10K training requires a commitment to mileage and endurance training before entering the four phases of speed training. Maintain economical running form with strides and fartlek running. Meantime, increase your training mileage to the level your body, psychy or time commitment allows.

Chapter One of 10K & 5K Running, Training & Racing asks:

Why Race 10K or 10,000 meters?

The 10K is a slower, more comfortable running pace than the 5,000
meters. 
Running 8 to 12 seconds per mile slower makes the 10K distance a joy. 
You can and should still train at 5K pace; you should still race some 5Ks;
 perhaps one third of your races will be at 5,000 meters. You can run 
those big 5Ks at the ocean where you rub shoulders with elite runners.
You can rectify mistakes. Run too fast or too slow in the first
mile...
don’t worry too much...you have 5.2 miles to adjust.
10K running hurts less during the race--compared to the 5,000
meters. 
10K hurts less after the race--compared to after running the marathon. If
you’ve ever 
raced a marathon up to your fitness level, you know about pain: both
during and 
after running the marathon. Your walking can entertain friends for days
after running a marathon. 
You can’t race many marathons. 
10-20 marathons per decade is most runners limit. 
You can run that many 10Ks each year (though you’ll only race a few of
them).
Your longest run each week is not very long!

Adapted from:

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10K training, running and racing: Mileage base for strength endurance

Copyright David Holt 1998. Other authors are reluctant to allow their material to be used. Any part of this 10k training material can be quoted, but please acknowledge the source...10K & 5K Running, Training and Racing: The Running Pyramid, by David Holt, and contact information.

The Long Run, from Chapter One of 10K & 5K Running, Training & Racing.

The typical training suggestions in books or magazines suggest 60 mile weeks for marathon racing, 50 mile weeks for half marathon racing and 40 miles for 10k racing. Get down to 5k and they are likely to suggest 30 miles. How do you build aerobic base on 30 miles a week. At all these distances, and the mile, you need a 15 mile distance run most weeks to build stamina, aerobic pathways, mitochondria, red blood cells, and prepare you for aerobic strides and VO2 max enhancing intervals and threshold pace distance training as discussed on my other pages.

If you're going to race well at any distance, you need to put in a series of Long Training Runs, and decent mileage.

So, your 10K running requires a commitment to mileage and endurance training before running the four phases of speed training. Run 100-200 meter strides and fartlek training to maintain or improve running form, while increasing your mileage to the level at which you are close to injury; or the amount you can handle mentally. It may be 30 miles; it could be 60 or 90. Increase running by about 10 percent per week on average, until you reach your goal. After increasing running mileage for several weeks, consolidate for a few weeks before increasing again.

Keep "economy enhancing speedwork" in your weekly schedule while increasing mileage. Run most of the new mileage at about 70 percent maximum heartrate. Maintain your new "higher mileage" for at least eight weeks before working through the other four phases of ten kilometer race training.

The mileage base will enhance your capacity to take in and distribute oxygen, and add muscle strength or endurance. Mitochondria, the engine of oxygen use in the muscles, increase in size and number. Your capillary network improves.

Fairly fast running during the base building improves running form.

Beginners need speedplay to remind them how to run properly; all of us need speed training for our running enjoyment and for muscle stimulation--especially during the high mileage training which builds the base of your training. Low to moderate level aerobic running is the way to build aerobic endurance. Run at 60-70 percent of your aerobic capacity; run at 60-70 percent of your maximum heartrate to increase your oxygen assimilation, but include fun speedwork in the form of fartlek to maintain or to begin the learning process of good economical running form.

10K & 5K Running, Training & Racing">10K & 5K Running, Training & Racing: The Running Pyramid, at Barnesandnoble.com

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