How long does it take to train for a 10K?
Eight to twelve weeks if you can already run 30 minutes, and about twice that from nothing.
The limit is not your fitness, it is how fast tissue adapts. Working back from the race: a week of taper, six to ten weeks of building where the long run grows towards 8 to 10 km, and a base of three runs a week before that.
From a standing start, spend the first eight to twelve weeks getting to 30 minutes of continuous running, then start the 10K build. Trying to compress it is where injuries come from, and a missed race is slower than a cautious plan.
The running plan builder counts this back from your date and adjusts the weeks to the time you actually have.
Run the numbers
Sources
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- Nielsen, R.O. et al. (2014). Excessive progression in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries: an association which varies according to type of injury. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 44(10). The ceiling on how fast you can build: more than 30% extra weekly distance over two weeks went with more injuries.
- Bosquet, L. et al. (2007). Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(8). 27 studies: cutting volume by 41 to 60% in the last weeks while keeping intensity gave the largest performance gains.
- Seiler, S. (2010). What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform 5(3). Keep roughly 80% of the running easy, whatever the distance you are training for.