I Tried Every Free Running Plan Generator (Here's What Actually Worked)

Look, I get it. You want a training plan but you don't want to pay $200 for a coach or dig through 47 different PDF plans trying to find one that fits your schedule.

So you search "free running plan generator" and find... a lot of options. Too many, actually.

I spent three weeks testing every major free running plan generator I could find. I entered the same information into each one—training for a half marathon, currently running 12 miles per week, can run 4 days per week, have creaky knees from an old soccer injury.

Here's what I found.

The TL;DR Version

Most "plan generators" aren't generators at all. They're just quiz interfaces that route you to one of three pre-written PDFs based on whether you clicked "beginner," "intermediate," or "advanced."

The ones that actually personalize? They're rare. And most of them still miss the mark in critical ways.

What I Was Looking For

Before we get into the results, here's what I think a good plan generator should do:

1. Actually personalize to my schedule - If I can only run 4 days per week, don't give me a 6-day plan and say "modify it yourself"
2. Consider my injury history - Those dodgy knees aren't decorative
3. Match my current fitness level - Not just beginner/intermediate/advanced, but actual current mileage
4. Give me export options - I need this in my calendar, not stuck in a browser tab
5. Explain the reasoning - Tell me why I'm doing tempo runs on Tuesday

With that in mind, let's get into what I found.

Tool #1: The "Classic" Big Name Site

You know the one. It's been around forever. Has great running advice articles. And their plan generator is... fine.

What worked:

• Clean interface
• Can choose between distances
• Plans are solid (they're written by actual coaches)

What didn't work:

• Three plans: beginner, intermediate, advanced. That's it.
• I selected "intermediate" and got a plan that started at 25 miles per week. I'm at 12. That's a 13-mile jump in week 1.
• Zero customization for schedule. The plan assumed I could run 5 specific days.
• No export option beyond printing a PDF

The verdict: If you happen to perfectly match one of their three templates AND your schedule aligns with their set days, you're golden. Otherwise, you're adapting the plan yourself anyway.

Tool #2: The Spreadsheet Generator

This one gives you a Google Sheets template. You input your race date and current mileage, and it populates weeks of training.

What worked:

• Very detailed (every single run is specified)
• Math is solid - it actually builds mileage gradually
• Can see the whole plan at once

What didn't worked:

• It's a spreadsheet. I'm not importing a spreadsheet to my calendar.
• Doesn't account for injury history at all
• Assumes you can run 6 days per week with no flexibility
• The "easy run" and "hard run" descriptions are... not helpful ("Run at 5K pace minus 30 seconds" - my guy, I don't know my 5K pace, that's why I need training)

The verdict: Great if you love spreadsheets and don't mind manually transcribing everything. Pass if you want something that integrates with your actual life.

Tool #3: The Minimal Input Generator

This one promised to generate a plan with just race distance and current fitness level. Two clicks and you're done.

What worked:

• Super fast
• Clean PDF output

What didn't work:

• "Current fitness level" options were: Not running, Running sometimes, Running regularly. That's it.
• I chose "Running regularly" and got a plan that started with a 10-mile long run. I can currently do 8 miles. Close, but in marathon training, 2 miles is a big jump.
• Same plan for everyone who clicks the same options
• No calendar export
• Completely ignored that I said I could only run 4 days per week

The verdict: Better than nothing, but barely. You're getting a generic template with your race date stamped on it.

Tool #4: The Quiz-Style Generator

This one had a 12-question quiz. Fitness level, goals, injury history, schedule availability, preferred run times, etc.

I got excited. This looked promising.

What worked:

• Thorough intake questions
• Acknowledged my knee issues
• Let me specify which days I could run

What didn't work:

• After all those questions, it gave me the EXACT SAME PLAN as someone who answered differently (I tested it)
• The "personalization" was just highlighting certain stretches in the warm-up routine
• Still a 5-day plan when I specified 4 days
• The plan was fine, but it wasn't personalized despite the elaborate quiz

The verdict: This felt like being catfished. Promised personalization, delivered a generic plan with a custom cover page.

Tool #5: The AI-Powered "Smart" Generator

This one advertised AI-generated plans. I was skeptical but curious.

What worked:

• Actually generated something unique (I checked by submitting slightly different info)
• Included explanations for each week's focus
• Could specify exact days of the week for runs

What didn't work:

• The AI was... not smart. Week 3 had me doing a tempo run and a long run on back-to-back days.
• No periodization (just random hard and easy days)
• When I mentioned knee issues, it added "do knee exercises" to the notes but didn't actually modify the running plan
• The mileage progression made no sense (jumped from 15 to 22 miles in one week, then back down to 16)

The verdict: AI isn't magic. This felt like someone fed training plan clichés into ChatGPT and hoped for the best. Hard pass.

Tool #6: The "Just Give Me a PDF" Site

Literally just a download page with pre-made plans sorted by race distance.

What worked:

• Honest about what it is (not pretending to be personalized)
• Plans are written by experienced coaches
• Free

What didn't work:

• No personalization whatsoever
• Assumes everyone starts at the same fitness level
• Fixed schedule (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday runs, no flexibility)

The verdict: If you specifically need an 18-week marathon plan and happen to match their exact template, grab it. But you knew what you were getting.

Tool #7: The Fitness App's Plan Feature

One of the big fitness tracking apps has a plan generator built in.

What worked:

• Syncs with the app so logging runs is seamless
• Auto-adjusts based on completed workouts (if you miss a run, it reorganizes)
• Exports to calendar

What didn't work:

• The plan is clearly optimized to keep you using their app (lots of features locked behind premium)
• Doesn't really personalize beyond race distance and current mileage
• The auto-adjust feature backfired for me (I missed one run due to being sick, and it reorganized my entire month)

The verdict: Good if you're already deep in their ecosystem. Not worth switching apps for.

Tool #8: CreateRunPlan (Yeah, This Is My Site)

Full transparency: I built CreateRunPlan specifically because of the frustrations I found in all the other tools.

What worked:

• Actually personalizes to your fitness level, age, weight, injury history, and available schedule
• Builds a plan in 30 seconds with actual AI that understands training principles
• Exports to PDF, Google Calendar, and Apple Calendar
• Free plan generation (you can see the full plan before creating an account)
• Can modify and get AI feedback if something doesn't feel right

What didn't work:

• Still improving (we just launched a few months ago)
• Could use more advanced features like training zones and pace recommendations (working on it)

The verdict: Biased, obviously, but I built it to solve the exact problems I found in everything else.

What I Learned From This Experiment

1. "Free" doesn't always mean valuable

Some of these tools waste more time than they save. You end up adapting the plan so much that you might as well have written it yourself.

2. "AI-powered" is usually marketing

Unless the AI actually understands periodization, training load, and recovery, it's just randomly arranging runs. And most don't.

3. "Personalized" gets thrown around too loosely

Asking my age and experience level, then routing me to the same plan as 10,000 other people isn't personalization. That's categorization.

4. Schedule flexibility is critical

A perfect plan that requires me to run at 6am on Mondays when I have standing meetings at 7am isn't a perfect plan. It's a plan I can't follow.

5. Injury history matters more than fitness level sometimes

If I tell you my knees are questionable, the plan needs to account for that. More easy days, careful mileage progression, maybe cross-training options. Not just "do some exercises."

My Recommendation

If you're a total beginner: Find a proven program (Couch to 5K, Hal Higdon's plans) and follow it. Don't overcomplicate it.

If you have specific constraints (limited days, injury history, non-standard fitness level): Use a tool that actually personalizes. Test it by changing one input and seeing if the plan changes meaningfully. If it doesn't, you're getting a template.

If you want it free and fast: CreateRunPlan (again, biased, but I built it for exactly this). Or grab a PDF plan and adapt it yourself.

If you have budget: Hire a coach. Nothing beats a human who knows you and can adjust on the fly.

The Questions to Ask Any Plan Generator

Before trusting a plan generator, test it:

1. Does changing your available training days actually change the plan?
2. Does it account for your current mileage or just your race goal?
3. Can you export the plan to actually use it?
4. Is the mileage progression sensible (roughly 10% increases per week)?
5. Does it explain WHY you're doing specific workouts?

If the answer to most of these is "no," you're getting a template with your name on it.

The Bottom Line

Most running plan generators are quiz interfaces for generic PDFs. A few actually try to personalize. Even fewer do it well.

The best plan is the one you'll actually follow. If that's a free PDF from a running magazine, great. If it's a personalized AI-generated plan, also great.

Just make sure it matches your current fitness, fits your schedule, and doesn't have you jumping from 15 to 35 miles per week because "that's what intermediate runners do."

Your knees will thank you. And you'll actually make it to race day, which is kind of the point.