What a 10k needs
The 10k sits between threshold and VO2max pace, so the plan trains both. Build weeks pair a threshold session with an interval session. Peak weeks pair reps at your 10k pace, 1 km to 3 km long, with threshold work.
The race pace is your VDOT-equivalent 10k pace, computed from the race you enter, not from a goal. If your goal is faster, the plan shows the gap and the retest lets you update the paces as you improve.
Weeks and days
Eight weeks minimum, ten by default. Long runs grow to about 16 km. Five days gives you two quality days, two easy days and a long run, with the day after the long run off.
The taper
One week at about half volume with a short race-pace sharpener mid-week and a shakeout the day before the race.
Sample plans by level
How it works
- 1Pick your race date or week count. Enter the race date and the plan counts back to next Monday, or choose the number of weeks. The 10k default is 10 weeks.
- 2Choose your running days. Three to six days per week and the day you want your long run. The plan spaces the hard days so they never touch.
- 3Enter a recent race. Any distance from 1500 m to the marathon. It sets your VDOT and every training pace. No recent race? Pick a level and run the week-1 time trial.
- 4Get the plan and the PDF. Every week, every session with paces, purpose and distance. Download the PDF, copy the link, or come back after a retest to refresh the paces.
Frequently asked questions
How are the training paces set?
From your recent race with Jack Daniels' VDOT equations: the same maths as the VDOT calculator on this site. Easy, marathon, threshold, interval and repetition paces all follow from one result. The plan trains you at your current fitness, not at your goal, because that is what your body can absorb today.
I have no recent race. Can I still get a plan?
Yes. Pick beginner, intermediate, advanced or sub-elite and the plan schedules a 5k time trial in week 1. Enter the time on the plan page and every pace appears. Until then sessions are shown by duration and effort.
Why is so much of the plan easy running?
Because that is what the evidence shows works. Elite and recreational data alike point to roughly 80 percent of running at low intensity, with the remaining hard sessions done properly hard. The plan reports its own easy, moderate and hard split so you can see it.
What if I miss a week?
Skip it and carry on with the plan as scheduled. Never cram two weeks into one. If you miss two weeks or more, restart at the week you left with one easier week first.
What pace are the 10k-pace reps?
Your current 10k race pace as predicted by your VDOT, which is what you could race today. The pace chart shows it next to threshold and interval pace, with splits per km and per 5 km.
How long is the 10k long run?
About 30 percent of the week, capped at 16 km. In the peak phase every other long run finishes with a few km at threshold, so you practise running fast on tired legs.
Sources
- Daniels J. Daniels' Running Formula, 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2014. Training paces, quality caps, phase model.
- Pfitzinger P, Douglas S. Advanced Marathoning, 3rd ed. Human Kinetics, 2020. Mesocycles, long-run share, marathon-pace runs.
- Bosquet L, et al. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(8):1358-1365.
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- Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 2010;5(3):276-291.
- Stöggl T, Sperlich B. Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training. Front Physiol 2014;5:33.
- Casado A, et al. World-class long-distance running performances are best predicted by volume of easy runs and deliberate practice of short-interval and tempo runs. J Strength Cond Res 2021;35(9):2525-2531.
- Haugen T, et al. The training characteristics of world-class distance runners. Sports Med Open 2022;8:46.
- Billat VL, et al. Intermittent runs at the velocity associated with maximal oxygen uptake enable subjects to remain at VO2max longer than intense but submaximal runs. Eur J Appl Physiol 2000;81(3):188-196.
- Rønnestad BR, et al. Superior performance improvements in elite cyclists following short-interval vs effort-matched long-interval training. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2020;30(5):849-857.
- Paavolainen L, et al. Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J Appl Physiol 1999;86(5):1527-1533.
- Barnes KR, Kilding AE. Strategies to improve running economy. Sports Med 2015;45(1):37-56.
- Maunder E, et al. The importance of durability in the physiological profiling of endurance athletes. Sports Med 2021;51(8):1619-1628.
- Jones AM. The fourth dimension: physiological resilience as an independent determinant of endurance exercise performance. J Physiol 2024;602(17):4113-4128.
- Jeukendrup AE. Training the gut for athletes. Sports Med 2017;47(Suppl 1):101-110.
- Nielsen RØ, et al. Excessive progression in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(10):739-747.
Last updated 6 September 2026.