10 weeks to a faster 10km

Sharper speed, stronger finish. Your complete week-by-week training system, from first benchmark to a faster 10km.

You've signed up for a 10km. Now you want to run it fast.

I remember chasing my first proper 10km time, convinced the answer was simply to run harder every single day. It wasn't, and it took me years to learn why. This is the plan I wish I'd had: every run, every strength session, every rest day mapped out across 10 weeks, built from 20+ years of coaching runners as a sports scientist and coach, and best-selling author of Find Your Pace. No guesswork. No second-guessing. Just tie up your shoes and follow the page.

What you're getting

A beautifully designed digital blueprint you can print or follow on any device. Each week sits on a single landscape page, so you always know exactly what today's session is at a glance. It's evergreen, meaning no fixed dates, so you can start any week of the year and slide the days to fit your life.

Inside:

• 10 weeks of complete training. Running, strength, mobility and recovery, structured across four phases: Base, Build, Sharpen and Taper, with a long run that builds the aerobic base a fast 10km is quietly built on.
• Interval, rep, threshold and benchmark sessions written in plain English, with goal-pace guidance so you know exactly how fast to run.
• Full strength programming to build the resilient body that lets you hold your pace when it hurts, upper, lower and core, progressing week on week.
• "Niggle Watch" prehab tips every fortnight, targeting the classic runner trouble spots (calves, hip flexors, feet, knees, shins, Achilles) with exactly what to add to your warm-up before they become injuries.
• Mindset coaching woven through every week: goal-setting, positive self-talk, reframing, and my race-day chunking technique, because the 10km burns as much in the head as the legs.
• Optional Zone 2 cross-training on Thursdays for the days you want more.

Plus the essentials most plans skip: how to nail your sleep, food and hydration; how to choose the right running shoe; and a straight-talking "Do You Even Need To Fuel?" page that explains why a 10km sits comfortably inside your body's existing energy stores, so you can leave the gels at home and just run.

Who it's for

Whether this is your first 10km or your fastest yet, whether you're chasing your first sub-time or a hard-won personal best, this blueprint meets you where you are. Every session scales to your level. And the promise woven through all 10 weeks: faster comes from consistency, not heroics. The runners who improve are the ones who show up, not the ones who empty the tank every session.

The 10km is the purest test of speed and strength there is. Run it well, and it will teach you more about racing than any distance twice its length.

Let's get after it together.

Emma Kirk-Odunubi
Sports scientist & coach