raceindex.org
Explore
Explore RaceIndex

Find your race. Make your plan.

Find a race

Choose your distance and destination.

Compare courses

See what changes from race to race.

Enter and prepare

Turn your choice into a race plan.

Race weekend

Plan travel, support and the finish.

Your next goal

Find a race that fits your experience.

Find a race
Compare courses
Enter and prepare
Race weekend
Your next goal
My Season Save races, keep preparation tasks and plan what comes next.
About RaceIndexOur methodologyData coverageCyclingTriathlon

DISCOVER → PLAN → PREPARE

Put your training plan on the calendar

Start with a plan that matches the running you do now. Work back from race day, keep the full preparation time, and see where each week falls.

YOUR RACE, YOUR DATES

Build your training calendar

Choose a suitable plan first, then put its weeks on the calendar. The calculator preserves the number of weeks you enter; it never squeezes missed training into fewer days.

Chelmsford 10K · race date not confirmed.

Choose a plan for your starting point

Compare the opening week with your recent running: days per week, longest comfortable run, and time available. A publisher’s level label alone is not enough. Read the full plan and its guidance before choosing the number of weeks above.

5K: start with time on your feet

The NHS Couch to 5K programme lasts nine weeks, with three run/walk sessions each week and a rest day between runs. Its endpoint is 30 minutes of running; that does not guarantee covering 5K.

If you have health concerns, the NHS advises speaking with your GP before starting. Keep any repeat weeks you need when choosing a race date.

Read the NHS plan and starting guidance

Find a first 5K

10K: distinguish run/walk from improver

Great Run offers a 16-week beginner plan, an eight-week run/walk plan and a 12-week improver plan. The beginner plan opens with short run/walk sessions; the improver description expects you to be running for 30–40 minutes already.

Choose from the starting workload and session format, then check whether the final week includes your race.

Compare Great Run’s 10K plans

Find a first 10K

Half marathon: check your existing base

NYRR’s conservative ten-week guide assumes three or four running days a week and a current longest run of about 40 minutes. It combines timed sessions with rest and other training.

“Conservative” describes this particular plan. It does not mean starting from no running, or that ten weeks is enough for every runner.

Read NYRR’s half-marathon guide (PDF)

Find a first half marathon

Marathon: “beginner” has several meanings

London Marathon Events’ 2026 novice plan lasts 16 weeks and is structured around three runs per week for a generally healthy beginner. Read its starting sessions and rest guidance before selecting it.

Read London’s 2026 beginner plan (PDF)

B.A.A.’s 20-week Level One starts around 25 miles per week over four running days. That is a substantially different starting point; it also includes Boston-specific preparation.

Read B.A.A.’s levels and prerequisites

Compare first-marathon options

Make the calendar work for your race

  1. Confirm the exact distance and date. A festival can have races on several days. When you open this tool from a RaceIndex race page, it uses only a current date confirmed for that offering and edition.
  2. Keep the full plan. If its start date has passed, the calendar shows that. It does not skip early weeks or add missed sessions to later ones.
  3. Match practical preparation to the course. Review the race’s route, surfaces, aid stations and cut-offs with your coach or plan provider before changing sessions.
  4. Keep rest and taper instructions with the original plan. The linked plans have their own progression. Calendar dates do not assess fitness or readiness.
  5. Recheck before race week. Use the organiser’s current runner guide for your start, bib collection and baggage arrangements. Use pace and split arithmetic for time calculations and My Season for race tasks.

Turn a target into race-day splits

Choose a distance to see average pace, halfway times and a printable custom split plan.

Sources and editorial scope

Prepared by RaceIndex with AI-assisted source research. Publisher links and plan descriptions checked ; guide version 1.0. The calendar is a scheduling tool. Workout prescriptions remain with the original publishers; RaceIndex has not added a coach-reviewed workout programme here.

Dates and notes are held in your browser when you choose Save. Downloaded weekly blocks use all-day calendar dates and do not update automatically. Report a correction if a plan or race detail changes.