- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- 8 weeks
- Sessions
- 4 per week
- Session time
- 30-70 min
- Equipment
- Running shoes, a watch or app with a timer
If you can run for 30 minutes without stopping, you have the base for a 10K. This plan takes eight weeks and four runs a week to build your long run from about 40 to 70 minutes and introduce two kinds of faster running: short intervals and steady tempo efforts. Most of the running stays easy on purpose, because easy miles are what let you handle the harder ones. Week 4 is a lighter week, and week 8 tapers into a 10K race or time trial.
Who it's for
- Runners who finished Couch to 5K and have kept running three times a week for at least a month
- Casual runners who run 5K regularly and want a new goal
- Returning runners with a recent base of 30-minute runs
You should be able to run 30 minutes continuously at an easy effort before starting. If not, build up with the 5K plan first.
Effort guide
- Easy: conversational; you could speak in full sentences. Most of the plan.
- Strides: 20-second relaxed accelerations to a quick (not all-out) pace, with full recovery walking or jogging
- Tempo: "comfortably hard"; you can say a few words but not hold a conversation. Sustainable for about an hour in a race.
- Intervals: around your current 5K effort; hard but controlled, never a sprint
- Long run: easy pace, slower than you think
If you train with heart rate, easy runs usually sit in the lower zones and tempo near the upper-middle; see using heart-rate zones in fitness apps.
Weekly schedule
| Week | Tue | Thu | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 min easy + 4 strides | 30 min: 6 x 1 min at interval effort, 2 min jog | 25 min easy | Long run 40 min |
| 2 | 35 min easy + 4 strides | 35 min: 3 x 5 min tempo, 2 min jog | 25 min easy | Long run 45 min |
| 3 | 35 min easy + 6 strides | 40 min: 8 x 1 min interval, 90 sec jog | 30 min easy | Long run 50 min |
| 4 (lighter) | 30 min easy + 4 strides | 30 min: 2 x 6 min tempo, 3 min jog | 25 min easy | Long run 40 min |
| 5 | 40 min easy + 6 strides | 45 min: 5 x 3 min interval, 2 min jog | 30 min easy | Long run 55 min |
| 6 | 40 min easy + 6 strides | 45 min: 2 x 10 min tempo, 3 min jog | 30 min easy | Long run 65 min |
| 7 | 40 min easy + 6 strides | 45 min: 6 x 3 min interval, 2 min jog | 30 min easy | Long run 70 min |
| 8 (race) | 30 min easy + 4 strides | 25 min: 3 x 3 min tempo, 2 min jog | 20 min easy or rest | 10K race or time trial |
Monday, Wednesday and Friday are rest or cross-training days: walking, cycling, yoga or strength. Session times include warm-up and cool-down for the Thursday workouts.
The key sessions
Strides teach relaxed, faster running without adding fatigue. Run them on flat ground after an easy run: smooth acceleration for about 20 seconds, ease off, then walk back to recover.
Intervals sharpen your speed and running economy. Run them on a flat loop, track or treadmill. Aim for even efforts: the last rep should be as fast as the first. If you slow down a lot, cut the last rep.
Tempo runs practice holding a strong, steady pace. Start each tempo segment slightly slower than you think, then settle. They should feel controlled, not like a race.
The long run builds endurance. Keep it easy and conversational the whole way. On runs of 60 minutes or longer, carry water and practice taking a drink.
Warm-up
Before Thursday workouts: 10 minutes of easy jogging, then 10 leg swings each way per side, 10 walking lunges, 20 seconds of high knees and 2 strides. On easy runs, simply start slowly for the first 5 minutes.
Cool-down
Jog easily for 5-10 minutes after workouts, then walk for 2-3 minutes. Follow with calf, hamstring, quad and hip stretches, or the Daily 10 routine from our yoga and mobility for runners plan.
Progression rules
- Keep 80% easy. If more than one run a week feels hard, slow down the easy runs.
- Don't make up missed workouts. Skip them and continue with the plan. If you miss a week, repeat the previous week.
- Long run increases are capped at 5-10 minutes per week, and the lighter week 4 lets you absorb training.
- Pain rule: stop running if you feel sharp pain, limp, or pain that worsens as you go; rest and see a professional if it doesn't settle in a few days.
How to scale it
Easier: run three times a week by dropping the Saturday run, cap the long run at 60 minutes, or take 10 weeks by repeating weeks 3 and 6. Swap intervals for a second tempo run if hard efforts feel too much.
Harder: add a fifth easy run of 30 minutes, add 2 reps to interval sessions in weeks 5-7, or extend tempo segments by 2 minutes. After the 10K, the half marathon plan is the natural next step.
Race week
Keep the legs fresh and the routine familiar. Eat foods you know, lay out kit the night before, and start the race at a pace that feels easy for the first kilometer. Aim to run the second half about the same speed as or slightly faster than the first.
Common mistakes
- Running easy days too fast. This is the most common reason runners feel flat on workout days. Slow down.
- Racing the intervals. The first rep should feel controlled. If you're much slower by the end, you started too fast.
- Adding extra runs because you feel good. Stick to the plan in the first few weeks; feeling good is a sign it's working.
- Neglecting rest days. Light cross-training is fine, but don't turn rest days into extra hard sessions.
A sample week
Week 5 for someone who works weekdays might look like this: Monday rest or a 30-minute bike ride; Tuesday a 40-minute easy run before work with six strides at the end; Wednesday 20 minutes of strength or yoga; Thursday the interval session after work (10 minutes easy, 5 x 3 minutes at interval effort with 2-minute jogs, 10 minutes easy); Friday rest; Saturday a 30-minute easy run; Sunday the 55-minute long run on a scenic route. If Thursday is busy, swap it with Tuesday, but keep at least one easy day between the workout and the long run.
FAQ
What if I don't have a race?
Run a 10K time trial on a flat route or treadmill. It's a great benchmark for your next block of training.
Can I do the workouts on a treadmill?
Yes. Use a 1% incline for outdoor feel. Treadmills make interval efforts easier to control.
Should I run on the rest days?
No; walk, cycle, do yoga or strength. Rest days help you absorb the four runs.
How fast should my easy runs be?
Slow enough to talk. For many runners that is 60-90 seconds per kilometer slower than their 5K pace, but go by feel.
Can a running app adjust the plan for me?
Several running apps build plans around your goal date and adjust paces based on your runs, which some people find motivating. See the apps below.
Apps and gear that fit this program
You can follow this plan with nothing but a timer. If you would rather have guided audio, classes, a coach or equipment, these work well with it. We list facts from each brand, not ratings, and we haven’t hands-on tested them.
Runna
Running coaching appPersonalised running plans from a first 5K to a marathon, with guided runs on your phone or watch. Runna is owned by Strava.
Aaptiv
Audio-guided workout appTrainer-led audio and video workouts, including outdoor running, treadmill, walking, strength and stretching sessions.
Brand details checked Oct 17, 2026 on official pages. Prices and features change; confirm on the brand’s site.
Guides to read alongside
About this program
Still Stride programs are general training templates written by our team from widely used coaching principles (gradual progression, easy-hard balance, planned rest). They aren’t personalised and they make no promise of a particular result. Adjust them to how you feel, and ask a qualified coach, physical therapist or doctor if you have questions about your own health. How we work.