The Ultimate 10k Training Plan in Partnership With Runna

Whether you’re levelling up from a 5k, chasing a new personal best, or simply want to feel stronger over longer distances, having the right 10k training plan makes all the difference. A 10k is the perfect balance between endurance and speed, long enough to be a serious challenge, but short enough to be achievable for most runners with consistent training.

From understanding pacing and recovery to structuring your runs and strength work effectively, every element of your routine plays a role in helping you hit your goals. Whether you’re wondering how to run a 10k confidently or how to improve your 10k time, this guide created in collaboration with Runna, covers the essentials to get you there.

So lace up, trust the process, and get ready to make those miles count. Here’s everything you need to know to train smart, stay motivated, and crush your next 10k.

Speed Work: Interval and Tempo Runs

Ultimately to run faster, you need to start practising running at faster speeds. To do this, you need to do two particular types of training sessions; tempo and interval training sessions. An interval session is typically where you run faster than you can run continuously for, with true rest periods (walking!) in between. This forces your body to adapt to running at these faster speeds and as a result, the pace you can run continuously for will increase proportionally. As well as running faster for short periods of time you should aim to build up your tolerance for running at faster speeds for longer and this is where tempo runs come in. Here you'll run at slightly faster speeds, but for longer and continue jogging between sections.

Learn more about tempo running sessions.

Incorporate Long Runs

You might be thinking, "why should I include long runs in my plan?" when you're training for a relatively short goal such as a 10k. However, it's still crucial to build up your endurance alongside the faster training, too. By building up your body's endurance to run longer at slower speeds, it'll help you run your faster paces for longer too!

Read about our 5 tips to help you prepare for your next long run.

Don’t Forget Easy Runs!

Easy runs are often the most neglected part of runners' training regimes. Running slowly when you're aiming to run faster feels counter-intuitive, however it's for a good reason. Running fast is very fatiguing on your body, with heightened injury risk and longer recovery times. There is no set pace for easy runs but the slower the better! By spending most of your runs running slower and easier, it means you can still build your leg strength and endurance but also feel fresher for your quality speed sessions. Like they say, it's quality over quantity. A popular rule to bear in mind is the 80/20 rule; you should be looking to spend 80% of your time doing easy running and only 20% of your time training at or above threshold pace. 

Cross Training

Incorporating cross-training within your running plans will not only help optimise your training, but can also reduce your injury risk. For runners, cross-training options can include cycling, elliptical, rowing or swimming, but we would advise you do what you enjoy the most. It will add variety to your routine when you are running fit and healthy, but it will also make it a lot easier to adapt if you are injured.

Learn more about the importance of cross training. 

Increase/Decrease Your Weekly Mileage Relatively

Your weekly mileage is another important area to consider while training towards your 10k. First of all, you should start with a mileage that you know your body can tolerate; do not jump in all guns blazing! Start with a volume that works for YOU; this is key to reducing your risk of injury. Also, look to avoid significantly increasing the number of runs per week than you are used to.

As you build up your mileage over time, you should look to never exceed a weekly increase of more than 10% (e.g., if you can comfortably run 40k total per week, next week run no more than 44k). Additionally, while you should look to increase your mileage over time, you should also add in deload weeks. A deload week is where you'll drop your weekly mileage every 3-5 weeks to allow your body to recover from, and adapt to, all of your recent training. This will reduce your injury risk and helping you to feel both physically and mentally fresher into your training moving forwards.

Learn more about the importance of a deload week.

Allow Time For Recovery

To help your body adapt to the hard training and also recover properly to avoid injuries, there are some essentials that you should be doing on the recovery side of things too. Firstly, sleep; aim for a consistent 8 hours of sleep every night. Secondly, whether it's Pilates, Yoga or simply stretching, you should look to do at least some mobility work each week.

Other ways to optimise your recovery include sports massages or even using at-home massage tools such as massage guns or a foam roller. Listen to your body throughout your training and be prepared to take an extra day of rest or move the sessions around within a week if you find that you need a little extra recovery.

Discover Runna’s top tips to maximise your recovery.

Don’t Neglect Your Nutrition

To get faster and stronger at your 10k, you'll need to nail your training sessions but also make sure you're fuelling your recovery and making health-conscious nutrition choices too! To help optimise your recovery, look to keep your protein high, take on plenty of carbs before your tougher sessions and if you're looking to really push the pace or distance, don't be afraid to experiment with caffeine too.

Explore Runna’s nutrition articles.

Secure a Comfy Pair of Trainers

Your shoes are going to be a huge part of your training and investing in a good pair will help protect your body from the impact with the ground. It’s recommended to visit a sports shoe shop that specialises in running shoes and has a treadmill in-store so that you can test a few different pairs. If you're looking to shave a few seconds off your 10k time, you could even look to invest in a light, carbon-assisted pair of shoes!

Stay Accountable

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of training is being consistent and holding yourself accountable. Try to start off by developing a routine around your running and get used to getting out that door three, four or more times per week. You can even look to put your running sessions in your calendar/diary to help integrate them into your day-to-day. We'd also suggest tracking your progress as you go and using this as a tool to look back on how far you've come and motivate yourself to lace up for those harder sessions.

Look to make your training more social, from telling your close friends your goals, to joining a community of runners either online or in your local area and organising to run with people that you know. Additionally, what better way to hold yourself accountable than signing up to an event, knowing you have a deadline when you can put all of your hard work into practice? 

Follow a Pacing Guide

Follow a 10k Training Plan!

Finally, maybe the best thing you can do to level up your running is to follow a 10k training plan! A good plan will take care of everything that we've mentioned in this article, from setting out all of the sessions for you, automatically adjusting your mileage, incorporating deloads to balancing the right types of running for your ability. Having a plan will also help hugely with accountability and mean that you can focus purely on your running game without having to fuss over the little details!

Read more about the benefits of following a running plan.

Ready to Take Your 10k Further?

Now that you’ve got all the tools to tackle your next 10k, it’s time to put them into action. A structured Runna 10k plan paired with expert guidance from realbuzz gives you everything you need to stay consistent and motivated through every kilometre.

Why not turn your training into something even more meaningful? Visit our 10K events page to find your next race and run for charity, giving your 10k a powerful purpose. Plus, when you run with realbuzz, you’ll enjoy two weeks of free access to Runna to kick-start your plan and set yourself up for success. Kickstart your training today and make your miles mean more!