Your plan in four answers
Set for October 10, 2027, about 50 weeks out.
- Distances
- 10 miles
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- More than 35,000 runners and 900 teams
- Taper starts
- September 28, 2027
Course
The Army Ten-Miler course
Starts and finishes at the Pentagon in Arlington, crossing the Potomac into Washington for a tour of the monuments before returning to Virginia. The route passes the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials and the Washington Monument, then comes back across the 14th Street Bridge for the final miles to the Pentagon.
Read the full course notes
The course is close to flat, and the short ramps onto and off the bridges are the only real climbs. Waves go off from 8:00 AM, and with soldiers, wounded warrior athletes and more than 35,000 runners in the field, the atmosphere is unlike any other 10-miler. The bridge miles near the end are wide open and quieter, so that is where focus matters most.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 10 miles
- Field
- More than 35,000 runners and 900 teams
- Weather on race day
- October in Washington usually means a start in the 50s °F with highs near 70 °F (normals of about 52 °F and 69 °F at Reagan National). Humidity can linger in a warm year, and the later waves run into more sun. If it is warm, start conservatively and take water at the early stations.
What to train for
Ten miles rewards a strong aerobic base plus sustained threshold work.
Build a weekly tempo from 3 up to 6 miles at roughly your 10-mile effort, and run long runs of 12 to 14 miles so the distance feels comfortable.
Practice negative splits: the crowded opening miles past the monuments are easy to overrun, and the quieter bridge miles home reward runners who saved something. A few short hill strides each week prepare your legs for the bridge ramps.
Sample week
A sample Army Ten-Miler training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Army Ten-Miler
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on October 10, 2027, your taper starts around September 28, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Army Ten-Miler (10 miles) on October 10, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Army Ten-Miler training questions
How long should I train for the Army Ten-Miler?
Most runners give a 10-mile twelve to fourteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Army Ten-Miler course hilly?
Flat. Starts and finishes at the Pentagon in Arlington, crossing the Potomac into Washington for a tour of the monuments before returning to Virginia.
What is the weather usually like at the Army Ten-Miler?
October in Washington usually means a start in the 50s °F with highs near 70 °F (normals of about 52 °F and 69 °F at Reagan National). Humidity can linger in a warm year, and the later waves run into more sun. If it is warm, start conservatively and take water at the early stations.
When should I start tapering for the Army Ten-Miler?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on October 10, 2027, your taper starts around September 28, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Army Ten-Miler training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.