10K training program for running moms

Following my previous posts in this series for running moms with some general advice for beginning runners and a suggested training program for a 5K distance, in this post I’ll include a suggested training program for a 10K run. As mentioned in earlier posts, please use this program as a guide only and adjust where necessary in order to make you feel as comfortable as possible with the level of activity as well as with the selected days for each specific session.

Before starting this program, make sure you already feel comfortable running a 5K distance. If you are new to running, haven’t been running for quite some time or if you just don’t feel ready yet to comfortably run a 5K, please take a look at my suggested training program for 5K first – I would recommend completing that program before starting to prepare for a 10K run. If you do feel comfortable already to run a 5K, then you’re ready to start with below program. I have chosen the Sunday for the long run supposing that’s the best day for a somewhat longer session – but if you have more time available on another day in the week, feel free to move the sessions to different days – as long as you make sure the trainings are spread throughout the week in a similar way as below (e.g. do not plan 3 runs on consecutive days followed by 3 rest days). Following the long run on Sunday, I have included a cross training session on Monday, a short run on Wednesday and another short run OR cross training session on Friday, for a total of 4 training sessions per week. A cross training session can be any kind of exercise except for running: for example, you could swim, bike, walk, do some cardio workout in the gym (e.g. stationary bike, elliptical), take a group fitness class at the gym (e.g. spinning, aerobics, Zumba) or do some cross training at your own home with help of an exercise DVD. If 4 times per week is too much to be compatible with your weekly schedule and/or with your energy levels throughout the week, you can decide to take out the Friday session and do only 3 sessions per week. In that case, I would suggest moving the other two training sessions a bit, so you would have the long run on Sunday, your cross training session on Tuesday/Wednesday and your short run on Thursday/Friday (you can also turn these last two sessions around if you prefer to do the short run earlier in the week and the cross training later in the week).

Here’s the suggested training program with 4 sessions per week:

And here’s the adjusted version with 3 sessions per week:

Good luck and feel free to share your experiences in a comment below! Are you already a pro at running 10K and do you want more challenge? Wait for my next post with a suggested training program for 21K - also known as half marathon!