Watch these before you start each phase. Short, specific, no waffle. Links coming as Ben films them.
Phase 1 - Base
Phase 2 - Build
Phase 3 - Taper + Race
Training Plans
Pick the plan that fits where you are right now. Not sure? Start with The Base, it is free and everything else builds on top of it.
Start here · free
Train for a race
No race goal
The Rules.
Five non-negotiables. Read them before every plan.
80% of your runs should feel embarrassingly easy. If you are huffing on an easy day, slow down.
Miss a tempo? Fine. Miss a long run? Do not try to cram it in. It does not work like that.
Sleep is training. 7-9 hours. Not negotiable.
If it hurts (actual pain, not soreness), take a day. A missed session beats 3 weeks injured.
Runs over 75 min need fuel. Every 30-40 min. Practice in training, not on race day.
Strength · Optional Track
Strength for runners
A lifting progression that supports your running instead of fighting it. Two sessions a week. Log them like a run, they never touch your run streak.
Heads up, this one is brand new. I am filming proper demo videos for every movement myself, and they are coming soon. For now the demo buttons point to YouTube so you are never stuck. More to come. Ben.
Read this first. Most runners do not need the gym to get faster. If you can run more, or run harder, that usually wins, so if this is wrecking your recovery, drop it without guilt. It earns its place if you are over 40, new to running, capped on mileage by injury, or fixing a known weakness. The wins are real but modest. Do it for that.
Start here
1
Each phase below is one workout. Do all six moves in a session.
2
Run it twice a week, on your hard run days. Keep your easy days easy.
3
New to this? Stay on Foundation. Move up a phase every four weeks or so. No rush.
Dumbbells, a band, bodyweight, a step.
Done a session?
Log it the same way you log a run. Counts as bonus work, not toward your streak.
Learn
Short, specific content for each phase. Watch before you start, not halfway through.
Click a phase, then each week. Everything you need is in there. No excuses for not knowing what to do.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
Marathon Blueprint
16 weeks. 4 phases. Peak long run of 32km. For anyone who has finished a half marathon and wants to go the full distance.
Who this is for: you have run a half marathon and want to go further. The marathon is a different beast - 80% aerobic base, fuelling strategy, and mental resilience. Respect the distance and the distance will respect you.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
10K Blueprint
8 weeks. Higher intensity, VO2max focused, shorter long runs. Everything you need to race your best 10km.
Who this is for: you can run 5km comfortably and want to go faster. The 10k sits right at the VO2max and lactate threshold crossover point - speed endurance is the name of the game.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
The Base
4 weeks. Build your aerobic engine. The plan if your easy runs have been too hard - which is most runners.
Who this is for: anyone who suspects their easy runs are not actually easy. Returners from injury. People rebuilding after a layoff. Runners who keep wondering why they are not improving. Hybrid athletes who want their running to support strength work instead of competing with it.
Zone 2
Upper Zone 2
Rest / Cross
The Engine
4 weeks. A bigger aerobic block for runners who already have a base. Five sessions a week, a touch of tempo, a 2 mile benchmark.
Who this is for: you can already run about 30 minutes non-stop, three or four times a week, and the couch-to-running Base is too easy. This loads more volume and a touch of controlled tempo onto the same Zone 2 foundation.
Zone 2
Strides / Tempo
Rest / Cross
5K Blueprint
6 weeks. Speed focused, higher intensity, short and sharp. Your first 5k or your fastest - either way we are doing it properly.
Who this is for: you can run 2-3km without stopping. Good enough. The 5k is all about speed endurance - we build it fast with short sharp intervals and a solid aerobic base underneath.
Easy/Zone 2
Tempo
Intervals
Race Pace
Rest
Just Running
A suggested weekly framework, not a strict plan. Use it as a guide for how to structure consistent running when you don't have a race goal. Adapt it to your life.
The idea: 80% of your runs easy, 20% with purpose. One quality session per week, one long run, the rest Zone 2. Simple, sustainable, effective. You will get faster without even trying to.
Beginner - 20km/week
3-4 runs. Easy Zone 2 runs of 5-6km. One longer run of 8km on the weekend. One session with strides.
Intermediate - 35km/week
4-5 runs. Zone 2 base, one tempo run of 6-8km, one long run of 12-14km. Strides once a week.
Advanced - 50km/week
5 runs. Zone 2 base, one interval session, one tempo, one long run of 16-18km. High aerobic volume.
The Weekly Formula
📌
Day 1: Easy Zone 2 run. Whatever distance fits your tier. Conversational pace only.
📌
Day 2: Rest or easy cross-training.
📌
Day 3: Quality session. Tempo run or intervals depending on your level. This is your one hard day.
📌
Day 4: Rest.
📌
Day 5: Easy Zone 2 run + strides at the end. Keeps the legs sharp.
📌
Day 6: Long run. Always easy. Always Zone 2. This builds everything.
📌
Day 7: Rest. Actually rest.
Pacing Guide
Find your goal time, get your paces, tattoo them on your brain. All per kilometre. Do not freestyle this.
The 80/20 rule: 80% of your weekly kays at easy Zone 2 pace. 20% hard. Most runners flip this and wonder why they are tired all the time and getting slower. Science is not optional.
Easy / Zone 2 Pace
Goal Finish
Easy Pace
Feel
Under 1:45
5:30–6:00/km
Conversational. Nose breathing possible.
1:45–2:00
6:00–6:45/km
Comfortable. Full sentences.
2:00–2:20
6:45–7:30/km
Relaxed. HR below 75% max.
Over 2:20
7:30–8:30/km
Slow feels right. That is the point.
Tempo Pace
Goal Finish
Tempo Pace
Feel
Under 1:45
4:30–4:45/km
Comfortably hard. 3–4 word answers.
1:45–2:00
4:50–5:10/km
Working but controlled.
2:00–2:20
5:20–5:45/km
Breathing elevated.
Over 2:20
5:50–6:30/km
Sustained push.
Race Pace
Goal Finish
Race Pace
5km Split
1:30
4:16/km
21:20
1:45
4:58/km
24:50
2:00
5:41/km
28:25
2:15
6:24/km
32:00
2:30
7:06/km
35:30
What Are You Actually Doing
Every session explained so you are not just vibing out there with no idea.
Easy Run
Zone 2. Full sentences. Nose breathing if possible. If you are puffing, slow down. Yes, slower than that. This is not a race.
Tempo Run
Comfortably hard. 3-4 word answers only. Sustained 20-40 min. Raises your lactate threshold. Not fun. Very effective.
Intervals 800m
Hard repeats, easy jog recovery. 5x800m at 5k effort, 90 sec between. It hurts. That is literally the point.
Intervals 1600m
Longer repeats at 10k effort. More race-specific. Full 2 min recovery. Do not shortcut the rest, it matters.
Race Pace Run
Sustained at your goal pace. Your body needs to know what this feels like before race day. Practice the feeling.
Long Run
Always easy. Always. Time on feet, not speed. This one also builds the mental toughness. Respect the long run.
Strides
6-8x 20-second accelerations, full recovery between. Bolted onto easy runs. Keeps your legs from forgetting how to go fast.
Deload Week
Volume drops 30%. You will feel like you should do more. You should not. The body adapts during rest, not during the grind. Embrace it.
Share your run
Log it. The clubhouse sees it. Reactions, comments, the lot. Ten seconds and it's in the feed.
YOU'RE LOGGING TODAY'S PLAN
No watch? A rough estimate is fine. Most beginners cover roughly 1km in 10-12 min.
off12345678910
Drag to set how the run felt overall, leave at "off" to skip.
Logging a run from earlier in the week? Pick the date.
Tap "Share" on your Strava activity, or paste from the desktop URL. Lets Ben click through to your full run details.
A photo from your run shows up in the community feed. Resized automatically, you don't need to crop.
Download the card and tag @boltinben in your stories
min
min
km
bpm
min
min
Activity History
no activity yet, sparky. get moving.
HR Zones
Set up your zones once and every logged run will tell you exactly where your heart rate landed. Do the max HR test if you don't know your zones yet.
Flat surface, HR monitor, proper warmup. Takes about 25 min. Do not attempt this cold.
Warmup: 10 min easy jog, then 5 min at moderate effort.
Run 3x 1 min at maximum effort with 1 min easy jog between each.
On the final rep, sprint the last 20 seconds.
The highest HR recorded is your Max HR. Enter it below.
--
bpm max HR
Already know your zones from Garmin, Polar or Whoop? Enter each zone's upper limit below.
Zones saved.
No zones set yet. Use the Max HR Test or Manual Entry tab.
Activity History
Every session you've logged. Tap a run to share the story card.
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Sparkie Clubhouse
Real runners. Real runs. Zero egos. ⚡
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This Week
Awarded by Ben every Monday.
Ask & Answer
Got a question? Ask. See one you can help with? Answer. Community-driven, moderated.
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Challenges
Short, opt-in resets. Designed to be do-able, not heroic.
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Post it to your story. Tag @boltinben if you like.
Race Day. Let's Go.
You have done the work. Do not blow it on race morning by being an idiot.
One rule to rule them all: nothing new on race day. Not shoes. Not food. Not socks. Not a new warmup routine you saw on TikTok at midnight. You know what works. Use that.
🌙
Night before: Lay everything out like a flat lay. Normal dinner, nothing wild. Bed on time. Set two alarms because you will not trust just one.
☀️
Morning: Eat 2-3 hours out. Oats, banana, toast. 500ml water on waking. Coffee only if that is your normal thing. Today is not the day to experiment.
🏃
Warmup: 10-15 min easy jog plus leg swings and high knees. Skip the static stretching, this is not a yoga class.
🚀
First 5km: Slower than you think. Every single person who blows up in a half went out too fast. Do not be that person. The race starts at km 15.
🍬
Fuel: First gel at km 5-6. Then every 30-40 min. Wash it down with water. You practiced this. Use what you practiced.
💧
Aid stations: Walk through them and drink properly. 10 seconds of walking beats spending 2 minutes on the side of the road choking.
🧠
Km 15 onwards: This is where races are won. Break it into 2km chunks in your head. Focus on cadence, shoulders down, lean forward. One chunk at a time.
🏁
Finish line: Empty the tank. All of it. 12 weeks of work for this moment. Go absolutely feral.
After. Please Rest.
🥤Within 30 min: protein and carbs. Chocolate milk is genuinely elite recovery food. Eat something real.
🛁Days 1-2: walk around, gentle movement, contrast shower if you are fancy. Zero running. Your legs said no.
😴Days 3-5: sleep like it is your job. Your body is rebuilding right now. Let it.
📅Back to running: easy only, after 7-10 days minimum. Most post-race injuries happen from coming back too fast. Bye Felicia, take the rest.
Ben - Sparkie Coach
ISSA Certified · Ask me anything running
hey sparky. got a running question? hit me. no stupid questions here - well, maybe a few, but i will still answer them.
BEN'S TAKE
on your last run
A note from Ben
BoltinBen
YOUR ACCOUNT
Manage your profile, preferences, and subscription.
Profile
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JPG or PNG, square crop recommended.
Other Sparkies see this on your runs in the Activity feed.
Subscription
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Update card, view invoices, or cancel at the Stripe customer portal.
Strava
Checking…
Once connected, you can pull your latest run from the Log A Run page with one tap.
Heart Rate Zones
Not set up yet, Ben needs these to coach you properly.
Used to assign zones to every run you log. Update anytime your fitness changes.
Email Preferences
Bolt notifications
Get an email when someone bolts your run. Max one per day.
Broadcast emails
Updates from Ben about new features, plans, and Sparkies news.
EDIT RUN
Update any field. Zone is auto-recalculated from HR.
When did you start your plan?
You're on your plan. To show you what's scheduled today and track your progress, I need to know when you started.
Pick the Monday closest to when you actually began. If you started today, leave it as today.
⚡ LIMITED-TIME OFFER
Upgrade to Sparkies Paid
Unlock all training plans, Ask Ben AI coaching, and Race Day mode.
📈 Price walks up. Lock in now.
Until 30 June$4.95/mo
July$7.95/mo
August$9.95/mo
September$12.95/mo
October onwards$14.95/mo
Sign up now and you're locked at $4.95/mo forever. Wait and pay more.
What you unlock:
→ 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon plans
→ Just Running (perpetual aerobic plan)
→ Ask Ben, your AI running coach
→ Race Day mode
→ Photo uploads on your activity log
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime. The Base stays free.
Take today as a rest day?
Good call. Forced runs on tired legs are how injuries start.
Today becomes a rest day. Tomorrow's plan stays as-is, don't double up to make this up. The plan absorbs this.
Benchmark Test
Log your test
The test IS your run, no need to log this anywhere else.
·
:mm:ss
bpm
HR + pace tells the full fitness story. Same time but lower HR = aerobically fitter. If you don't wear a strap, skip this, time alone is fine.
Saving marks today's session done. Your test will show in run history and on the progress card.
Daily check-in
How are you feeling today?
Quick tap so the plan can adapt to how your body actually is, not how the calendar wishes it was.
Your answer adapts the session below. Plan credit isn't affected.
Ben, Live Chat
● Online now, this is Ben, not AI
Messages clear at midnight Sydney time
Hey! Ben here, what's up? Ask me anything.
pick your plan.
Choose what you are training for and when you want to start. We will track your progress from there.
STEP 2 OF 2 · OPTIONAL
log your most recent run.
Don't wait for Monday. Drop in your last run and start your streak today. You'll see your run in the Activity feed straight after.
SHARE TO STORIES
Card Style
Transparent
Download then post to stories and tag @boltinben
⚡
5 runs in. How's it going?
Your honest take helps me make Sparkies better, and if you love it, your words could help another runner take the leap.
Your rating
If your review gets featured we'd show your first name + last initial. e.g. "Sarah K."
RPE, how hard did it feel?
A 1-10 scale of perceived effort. Use your own feel, not your pace or HR. Logging RPE alongside your HR helps spot when easy is no longer feeling easy, an early warning for fatigue.
1
RestNothing. Sitting around.
2
Very easyWalking pace. Could do this all day.
3
EasyConversational. Recovery jog feel.
4
ComfortableSteady aerobic. Can still chat in sentences.
5
ModerateWorking but sustainable. Short sentences only.
6
Moderate-hardTempo feel. Breathing rhythmic. Few words at a time.
7
HardThreshold. Uncomfortable but holding. Single words.
8
Very hard10K race pace effort. Want to stop but pushing through.
9
Near max5K race effort. Can't speak. Holding on for dear life.
10
All-outMaximum effort. Sprint finish. Couldn't go another step.
