If you're looking for a running plan, you're probably asking the kinds of questions we all do. Which plan should I pick? How do I know it's good, or that it's right for me? Is there something better? And if we're honest, the questions are tied to lots of emotions too. What if it's too hard and I can't keep up? Will I get hurt again?– that was terrible. Or, I'm back from injury and really don't want to go through that again.
These are all the right questions, but finding answers is hard. That's why I've been collecting and reviewing training plans from every place I can find them. Well-known coaches like Hal Higdon and Jack Daniels, companies like Runner's World and Nike Run Club. And my own plans, the ones I've designed trying to make use of everything researchers and coaches know today about how to run well. Every plan gets graded on the same 30 measures. How does it build your fitness? How well does it protect you from injury? What happens when you miss a day? Will it have you ready come race day?
I've compiled hundreds of reviews, which you can search for by name or author. Or browse for a high-scoring plan that fits your goal. Maybe you'll find a Buena Vida plan that feels like a good fit - that's the app I built to help runners manage their training and nutrition with daily guidance. Either way, I hope you find a system that helps you achieve what you are dreaming of!
How to choose a training plan
Start with where you are, not where you want to be. Pick the plan whose first week looks like your current week. A couch-to-half-marathon plan will start you from scratch. But a Boston-qualifying plan assumes years of steady running behind you.
Be honest about your schedule. Count the days you will actually run. Factor in both what your schedule will allow and how many mornings you're willing to lace up and log another run. A good plan you can stick with to the finish beats a great plan you abandon partway through.
Examine how the plan handles a bad week. Life happens, and you'll miss runs. The best plans tell you what to skip and what to protect when life gets in the way.
Check how the plan builds. Mileage should grow gradually, not in large leaps - that leads to injury. There should be a lighter week every so often to let the body catch up. If it's a race plan, there should be adequate time before race day to rest and rebuild strength so you race your best.
Coming back from an injury? Check with your doctor or physical therapist. Then check out a return-to-running plan, which usually features a more gradual increase in mileage and intensity to keep the injury from coming right back.
All these questions are answered in our reviews: Structure, Injury Prevention, Flexibility, Race Readiness, and Variety. Learn more about how we grade training plans.
Browse by plan type
Popular 5K plans
The 5K is the classic first race: short enough to finish on modest training, and long enough that a few weeks of steady work shows up on the clock. First-5K plans usually take 8 to 12 weeks and often start with walk-run intervals. Faster plans add short, quick repeats for runners chasing a personal best.
Lace up, press play, and someone runs every mile with you.
BeginnerFreeA patient build that finally breaks your race plateau.
IntermediateFree with appRepeats at 5K pace until they feel like your default gear.
AdvancedRequires purchaseBreak eighteen minutes on the fitness you already have.
CompetitiveFree with appEvery run is a workout. No filler miles, just sharper race fitness.
IntermediateRequires purchaseMostly easy running that takes you under twenty-two minutes.
AdvancedFree with appPopular 10K plans
The 10K doubles the distance of a 5K at a pace that still feels hard. Training adds longer runs and steady, sustained efforts, so it suits runners who've done a 5K and want a goal that rewards a little more patience.
A different speed workout most weeks, all pointed at 10K race day.
IntermediateFreePatient miles for a stronger second half.
BeginnerFree with appAn 18-week 5K or 10K sharpener for runners already holding 40 to 50 weekly miles.
AdvancedRequires purchaseBreak fifty minutes with pace that holds to the finish.
AdvancedFree with appSpeed intervals and long runs past race distance to sharpen your 10K.
AdvancedRequires purchaseGet faster in the time you have.
IntermediateFree with appPopular half marathon plans
The half marathon is long enough that endurance carries you through, and short enough to train for without reorganizing your life. Most first-half plans take 10 to 16 weeks, building the long run to 12 to 15 miles with one or two harder sessions a week. It's a popular first long race and a natural step toward the marathon.
Hills, fartleks, and intervals: a different speed session every week.
IntermediateFreeLearn to hold a hard effort longer.
IntermediateFree with appEvery run has a job. No junk miles, no filler.
IntermediateRequires purchaseHold goal effort long after it starts to cost something.
IntermediateFree with appA 22-week half-marathon build that layers speed, aerobic power, and threshold in Daniels' four-phase sequence.
IntermediateRequires purchaseGoal pace that still holds deep into the half.
IntermediateFree with appWant a plan made for you?
Buena Vida is a running app that puts training plans, workout tracking and daily nutrition in one place. Tell it your race, your fitness and the days you can run, and you'll get a personal plan set to your schedule and pace, with coaching on every run and food targets that keep up with your training.
Try it free for 7 days. After that, it's $99.99 a year or $14.99 a month, and you can cancel anytime.
Popular marathon plans
The marathon is a different event, not just a longer race. The long build, usually 16 to 20 weeks with long runs that reach 18 to 21 miles, is where most of the work happens, and recovery weeks and a taper are part of the plan, not extras. Fueling matters too: you'll practice eating and drinking on long runs so race day holds fewer surprises.
For runners who want a coach in their ear through race day.
IntermediateFreeBuild marathon strength with room left to recover.
IntermediateFree with appTwo hard days a week, with marathon-pace blocks reaching 14 continuous miles.
IntermediateRequires purchaseGet marathon-strong and stay fresh doing it.
AdvancedFree with appPractice 7:26 pace until sub-3:15 feels routine.
AdvancedRequires purchaseGet under three hours when every run has to count.
CompetitiveFree with appPopular ultramarathon plans
Ultramarathons trade speed for time on your feet. Training centers on long and back-to-back runs, hiking the climbs, and learning to eat and drink while moving for hours. It's best approached with a solid base of running behind you.
Adds eight weeks to the 50K build and trains both weekend days by time, readying advanced runners for fifty trail miles.
AdvancedRequires purchaseBack-to-back long runs that carry you to a first ultra finish.
AdvancedFree with appBack-to-back long runs, with your speed intact.
AdvancedRequires purchaseTrain to run faster in the final km, not just survive them.
AdvancedFree with appTrain the way the pros do, every day of the week.
AdvancedRequires purchasePopular mile plans
The mile is a speed event, raced well above a comfortable pace. Plans lean on short, fast repeats with plenty of recovery between them, built on a base of easy running.
Full track structure for the racer chasing a real peak.
AdvancedRequires purchaseHigh-volume 800m training, with doubles, for the already-committed track racer.
AdvancedRequires purchaseYour first real track structure, from aerobic base to race-day sharpness.
IntermediateRequires purchasePopular 10 mile plans
Ten miles sits between the 10K and the half marathon: long enough to need real endurance, short enough to race hard from the start. Plans borrow from both, with steady long runs and sustained efforts near race pace.
Sharpen with shorter, faster work until 10-mile race pace feels easy.
IntermediateRequires purchaseIf you can already run 5 miles, the finish is closer than it sounds.
BeginnerRequires purchaseWalk breaks built in, all the way to race day.
BeginnerFreePopular base building plans
Base building is the training before the training. Easy, steady miles, added gradually, make you more durable and ready for whatever race plan comes next. It's also a good fit if you simply want to run more, with no race on the calendar.
For runners ready to add structured speed to an easy-running habit.
IntermediateRequires purchaseThree runs a week to build the base your next plan needs.
IntermediateFree with appSixteen weeks of walk/run ratios that teach a non-runner to hold 30 continuous minutes.
BeginnerRequires purchaseSixty-mile peak built almost entirely from easy miles.
AdvancedFree with appGet back to running in your 40s without breaking down.
BeginnerRequires purchaseA longer runway to bigger weeks, without forcing them.
AdvancedFree with appPopular return to running plans
Coming back after time away, whether from an injury, illness, a new baby or a busy stretch, is about rebuilding so the comeback lasts. These plans start shorter and easier than you might expect and build slowly. If you're returning from an injury, check with your doctor or physical therapist before you start.
Get back into running shape smartly and safely.
BeginnerFree with appRebuild the mileage you used to carry, at a pace that holds.
IntermediateFree with appTrust the slow rebuild, even when your old pace says go.
BeginnerFree with appPopular weight loss plans
When running is for weight loss, sticking with it matters more than how hard any one run is. Most of the running in these plans is easy and conversational, the kind you can repeat week after week, and they pair with the app's daily nutrition targets.
Two months of easy running, just to see if the habit takes.
BeginnerFree with appHigher mileage, faster runs, and the weight comes off with them.
AdvancedFree with appKickstart the habit, and let the weight follow on its own time.
IntermediateFree with appPopular general fitness plans
Not every runner needs a race. These plans are for running regularly for your health and mood, with a steady, sustainable week and enough variety to keep it interesting.
An eight-week deep-water rehab progression that keeps injured runners fit while they recover, moving from all-pool back to land.
IntermediateRequires purchaseGet fitter every month, with no race on the calendar to chase.
IntermediateFree with appThe quickest way from a first jog to a thirty-minute run.
BeginnerFree with appShort, near-daily runs that leave you feeling better in every way.
AdvancedFree with appPopular maintenance plans
Between training blocks, or when life gets busy, a maintenance plan holds the fitness you've built with less time and effort, so you don't start from scratch when you're ready to train again.
Keep your edge after fifty with variety, not volume.
BeginnerRequires purchaseStay strong and healthy in the long gap between races.
AdvancedFree with appPast 60 and still running. Keep tempo, hills, and easy miles in the mix.
BeginnerRequires purchaseKeep your fitness humming with an extra easy day each week.
IntermediateFree with appPast 40, keep the fitness you built through a quieter month.
IntermediateRequires purchaseRun nearly every day, and keep your fitness.
IntermediateFree with appTraining plans by coach
Every plan we've reviewed from each coach and book, on one page.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I choose a running plan?
- Start from where you are today: pick a plan whose first week looks like the running you already do, with the number of days you can actually run. Then check how it builds, how it handles a missed week, and whether it gets you ready for your race. Every review on this site answers those questions for its plan.
- How do I know if a plan is too hard for me?
- Compare its first week with what you run now. If week 1 asks for more days or more miles than you're doing, pick an easier plan or build up first. Each goal page lets you filter plans by level, and each review says who the plan suits.
- How long does it take to train for a first 5K, half marathon or marathon?
- Most first-5K plans here take 8 to 12 weeks, first half marathon plans 10 to 16 weeks, and first marathon plans 16 to 24 weeks, most often 18. If you're starting from no running at all, give yourself the longer end.
- How many days a week should I run?
- The plans here ask for anywhere from 2 to 7 days a week, and most ask for 3 to 6. Pick the number you can keep up on a busy week, not your best week. More days build fitness faster only if you can stay consistent and healthy.
- Can I follow a training plan if I've been injured?
- Check with your doctor or physical therapist first. Then start with a return-to-running plan, which rebuilds more gradually than a race plan, before moving on to training for a race.
- What if I miss a week of training?
- It happens to almost everyone. Don't try to make up the missed runs by cramming them into the next week; pick the plan back up where it fits and ease in. Each review on this site has a section on what happens when you miss a day.
- What do the letter grades mean?
- Each plan is scored on 30 measures across five areas: structure, injury prevention, flexibility, race readiness and variety. The grade turns that score into a letter, from S+ at the top down to D. Every Buena Vida plan has to earn at least a B before we publish it. C and D plans can still get you to the finish, and each review explains what they leave out.
- Are the plans free?
- Buena Vida plans come with a Buena Vida membership, which you can try free for 7 days. The other plans here are reviews: you get the plan itself from its author, and some are free online while others come in a book.
- What's the difference between a Buena Vida plan and a book plan?
- A book plan is a fixed schedule. A Buena Vida plan runs in the app, set to your pace and the days you run, and it tracks each workout as you go.