Create a running training plan for me. My inputs: - Goal event: [GOAL EVENT] - Current running baseline: [CURRENT BASELINE] - Available training time: [AVAILABLE DAYS] - Recent injuries, health constraints, and non-running training: [HEALTH AND CROSS TRAINING]
- Preferred effort or pace information: [PACE DATA] Build a [PLAN LENGTH]-week plan, beginning with a short assessment week if my baseline is uncertain. Give each week in a table with day, session, duration or distance, intensity, and the purpose of the workout. Include rest days and make the hardest sessions fall on days I can use. Use no more than two quality running sessions per week. Build the long run gradually, use easy effort for most running, and include a lighter recovery week every three to four weeks where appropriate. Define effort with conversational/RPE guidance and pace ranges only when my pace data supports them. For intervals, state warm-up, recoveries, cool-down, and total session volume. Include strength or mobility only if it fits my stated constraints. Add three sections after the plan: “How to adjust,” with rules for missed workouts, unusual fatigue, illness, and pain; “Race-week approach,” if an event is included; and “Questions for a clinician or coach,” if my history raises a safety concern. Do not diagnose injuries or prescribe through pain. Before answering, check that weekly volume does not jump abruptly and that every workout has a stated purpose. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [GOAL EVENT] | Enter your target race, distance, date, or a non-race goal such as running 5 km continuously. | Half marathon on 18 May; goal is to finish comfortably under 2:10. |
| [CURRENT BASELINE] | Enter your recent weekly mileage, longest run, usual pace or effort, and how consistently you have trained. | Running 12 miles a week across three runs for six weeks; longest run is 5 miles. |
| [AVAILABLE DAYS] | Enter the days you can run and the longest time window available for your long run. | Can run Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; up to 90 minutes Sunday. |
| [HEALTH AND CROSS TRAINING] | Enter relevant injuries, clinician restrictions, medications affecting exercise, and any cycling, lifting, or other training. | Mild Achilles soreness last year, currently pain-free; strength class Wednesday; no restrictions. |
| [PACE DATA] | Enter recent race results, time trials, heart-rate zones, or write that you have no reliable pace data. | Recent 5K was 28:40 on mostly flat terrain; easy runs feel comfortable around 11:15 per mile. |
| [PLAN LENGTH] | Enter the number of weeks until your event or the training period you want planned. | 10 |
How to use
- Paste the prompt and replace every bracketed input with your own details.
- Check that easy days are genuinely easy and that the weekly total fits your recent mileage.
- Move a workout only by preserving a rest or easy day between demanding runs.
- Follow up with: “Revise weeks 5–10 after I missed four days with a cold; keep the race goal but remove any catch-up mileage.”
Variations
First 5K plan
Use this if you are new to running and want to finish a first 5K.
Make an [NUMBER OF WEEKS]-week beginner plan to complete a 5K. I can train on [AVAILABLE DAYS], currently can [CURRENT ABILITY], and have these health limits: [HEALTH LIMITS]. Use run-walk intervals with exact run and walk times, three running days maximum, and simple warm-up instructions. Progress only when the prior week is tolerable. Include a test run in the final two weeks and rules for repeating a week. Check that there are no consecutive hard sessions. Ask up to 3 questions only if an input is missing.
Marathon plan
Use this when you have an established base and need a race-specific marathon block.
Create a [PLAN LENGTH]-week marathon plan for [RACE DATE]. My current base is [CURRENT MILEAGE AND LONG RUN], available days are [AVAILABLE DAYS], and my goal is [GOAL]. Use a weekly table with mileage, long-run purpose, one workout, one secondary quality session only when justified, and recovery weeks. Include fueling practice on long runs and a three-week taper. Flag if my stated base is too low for the schedule instead of inventing a safe shortcut. Ask up to 3 questions only if needed.
Return from layoff
Use this after an illness, injury clearance, or long break from running.
Build a cautious return-to-running plan for [PLAN LENGTH] weeks after [REASON FOR LAYOFF]. Before stopping, I ran [PREVIOUS BASELINE]; I can train on [AVAILABLE DAYS], and my clinician guidance is [CLINICIAN GUIDANCE]. Start with a conservative run-walk or easy-run progression, state advancement criteria, and include cross-training alternatives. Give clear stop-and-seek-care signs without diagnosing me. Check that no week exceeds a gradual increase from the prior completed week. Ask up to 3 questions only if required information is missing.
Tips
- A plan should be anchored to the last four to six weeks of consistent training, not the mileage you ran during one unusually good week.
- Use effort descriptions for easy running unless you have reliable recent race or threshold data; a generic pace chart is often wrong for heat, hills, and fatigue.
- Treat sharp pain, altered gait, chest symptoms, or persistent worsening pain as reasons to stop and seek qualified medical advice, not as training problems to push through.
- If you miss a workout, resume the sequence or reduce the next quality session; do not add mileage to make up the missed session.
FAQ
Can AI make a running plan for a beginner?
Yes, if you provide your current ability and available days. A beginner plan should use conservative run-walk progression and repeatable weeks rather than aggressive mileage targets.
Should the plan include pace targets?
Only when you have useful recent pace data. Effort or conversational-pace guidance is more dependable for most easy runs.
What if I have an injury history?
Include it in the prompt and follow any clinician restrictions. AI can help organize a plan, but it cannot clear you to run or assess an injury.