For many runners, part of their enjoyment of the sport is finding out if they can run further than they have done before. If you’ve reached the stage where you can comfortably run 5k, you might be thinking about whether 10k is possible! 

This plan is written by Lakeland Trails’ Coaching Partner Jenny Bushell. It’s designed for runners who can already comfortably complete a 5k run, at any pace, and will help you get ready for a 10k run. It works by slowly building up your time on feet in your longer runs, while also adding some short intervals and hill sessions. 

The plan explains the two effort levels we are aiming to use; ‘easy’ and ‘hard’. Easy efforts involve a relaxed pace, where breathing is relaxed and even, and conversation can happen in full sentences. It’s fine to take walk breaks if necessary to achieve this, and to consciously slow down pace to keep the ‘easy’ effort. ‘Hard’ efforts involve deeper, more laboured breathing, concentrating on sustaining a faster pace, and speech becomes a few words at a time. The plan has hard efforts of different lengths - aim to run faster on e.g. a 1 minute effort than on a 10 minute effort. 

Overall, keep the focus on enjoyment! It doesn’t matter if you don’t stick to the plan perfectly - consistency is the biggest thing that will help you progress. So keep getting the running shoes on, train mainly easy with a sprinkling of hard, and you’ll be at 10k before you know it. Don’t worry if the plan timings don’t have you reaching 10k before race day; this is normal for lots of runners when you step up to a new distance, and you’ll find that race day excitement and atmosphere carry you the rest of the way. 

You can download the plan HERE

If you’re interested in more personalised support as you prepare for an event or challenge, you can find out more about Jenny’s coaching HERE