10K RUNNING TRAINING PROGRAM FOR BEGINNING COMPETITIVE RUNNERS

Week 1

• Monday - Rest. Rest is not just a day off; it is an important and planned part of a training program. Rest allows your muscles to recover and strengthen.
• Tuesday - 45-minute fartlek run. Fartlek is a Swedish word for speed play. This is a non-structured workout in which you run at a steady pace and add in short surges of faster running. For this workout, alternate running for 5 minutes at an easy pace with 1 minute at 5K pace.
• Wednesday - Run 3 miles easy. Avoid the temptation to increase your pace on these easy run days. You will have many opportunities to run hard. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 4 x 400 meters at 15 seconds per mile faster than your current 5K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Friday - Run 3 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 3 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Run 3 miles at an easy pace.

Week 2

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up, run 4 x 800 meter repeats at 5 seconds per mile faster than your 5K pace. Jog for 800 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Wednesday - Run 3 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 6 x 400 meter repeats at 15 seconds per mile faster than your 5K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Friday - Run 4 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 4 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Run 4 miles at an easy pace.

Week 3

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up. Run 5 x 800 meter repeats at 5 seconds per mile faster than your 5K pace. Jog for 800 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Wednesday - Run 4 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 6 x 400 meter repeats at 15 seconds per mile faster than your current 5K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Run 4 x 200 meters at full, but controlled pace. Jog for 100 meters between repeats. Jog for 800 meters between the two sets. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Friday - Run 4 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 4 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 5 miles at 30 seconds per mile slower than your 10K pace or 45 seconds per mile slower than your 5K pace.

Week 4

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up, run 6 x hill repeats. Find a hill that is fairly steep and at least 100 meters in length. Run up the hill at a pace that feels like 5K pace. Run 20 meters past the top of the hill and jog back down. Repeat this 6 times.
• Wednesday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 5 x 800 meter repeats at 5 seconds per mile faster than your 5K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Run 4 x 200 meter repeats at full but controlled pace. Jog for 100 meters between repeats. Jog for 800 meters between the two sets. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Friday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 5 miles at 30 seconds per mile slower than 10K pace or 45 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace.

Week 5

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up. Run 3 x 1200 meter repeats at 10K pace or 15 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace. Jog for 800 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Wednesday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 6 x 800 meter repeats at 5 seconds per mile faster than 5K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Then run 1200 meters at 10K pace. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Friday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 6 miles. Run the first 5 miles at an easy pace and the last mile at 10K pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.

Week 6

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up, run 8 x hill repeats. Run the repeats at what feels like 5K pace. Run 20 to 50 meters past the top of the hill. Jog back down.
• Wednesday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run for 20 minutes alternating between 30 seconds at 20 seconds per mile faster than 5K pace and 30 seconds at an easy pace. Cool down with 5 minutes at an easy pace.
• Friday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 5 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 7 miles at 30 seconds per mile slower than 10K pace or 45 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace.

Week 7

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up, run 4 x 1200 meter repeats at 10K pace or 15 seconds per mile slower than your 5K pace. Jog 800 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging.
• Wednesday - Run 6 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 2 x 800/1200 meter supersets. Run 800 meters at 5K pace, then slow down to 10K pace for 1200 meters. Do not rest between the distances. Recover between the two sets with 800 meters at an easy pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Friday - Run 6 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 6 miles easy.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 7 miles. Run the first 6 miles at an easy pace and the last mile at 10K pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.

Week 8

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up, run 2 x 2400 meter repeats at 10K pace. Run 800 meters at an easy pace between the repeats. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Wednesday - Run 6 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 1 x 200/800/1600 meter supersets. Run 200 meters at nearly full pace, 800 meters at 5K pace and 1600 meters at 10K pace. Take no rest between the three distances. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Friday - Run 6 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 6 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. 8 miles at 30 seconds per mile slower than 10K pace.

Week 9

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up, run 3 x 1600 meter repeats at 10K pace or 15 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace. Jog for 800 meters between repeats. Cool down with 800 meters of jogging. If you are having trouble maintaining your pace, increase the distance of your recovery jogs.
• Wednesday - Run 6 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 8 x 2 minute repeats at 20 seconds per mile faster than 5K pace. Recover between the repeats with 2 minutes of easy running. Cool down with 5 minutes at an easy pace.
• Friday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 6 miles easy.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 5000 meters at 10K pace or 15 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace.

Week 10 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up. Run 4 x 1600 meter repeats at 10K pace. Run at an easy pace for 800 meters between the repeats. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Wednesday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 2 x 800 meter repeats at 5K pace with 400 meter recovery jogs between the repeats, 3 x 800 meter repeats at 10K pace with 400 meter recovery jogs between the repeats and 2400 meters at 10K pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Friday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 6 miles easy.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 8 miles. Run the first 6 miles at an easy pace and the last 2 miles at 10K pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.

Week 11 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up. Run 4 x 1600 meter repeats at 10K pace or 15 seconds per mile slower than 5K pace. Jog for 400 meters between repeats. Jog for 800 meters to cool down.
• Wednesday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 20 minutes alternating between 30 seconds at 20 seconds per mile faster than 5K pace and 30 seconds at 15 seconds per mile slower than 10K pace.
• Friday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Sunday - Standard warm up. Run 8 miles at an easy pace.

Week 12

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Standard warm up. Run 2 x 800/1600 meter superset. Run 800 meters at 5K pace and then slow down to 10K pace for 1600 meters, with no rest between distances. Recover between the two sets with 800 meters at an easy pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Wednesday - Run 7 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Thursday - Standard warm up. Run 2 x 1600 meter repeats at 10K pace. Cool down with 800 meters at an easy pace.
• Friday - Run 3 miles easy. Run 3 acceleration strides.
• Saturday - Rest
• Sunday - RACE DAY!