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5k to 10k
Six weeks that take a comfortable 5k out to a comfortable 10k, by growing the long run.
Goal: Run 10 km continuously, having already run 5k without stopping.
Doubling your distance is mostly a matter of one session: the weekly long run, which creeps up by a kilometre or two each week until 10k is just a normal Sunday. The other two runs stay short and stay easy, with one of them adding a gentle taste of faster running so the 10k does not feel like a slog.
You should be able to run 5k without walking before you start. If you cannot yet, the couch-to-5k plan is the place to build that base first.
The plan, week by week
| Week | Focus | What each session is | Total min | Progression rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Settle in |
| 85 | Start from the distance you already own. The pickups are 4 × 20 seconds a touch faster, full recovery between. |
| Week 2 | Grow the long run |
| 93 | Long run up 1 km. Everything else holds — this is where the 10% comes from. |
| Week 3 | First tempo |
| 104 | Introduce a 2 km tempo block: hard enough to speak only in short phrases, no harder. |
| Week 4 | Consolidate |
| 116 | Long run holds at 7 km for a week while the tempo grows. Not every week adds distance. |
| Week 5 | Reach out |
| 127 | Longest run yet. If 8.5 km feels fine, 10k is already in reach. |
| Week 6 | The 10k |
| 112 | The first two runs taper down so the legs are fresh for a full, easy 10 km. |
Calendar view
The weekly rhythm at a glance — which days you train and which you rest. Print this page for a plan you can stick on the fridge; the site header, navigation and footer drop away on paper.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Rest | S1 | Rest | S2 | Rest | Rest | S3 |
| Week 2 | Rest | S1 | Rest | S2 | Rest | Rest | S3 |
| Week 3 | Rest | S1 | Rest | S2 | Rest | Rest | S3 |
| Week 4 | Rest | S1 | Rest | S2 | Rest | Rest | S3 |
| Week 5 | Rest | S1 | Rest | S2 | Rest | Rest | S3 |
| Week 6 | Rest | S1 | Rest | S2 | Rest | Rest | S3 |
Deload and rest
Week 4 is a soft deload: the long run holds rather than grows. If you feel flat, cut the mid-week tempo to easy running for a week — losing one tempo session never costs you the distance, but running tired repeatedly will.
If a week goes badly
If a long run falls apart, walk the rest, get home, and repeat the same long-run distance the following week instead of extending it. The long run is the one session that must not be forced. Sore, heavy legs for a day are expected; pain that changes how you run is not, and means a rest day.
Injury-prevention basics
- The long run does the heavy lifting, so it is where the 10% rule matters most — grow it by roughly a kilometre a week, not two or three.
- Two of your three runs are easy on purpose. Running them hard turns three easy-plus-one-hard weeks into three-hard weeks, and that is an injury plan, not a training plan.
- Sharp or joint pain means stop; muscular tiredness means ease off. A week repeated is far cheaper than a month off.
This is a general template, not personal coaching or treatment. Warm up before each session, and stop for pain that is sharp, one-sided, or felt in a joint rather than a muscle. Persistent pain deserves a clinician or physiotherapist, not another session.
Movements used
Each links to its own page — form cues, common mistakes, and the calories it burns: Easy running (8 km/h) · Tempo running (12 km/h) · Brisk walking (5.5 km/h) · Stretching.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is "tempo"?
Comfortably hard: you can say a few words but not hold a conversation. If you are counting down the seconds, it is too fast. Tempo should feel controlled, not like a race.
Do I need to hit the exact kilometres?
No. Round to what your route allows. The shape — one long run growing, two easy runs holding — matters far more than the precise numbers.
What pace will my 10k be?
Slower than your 5k pace, and that is correct. Finishing 10k relaxed is the goal here; racing it is a separate plan for later.
Source: Standard endurance/strength progression (10% rule, easy-hard distribution, planned deloads); movements from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities · checked 2026-09-02
Other plans
Couch to 5k
Nine weeks of run-walk intervals that turn a standing start into thirty unbroken minutes.
10,000-step ramp
Six weeks to build a genuine ten-thousand-step habit from wherever you are now, without hating it.
Bodyweight strength, 8 weeks
A full-body strength block you can do at home with no equipment, progressing by reps and leverage.
Walk to run
A gentler on-ramp than couch-to-5k, for heavier bodies, older joints or a cautious return.
Half-marathon base
Eight weeks of aerobic base-building to prepare the legs before a half-marathon plan proper.
Return after a break
Six cautious weeks back to regular training after illness, injury recovery or a long layoff.
All training plans · Exercise library
Tick off each session as you go
TempoLife logs your runs, walks and strength sessions from Health Connect and your own entries, so the plan you followed and the food you ate sit side by side.