre-Race
Get ready for your 10K race with a couple of time trials/races. You'll use the shorter distances for speed and build strength with the longer ones. You want to run these comfortably hard but not all out.

It's easier if you enter a low-key fun run so you have others to run against. This will give you a chance to get a feel for racing. You can also practice getting ready, eating, warming up, etc. Otherwise ask some friends to run some or all of the time trial with you in a training session.

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10K Beginner 12-week Running Program

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Frid	Sat	Sun	Total Miles
1	Rest	Easy 3-4M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 3-4M	Rest	Easy 2M	Easy 4M	15-18
2	Rest	Fartlek DT=4M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 4M	Rest	Easy 2-3M	Easy 5M	18-20
3	Rest	5-6 x Short Hills DT=4M	Easy 3M	Easy 4M	Rest	Easy 2-3M	Easy 5-6M	18-20
4	Rest	Intervals 5-6x400m DT=5M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 4-5M	Easy 3M	Rest	Time Trial 5K DT=5M	20-22
5	Rest	5-6 x Long Hills DT=4M	Easy 4M	Easy 4-5M	Rest	Easy 3M	Easy 5-6M	20-22
6	Rest	Intervals 4-5x800m DT=5M	Easy 4M	Easy 4-5M	Rest	Easy 3M	Easy 6-8M	22-25
7	Rest	Fartlek DT=5M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 5-6M	Rest	Easy 4M	Easy 5-6M	22-25
8	Rest	5-6 x Short Hills DT=5M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 4-5M	Easy 4M	Rest	Race 5M or 10K DT=6-7M	22-25
9	Rest	Intervals 5-6x800m DT=5M	Easy 4M	Easy 4-5M	Rest	Easy 3M	Easy 6-8M	22-25
10	Rest	Fartlek DT=5M	Easy 3M	Easy 4-5M	Rest	Easy 3M	Easy 5-6M	20-22
11	Rest	Intervals 3x800m 2x400m DT=5M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 4-5M	Rest	Easy 2-3M	Easy 4-5M	18-22
12	Rest	Fartlek DT=4M	Easy 3-4M	Easy 4M	Easy 3M	Rest	10K Race	14-15 & Race

DT=Daily total of miles

Try the Basic 10K running program if this 10K Beginner seems too easy.

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