10-Week Advanced 5K Training Plan
Start training now to run your fastest 5K in 10 weeks! Our downloadable plan details every day's workout toward your 5K PR.
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Train to run your fastest 5K in 10 weeks
Want to run a fast 5K? You don’t need to run the volume that you’d do for marathon training, but you’ll require speed and stamina to run fast for what feels like a very long time. Training for a fast 5K combines a variety of workouts — hills, tempos, progressions, fartleks, long runs and track sessions — to hone your aerobic system, efficiency, speed and power.
This advanced 5K training plan is for those who have a few years experience under your belt and have maintained a solid base so that 45 minutes a day, 30–40 miles per week is normal. Tried and true workouts will put you on track to your fastest 5K in just 10 weeks.
Download PDF of The Advanced 5K Training Plan
Training Terms Defined
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Easy Run
- Aim to comfortably cover the distance at a conversational pace. Adding 90-seconds to two minutes per mile to your goal 5K race pace should do the trick.
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Strides
- This set of six short accelerations should be performed after an easy run and as part of your warmup for key workouts. Strides are a way to maintain turnover and improve efficiency. Accelerate for 5 seconds, run at your fastest sustainable speed for 10 seconds, and then decelerate for the final 5 seconds. Take a minute between strides to get your breath back.
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Warmups & Cooldowns
- Precede each of your key hill workouts, fartlek sessions, tempo runs and track workouts with 15–20 minutes of easy running and a set of 4–6 x 20-second strides to warm up. Follow the workout with 15–20 minutes of easy running to cool down.
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Hills
- These sessions will build strength and stamina without tearing your legs apart. Find a moderate incline that forces you to get up on your toes. A 4–6% grade on a treadmill will suffice, too. Walk or jog down the hill between repeats for recovery.
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Fartlek
- The term means “speed play” in Swedish. In this program, fartlek workouts consist of pickups measured by time rather than distance which you do in the middle of runs on the road or trail.
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X-Training
- Alternative aerobic exercise in the form of cycling, water running, swimming or the elliptical machine. These are scheduled before or after your key workouts for the week and cross training for 30 to 60 minutes on your non-running days is a good way to get in extra volume without beating up your body.
The 10-Week Advanced 5K Training Plan
| Week | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Run: 60:00 | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Hill Workout: 10 x 1:00 @ 5K effort w/jog down recovery | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 45:00 + strides | Tempo Run Run: 20:00 @ goal 5K pace + 30 seconds/mile | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 2 | Long Run: 65:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Fartlek: 5-6 x 3:00 @ goal 5K pace w/2:00 recovery | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 50:00 + strides | Progression Run + Hill Repeats: 50:00 (First 30:00 easy, next 15:00 steady, last 5:00 @ goal 5K pace); 4 x 30-second hill repeats @ 5K effort afterward | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 3 | Easy Run: 45:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Track Workout: 10 x 400m @ goal 5K pace – 5 seconds per mile w/200m jog recovery | Easy Run: 35:00 | Easy Run: 35:00 + strides | Hill Workout: 3 x 2:00-1:00-30 second hill repeats w/jog down recovery. Start at 5K effort and increase progressively | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 4 | Long Run: 70:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Tempo Run: 4 miles @ goal 5K pace + 15-20 seconds/mile | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 45:00 + strides | Track Workout: 8 x 200m @ 3K pace w/200m jog recovery | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 5 | 5K RACE | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Easy Run: 60:00 + strides | Easy Run: 45:00 | Track Workout: 4-5 x 1 mile @ 5K race pace w/1:00 recoveries | Easy Run: 50:00 | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 6 | Long Progression Run: 75:00 + strides (First 50 minutes easy, last 25:00 @ marathon/half marathon pace [5K pace + ~40 sec/mile]) | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Hill Repeats: 12 x 30-seconds @ 3K effort (5K pace – 15 seconds/mile) w/jog down recoveries | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 50:00 + strides | Track Workout: 4 x 1,200m @ 5K pace – 5 seconds/mile with 2:00 recoveries | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 7 | Long Run: 75:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Tempo Run: 6 miles @ 5K pace + 30 seconds/mile | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 45:00 + strides | 10 x 300m @ 3K pace w/100m jog recoveries | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 8 | Long Run: 60:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Hill Repeats: 3 x 2:00 @ 5K effort; 4 x 1:00 @ 5K effort; 4 x 30 seconds @ 3K effort. Recovery: jog down the hill after each repeat. | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 35:00 + strides | Track Workout: 1 mile @ 5K pace; 2 x 800m @ 5K pace – 10 sec/mile; 4 x 400m @ 3K pace (Recovery: half the distance of the preceding interval.) | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 9 | Long Run: 80:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Intervals: 2 x 1.5 miles w/3:00 recovery between intervals. First 1.5-mi interval at 5K pace (no faster!), second at 5K pace – 5-10 sec/mile. | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 45:00 + strides | Track Workout: 6 x 800m @ 3K pace w/2:00 jog recovery between intervals | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 10 | Long Run: 60:00 + strides | Easy Run (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) | Tempo Run + Fartlek: 10:00 @ 5K pace + 30 sec/mile, 3:00 recovery, 6 x 30 seconds @ 3K effort w/90 sec recoveries | Easy Run: 45:00 | Easy Run: 30:00 + strides | Track Workout: 6 x 200m @ 3K pace w/200m jog recovery between intervals | Easy Run: (30:00) or X-Training (45:00) |
| 5K RACE! | |||||||
Download PDF of The Advanced 5K Training Plan
Plan originally published June 2011
From PodiumRunner
Lead Photo: Kent C. Horner/Getty Images for Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series