Running Training Plans: Mile, 1.5-Mile & 5K Schedules
Choose a running training plan for your current routine, then check its sessions before putting it on your calendar. The guides below keep first-distance completion separate from improvement. The builder also supports established runners preparing for 10K, half-marathon and marathon distances.
Choose a running training plan
Start with the distance you want to prepare for. Each guide gives two original examples with day-by-day sessions, starting assumptions and useful pacing calculations. You can read the schedules without JavaScript.
Mile training plan
6-week first-mile and 8-week improvement examples, with timed run-walk sessions or current-fitness pace guidance.
Read the plan →1.5-mile training plan
8-week completion and improvement examples. Separate a personal test target from the authority’s official scoring rules.
Read the plan →5K training plan
10-week completion and improvement examples. Thirty minutes of running is not automatically 5 kilometers.
Read the plan →Use your current running as the starting point
The Running Training Plan Builder uses your representative weekly volume, recent longest run, established running frequency and available days for distance-based plans. For a first mile, 1.5 miles or 5K, its completion pathway uses timed run-walk sessions instead of inventing a weekly mileage.
An improvement pathway also needs a recent race result. Your optional desired finish time stays a goal; it doesn’t make the workout paces faster. The Training Pace Calculator explains the modeled current-fitness references used for those sessions.
What changes for longer events?
| Event | Core duration | Completion entry limits | Preparation focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | 12 weeks | 18 km/week, recent 6 km long run, 3 regular running days | Extend easy running with an established base; improvement adds controlled aerobic intervals |
| Half marathon | 14 weeks | 28 km/week, recent 8 km long run, 4 regular running days | Longer easy runs, step-back weeks and reduced training before the event |
| Marathon | 20 weeks | 40 km/week, recent 12 km long run, 4 regular running days | Longer preparation from an existing base, with training and race distance counted separately |
These are editorial entry limits for these original templates, not universal medical-readiness thresholds. Improvement requirements can be higher. Marathon completion here means an established runner’s first marathon preparation, not a couch-to-marathon programme.
The Boston Athletic Association’s novice programme also begins from established weekly running. Its schedule is not reproduced here, and the association has not reviewed or endorsed our templates.
Check the schedule before using it
Read the start date, event date, assumptions and actual sessions. Weekly distance comes from those sessions, with the event shown separately. Timed beginner runs have unknown distance, so a displayed duration is not turned into fictional mileage.
You can repeat a manageable stage or choose a later event. The builder doesn’t compress a full preparation cycle to fit a short deadline, add missed mileage to the next run or assign cross-training to a blocked day. It cannot assess symptoms, medical suitability, recovery or a guaranteed finish time.
Save, print and review your plan
You can print a generated calendar, download ICS or CSV, and export its plan JSON. My Mile keeps a schedule as a plan in this browser. Done boxes track progress and don’t automatically create completed activities.
Download a JSON backup before clearing site data or changing devices. An exported calendar organizes intended sessions; it doesn’t track your location, monitor your health or report training to a coach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these professionally personalized coaching plans?
No. They are original educational templates adjusted to a limited set of inputs. No coach has assessed your individual needs, and the form cannot determine whether an event or workload is appropriate for you.
Why are the guides separate from the builder?
The guides explain training choices and provide readable examples. The builder is the dedicated tool for dates, availability, current-fitness references and exports. Each has a different task.
Can I use the tools without creating an account?
Yes. The calculators and local records work without an account. Saving relies on this browser’s storage, so a backup is useful when you want to retain or move your records.