5k to 10k in 6 weeks?

I think the most important thing is to keep getting out there, you can have your 'perfect world plan' where you do your (for example) easy run, tempo or speed work one and your long one and then your real world one which could be 'I must go out at least three times, the long one is the most important one but it all counts as long as I keep running and build the kms in my legs'.

People training for their first race of any distance rarely run that actual distance during training, you are going to get round that course and be fine!

I didn't specifically plan my runs around my cycle but I noticed very real differences in how I felt. Often as if there was just nothing left, no real energy or strength. I'm also a bit prone to minor ankle & knee strains during that week or so. Those sorts of days I would just run/jog for the joy of being outside, for being away from the kids for half an hour or so, to see the sun, just jogged it out really and forget about times/distances etc. I looked around me more and appreciated where I live much more. If I only managed 4k, or was 5mins slower, then so what, I'd had a pleasant meander out and was keeping my muscles ticking over. I'm not really a racer or competitive runner and am just trying to improve my general fitness, and being able to get to a beautiful countryside/farmland run within five minutes of the house also does wonders for my mental health and moods too.

Swap one of your weekly runs for an interval session. On your non run days do some core training (pressups, planks, sit ups). Both those techniques will seriously improve your running and don't take up any more of your time (if you do the core exercises in front of the tv).

I was averaging 33-34 mins I suppose, my fastest ever was after I had done a 10k for a while and was 30mins 32 secs. Never dipped below 32 either, apart from that one time. It was odd really, I hadn't gone out with anything other than a normal run in mind. But it all just went so perfectly, and I knew after the first kilometer and a half that it was going to be fast. It felt utterly amazing and will go down as one of my best ever feeling runs regardless of time!

I think once you can sustain your 5k pace for about 45-50 mins solid, you know you're going to be able to cover 10k as a distance, assuming you're looking at about 35mins for 5k. I felt that walking intervals after that point were pointless for me personally, and that extending my time by ten mins or whatever per week was probably going to better. So I sort of agree with Mitchy, look at targetting the total time/distance first and look at speed work later. 10k is much more about endurance to start with. But it's very personal, you know how best to push yourself.

Should also say I was also only running three times a week too.

I managed 5k to 10k in just over three weeks, having only finished c25k a week before deciding to make the jump. I started by targetting the likely overall time, so did one week of 5x10minute stints with 2mins walking in between. Next week I did 3x20mins with two mins walking, week after that I did 40mins run, 2 mins walking, 20 mins run, and then the first run of the fourth week I just went for the distance, and managed 10k in 1hr 11mins with no stopping. Did it about three more times after that over the next two months, fastest time was 1hr 6mins. Haven't run more than 6k in four months though, and haven't run consistently in over a month - have been switching up with gym owrkouts & classes, but I'd like to do 10k again before christmas!

hmm am also no expert but I think distance first, speed work later - partly based on own experience, the further and further I run the (slightly bit) faster I become overall whereas am not sure that shorter sprintier runs actually do as much for my endurance as The Long Run once a week

personally would wait until happily running for an hour at a time (sort of about 10k ish?) or make that the chief priority and leave the speed work until then unless you are overflowing with energy and really want to?

Am no expert but I think the 5x1 min fast runs will help more plus over time you can lengthen them to 1.5 min then 2 mins etc

Nae there's one big hill at the start of my 5k route which is awful but I know once it's out if the way it's just flat or downhill the rest of the way round.
I'm back to doing just 5k again now.

Also have a look at the Runkeeper training programs for 10k. It's free to join and you can see details of the training programs on the basic (free) membership. They are free as well. They are all based around doing 4 runs a week but you can get some ideas on how to do the intervals. I'm trying to work my way through the 10k in sub 65 mins at the moment. It's all very similar to what you're doing at the moment (1 long run gradually increasing the distance, 3 shortish runs with speedwork built-in). Hope that helps!

Only 2-3 times a week although I did a couple of aerobics classes too.

I regularly run 5k but recently trained for a 10k I can only run 3 times a week so my runs during the week I did the usual 5k run but at weekends did that route twice, then after a few weeks did 2x10k runs a week and one 5k. I found 5k easy but the last 2k of a 10k is a killer if you are not used to it!

Yeah you can do that. I had never run more than 5k but entered into a 10k without even training and managed to run the whole thing without too much bother :)