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I’ll never forget the first time I ran 10 miles. It happened nearly 40 years ago, and I’ve since run much longer distances, but I still remember the feeling of accomplishment I experienced when I crossed the double-digit mileage threshold. Running 10 miles straight is a remarkable feat that not every athlete—or even runner—ever achieves. And once you hit 10, it’s pretty much assured you can run a half. From there, who knows, you could find yourself entering a full next year. All you need to get to that double-digit run distance is a 10-mile training plan.
Understand Your Starting Point
If you’d like to experience the same feeling, here’s your roadmap. Our 10 weeks to 10 miles training plan was designed for runners who are currently comfortable running up to 4 miles and want to build up to a 10-mile race or solo run.
Each week features a fartlek run with short efforts at high intensity (HI), a tempo run with a longer effort at moderate intensity (MI), and a long run at low intensity (LI), plus three flex days that give you the option to run easy, cross-train (XT), or rest, and one full rest day. The training load increases gradually from week to week except in weeks 3, 6, and 9, which are recovery weeks, and week 10, which is a taper week.
Reference the training plan key for explanations of key terms.
Training Plan Key
| Fartlek | Alternating high-intensity and low-intensity efforts. For example, “6 x 0:30 HI/2:30 LI” means you should run for 30 seconds at high intensity followed by 2 minutes and 30 seconds at low intensity, and repeat 6 times. Choose a flat to smoothly rolling route with a firm surface for these runs. |
| Tempo Run | A workout featuring an extended effort at moderate intensity between a warm-up and a cooldown. For example, "15:00 LI/12:00 MI/15:00 LI" means you should warm up for 15 minutes at low intensity, then run 12 minutes at moderate intensity, and cool down for 15 minutes at low intensity. Choose a flat to smoothly rolling route with a firm surface for these runs. |
| HI | High intensity. Choose a pace you could sustain no longer than 6 minutes. Shorter HI segments (e.g., 30 seconds) should be run slightly faster than longer ones (e.g., 1 minute). Your perceived effort rating should be 8-9 out of 10 in these efforts and your heart rate above 90% of maximum. |
| LI | Low intensity. Choose a pace at which you could talk comfortably. Your perceived effort rating should be 3-4 out of 10 in these efforts and your heart rate above 75% of maximum. |
| MI | Moderate intensity. Choose a pace you could sustain for 30 to 50 minutes. Your perceived effort rating should be 5-7 out of 10 in these efforts and your heart rate between 80 and 90% of maximum. |
| XT | Cross-training. Recommended non-impact cardio activities for runners include indoor and outdoor bicycling, hiking, incline treadmill walking, elliptical running, and outdoor elliptical biking. Although these workouts are designated as optional, including them in your training will help you build aerobic fitness more quickly without subjecting your body to additional high impact and the injury risk that comes with it. |
10-Mile Training Plan
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 1 | Rest | Fartlek Run
10:00 LI 6 x 0:30 HI/ 2:30 LI 10:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 12:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
40:00 LI |
Long Run
4 miles LI |
| 2 | Rest | Fartlek Run
15:00 LI 8 x 0:30 HI/ 2:30 LI 10:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 14:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
40:00 LI |
Long Run
5 miles LI |
| 3 | Rest | Fartlek Run
10:00 LI 6 x 0:30 HI/ 2:30 LI 10:00 L |
Flex Day
30:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 12:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
30:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
35:00 LI |
Long Run
4 miles LI |
| 4 | Rest | Fartlek Run
15:00 LI 6 x 0:45 HI/ 2:15 LI 10:00 LI |
Flex Day
40:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 16:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
40:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
50:00 LI |
Long Run
6 miles LI |
| 5 | Rest | Fartlek Run
15:00 LI 8 x 0:45 HI/ 2:15 LI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
40:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 18:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
40:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run 50:00 LI |
Long Run
7 miles LI |
| 6 | Rest | Fartlek Run
10:00 LI 6 x 0:45 HI/ 2:15 LI 10:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 14:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
40:00 LI |
Long Run
5 miles LI |
| 7 | Rest | Fartlek Run
15:00 LI 6 x 1:00 HI/ 2:00 LI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
45:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 20:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
45:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
55:00 LI |
Long Run
8 miles LI |
| 8 | Rest | Fartlek Run
15:00 LI 8 x 1:00 HI/ 2:00 LI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
45:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 22:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
45:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
55:00 LI |
Long Run
9 miles LI |
| 9 | Rest | Fartlek Run
15:00 LI 6 x 1:00 HI/ 2:00 LI 10:00 LI |
Flex Day
40:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 16:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
40:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Easy Run
45:00 LI |
Long Run
6 miles LI |
| 10 | Rest | Fartlek Run
10:00 LI 8 x 0:30 HI/ 2:30 LI 10:00 LI |
Flex Day
35:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Tempo Run
15:00 LI 10:00 MI 15:00 LI |
Flex Day
30:00 LI run or XT or rest |
Rest | 10-mile run/race! |