Stage 8 of 8 · The 10K

Run 10.00 kilometres without walking

Doubling a distance sounds like doubling the difficulty. It isn't: you already own the engine, and what remains is time on your feet. The long run grows five minutes a week until it's out near 80 minutes — which at your pace is very close to the whole thing, so race day is a victory lap rather than a leap of faith.

Who this stage is for

"I can run 5K — the 10K is the goal" — if that's you, this is your starting stage.

The training week

Three sessions, at least a day apart, roughly half an hour each. Every session starts with a five-minute easy walk and ends the same way.

• Run A · The long one — One continuous run: 45 minutes, adding five each repeat week until it reaches 80. The test is distance, never speed.
  walk 5 min, run 45 min, walk 5 min
• Run B · Strides — 15 min easy, then 6 × (1 min stride / 1 min easy jog), then 5 min easy. Strides are fast but relaxed.
  walk 5 min, run 15 min, pickup run 1 min, walk 1 min, pickup run 1 min, walk 1 min, pickup run 1 min, walk 1 min, pickup run 1 min, walk 1 min, pickup run 1 min, walk 1 min, pickup run 1 min, walk 1 min, run 5 min, walk 5 min
• Run C · Steady — Thirty minutes at your comfortable rhythm. Confidence mileage.
  walk 5 min, run 30 min, walk 5 min

Repeat weeks: The long run IS the progression: add five minutes each repeat week until it reaches eighty.

The test

Run 10.00 kilometres without walking.

Pick a flat morning and start slower than your excitement wants — the first kilometre should feel like a warm-up you forgot to end. Anything you log is progress on the chart.

Coach's notes

Doubling a distance sounds like doubling the difficulty, and it isn't. You already own the engine by this point; what's left is time on your feet. The long run grows five minutes a week until it's out near eighty — at an easy pace that is very nearly the whole distance, which is exactly why race day feels like a formality.

"Nobody accidentally runs ten kilometres. Every minute of this was decided by you, weeks ago." — Coach

Safety

Run10K is coaching content, not medical advice. If you have a heart, joint or other medical condition, are pregnant, or have been advised to limit activity, check with a clinician before starting. Sharp or worsening pain, chest pain, or unusual breathlessness: stop today, walk home. There is always another run.