Marathon and 10k training plan basics
A distance plan is mostly easy running, plus one long run and one quality session per week, built up gradually and tapered before race day. Choose the target time from a recent race or time trial, not from ambition, then train at the paces that time requires.
Lire en françaisPick a target time you can defend
The most useful starting point is a recent result: a 5k or 10k time, or a 30-minute time trial. A time goal pulled out of the air produces a plan whose paces you cannot hold, and every session then feels like a failure. Set the target from the evidence, and revisit it every four weeks as fitness changes.
The shape of the week
Easy means conversational. Most missed race goals come from easy runs being run too hard, which leaves nothing for the sessions that matter.
| Session | Purpose | Share of weekly volume |
|---|---|---|
| Easy runs | Aerobic base, recovery between hard days | About 70-80% |
| Long run | Time on feet, fuelling practice, durability | About 20-30% |
| Quality session | Race pace or intervals | One per week |
| Strength | Injury resilience, running economy | 1-2 short sessions |
Building volume without breaking
- Increase weekly distance by roughly 10% at most, and hold it for a week before rising again.
- Every fourth week, drop volume by about a third.
- Lengthen the long run in 10-15 minute steps, not by kilometres at a time.
- For a marathon, a long run of 2.5-3 hours is enough; going far beyond it adds fatigue more than fitness.
Taper
In the final two weeks for a 10k, three for a marathon, cut volume substantially while keeping some race-pace work so the legs stay sharp. The taper is where the training you already did becomes available on race day; adding a last big session instead only borrows from it.
Pain versus fatigue
Distance training produces heavy legs and general tiredness. It should not produce sharp, localised or one-sided pain, or pain that worsens as you run. Stop that session and see a doctor or physiotherapist — a fortnight of caution costs far less than a stress injury.