The short answer: if you can already run 5K comfortably, you can build to 10K in about eight weeks by adding one longer run each week and increasing it gradually. Three to four runs a week: one long, one steady, one or two easy. Most of your running should still be slow.
Where you should be starting from
You should be able to run 5K continuously without it feeling like a maximum effort, and have been running consistently for at least a couple of months.
If you're not there yet, build that base first with the 5K plan. Jumping to 10K training from a shakier base is the most common route to picking up an injury.
The structure
Three or four runs a week, and unlike the 5K plan, they're no longer all the same:
- One long run. The important one. Slow, and gradually getting longer.
- One steady run. Around 5K at a comfortable pace.
- One or two easy runs. Short and genuinely easy, 20-30 minutes.
The long run does most of the work. If you only manage two sessions in a given week, make sure one is the long run.
Eight weeks of long runs
Only the long run changes week to week. Keep the others roughly constant.
- Week 1: 5km
- Week 2: 6km
- Week 3: 6.5km
- Week 4: 5km (easier week — deliberate)
- Week 5: 7.5km
- Week 6: 8.5km
- Week 7: 9.5km
- Week 8: 10km
Week 4 stepping backwards isn't a mistake. Building continuously for eight straight weeks is how people arrive at week 8 exhausted. A lighter week lets the previous three weeks' training consolidate.
How slow should the long run be?
Slower than your 5K pace, noticeably. You should be able to talk throughout.
This is where most people training for 10K go wrong: they run the long run at a pace they can just about sustain, arrive at the next session tired, and gradually dig a hole. The long run is about time on your feet, not speed. See what an easy run is.
Do you need speed work?
For a first 10K, no. Finishing the distance comfortably is the goal, and volume gets you there.
If you're going back for a faster one later, that's when tempo runs and interval training start to earn their place. Adding them to a first 10K build mostly adds injury risk.
The week before
Cut back. Run about half your usual volume, keep it easy, and don't try to squeeze in a last long effort — fitness gained in the final week is negligible, and fatigue carried into the day is not.
On the day
Start slower than you want to. A 10K is long enough that going out too fast is genuinely punishing in the last few kilometres, and the time you save in the first two is always less than the time you lose in the last three.
Aim to finish feeling like you could have run a bit faster. That's a well-paced first 10K.
Fuelling
For most people a 10K is short enough that you don't need to eat during it. A normal small carbohydrate-based breakfast a couple of hours beforehand is plenty. See what to eat before running.
Water during the run is usually unnecessary in mild conditions over that distance, though there's no harm in it if you prefer.
A note on building volume
Doubling your weekly distance is where injuries come from. If any week feels genuinely hard rather than merely tiring, repeat it rather than progressing. Sharp or localised pain means stopping and seeing a GP or physiotherapist rather than running through it. General guidance, not medical advice.
Takeaways
- Start from a comfortable 5K, not from scratch.
- One long run a week does most of the work — protect it.
- Build in an easier week rather than climbing for eight weeks straight.
- Skip speed work for a first 10K; volume is what you need.
Related: how many rest days runners should take and how to get faster at running.
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