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Breaking 25 minutes for 5k
Who is this training plan for?
It’s for anyone who is keen to run under 25 minutes for 5k. Of course, this covers a wide range of runners; for example, a new runner who has just run their first 5k in 27 minutes and wants to target 25, or, an experienced runner who has been just outside of 25 for years and feels they need more structured training to make the time. The type of training that these runners do will be as varied as the runners themselves. Nevertheless, running under 25 for 5k requires the same pace for any and every runner. That’s what this training plan is all about: training to develop the ability to run at the required pace for 5k.
Why 5k?
The 5k race is one of the most popular distances for both new and experienced runners. For the beginner, the 5k is very often the first race, the first real assessment of running fitness. For the experienced runner, the 5k is a race that can be added into a training schedule without necessarily compromising the rest of the week’s training. And again, it serves as a great marker of current fitness. It’s a race that can be run frequently, and of course with the fabulous initiative of Park Run, the opportunities to find a 5k race have never been greater.
Like many races, the time one can achieve categorises a runner. Sub 15? That’s serious running, just over 2 minutes outside of world record pace and will put you roughly in the top 200 of British athletes, if you are female, then you’ll be top ten all time in Britain. Sub 20? The benchmark many club runners use to determine who is a real runner. Sub 25? Very often the first real target many runners have after getting the running bug. Sub 30? Similar to sub 25, and maybe a more common target for new female runners.
Like it or not, these 5 minute steps signify a standard most runners understand. They don’t relate to any significant fitness standards. Nevertheless, they exist and provide a focus for many runners: old, young, male, female, beginner or seasoned veteran.
Twenty five minutes for 5k
The 25 minute 5k also requires nice round numbers for pacing. If you can run 8 minutes per mile for 5k then you’ll make 24:51. If you can get to a running track, then it’s also conveniently 2 minutes per lap (ok, I’ll admit, 1:59). Still, 2 mins per lap will get you to 5k in exactly 25 minutes — all you need is to find a second or 2 in the last 50m to sneak under.
The plan
This is an eight week plan and it assumes that you can actually run non-stop for 5k or 3 miles and do it reasonably easily in under 30 minutes. Because not one size fits all, there are parts of the plan that will require your own concoction. For example, if you are of more advanced years you might benefit from more recovery between sessions, or perhaps your lifestyle determines that you cannot run as often as some others. Regardless, the key sessions are included and these should be built upon according to your own circumstances. If you can get to a running track, great, some of the sessions are ideally suited to track training. However, it’s not vital and the sessions will work away from the track. It will, however, be very useful for you to find a flat, measured km. This can a be a section of road, path, or other easily accessible area for you. You’ll use this (or the track) to measure and monitor your training.
Prepare for discomfort
Yes, you’ll have to get used to running when fatigued. Not the same kind of fatigue experienced in the latter stages of a long run and especially the marathon, when glycogen stores are dwindling and the muscles and joints are screaming at you to slow down or stop. No, this fatigue is more to do with running out of that other vital energy fuel, oxygen. Gasping-for-air type fatigue, and you’d better get used to that feeling to run to your potential at 5k. Yes, it hurts.
Indeed, the degree of discomfort you can endure might make the difference between running under 25 minutes or over 25 minutes. The training plan will develop your ability to run faster regardless of any fitness improvements. We can use pain as an indicator to how hard we are running. If we develop our ability to endure, or even embrace pain, we will run faster. The brain is very good at slowing us down if it thinks we are heading for trouble, and we won’t convince it we’re not whilst on the run. However, diving repeatedly into a state of discomfort, and then recovering will teach it not to be so cautious.
The plan won’t work for everyone; if you are a long way off the target, then perhaps you’re already running to your potential. However, most of us can improve from where we are at even if we’ve been running for many years. If you cannot manage 5k in less than 30 minutes, then you’ll be better off following our sub 30 5k plan.
Of course, as we get older it becomes increasingly difficult to run fast. And, we have to be realistic; if you are a man over 90 or a woman over 80 you’ll be breaking a world record to run under 25 minutes.
How well this plan works for you will depend on a number of factors.
- Your age
- Your current ability
- The Amount of training you do already
- The amount of training time you have available
- Your motivation
- Your weight
- The type of training you do already
The biggest gainers are likely to be young, comparatively new to running, and determined.
So, lets revisit the requirements. It’s simple, each km must be run on average faster than 5 minutes. And this is a good place to focus your initial assessment if you have no 5k history. Find or devise an accurate, flat 1km of firm, even ground. Warm up with some gentle jogging for 10 minutes and see how long it takes you to run that 1km. Try hard.
Here’s a table with very rough predictions of 5k time based on your 1km time. This will help you to determine how close to your goal you are.
| Best time to run 1k | Predicted 5k time |
| 4.30 | 25.22 |
| 4.45 | 26.47 |
| 5.00 | 28.11 |
| 5.15 | 29.36 |
| 5.30 | 31.00 |
There will be some people in the 4.30 category who will be unable to improve enough in 8 weeks to break 25 minutes. There will also be some people in the 5.30+ category who manage to accomplish it. It depends who you are, and where you’ve been on your running journey so far.
Where do you start?
As with any training plan, you should start from where you are now; train according to current ability not your goal time. By all means, have ambitious goals, but plan your training from here to there, not the other way round.
The training plan has 3 key sessions:
- Interval session
- Threshold run
- Endurance run
You can calculate your training paces from a past performance using the pace calculator below the schedule.
The schedule also includes ‘easy’ or ‘recovery’ sessions. These are important, they still produce a training effect even though they can be done easily. There is some flexibility here, the training plan is not written in stone, it is for guidance. The purpose is to get you running the key workouts to develop your 5k running. Some people will do more, some less depending on ability, experience and of course lifestyle. Although the sessions are given on specific days, there is no requirement to do them on those days. It is however important to allow your body sufficient time to recover after the key workouts; this become more important for those new to running and those of more advanced years.
How long is the endurance run?
The endurance run is given as 3-8 miles (5-13k). You should run according to your ability and experience. A new runner would be foolish to run 10 miles without some groundwork. Ideally, you’ll progress your endurance during the schedule; by approximately half a mile or 1km each week. Experienced runners can do more, but not so much that it impacts on the quality of the Tuesday session. The usual rules apply: don’t do too much too soon and if you get any niggles or injury onset then back off until you have it under control. The 5k is an endurance event, so training to be durable is a prerequisite; we need speed, but we also need to keep it going for over 5k or 3 miles.
At what pace should I run the endurance run?
The endurance or long run pace is not crucial. Its purpose is to train for distance not speed.
The most important thing is not to run it too fast, we need to be fresh for the speed sessions and not feeling fatigued before we start.
Use the calculator that appears below the schedule as a guide.
Interval sessions
The interval sessions are ideally run on a track, but anywhere that has a flat, even running surface is ok. If not on the track (where accurate distance measurement is possible), then you can run to time.
Paces can be calculated using the calculator shown below the training plan.
For some sessions, the pace is given as ‘hard’. The hard pace is considerably faster than 5k race pace, but not flat out. Importantly, it is not so fast that you cannot maintain pace and good running form during the rep (and the whole session). Indeed, one of the purposes of training at this speed is to develop running strength and economy. Improved economy means using less energy to run at a given speed, and is therefore a vital component of distance running ability.
Recovery pace during interval sessions
We need to recover sufficiently after each bout of effort during interval sessions. Runners following this schedule should be able to slow to a jog (no faster than marathon pace) during recoveries without the need to walk. After the shorter, faster reps in some sessions (e.g. 10x 200m (or 1min) hard), then a short walk is fine. But begin running again before launching into the next effort, i.e. ease up to speed rather than increasing explosively.
Optional training days
There are cross-training and optional running days shown. These can be incorporated according to your usual training regime.
Easy runs should be easy; the actual pace will depend on personal factors and feelings at the time, but a gentle jog is all it needs to be.
You’ll see warm up and cool down as part of the speed sessions. These are strongly recommended. The warm up helps get your body and mind prepared for running faster than normal. The cool down helps bring your body back to restful state gradually and (from our experience at least) will help ease out any stiffness resulting from increased effort. We have a page offering guidance for warm up.
Training for mental strength
The training plan below focuses on physical training, but, physiology is only one side of the performance equation. To get the most from our bodies we must develop mental strength.
Running 5k is somewhat easy for most people who can run, but racing 5k is hard and it will be uncomfortable. Race-pace hurts, and whilst some of the sessions in this plan will get us accustomed to discomfort, it is very useful to reframe this discomfort, from something to avoid to something to welcome and even embrace. Mental exercises including visualisation can help to alter what discomfort means to us whilst running.
Hypnosis is a great way to quickly develop our ability to run to our true potential. We strongly recommend the downloadable audio hypnosis sessions from Uncommon Knowledge. We’ve used and benefitted from them. Once you have them, you can use them time and time again to move your running up to a higher level. Take a look at their various running-related recordings; they will undoubtedly help you lift your performances to a higher level: sports and running specific hypnosis downloads.
| Week 1 | Monday | Optional easy run | 3-5 miles, 5-8k |
| Tuesday | Interval session: 4x1k @ 10k race pace. 90 sec rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 2x 2k@ threshold 3 min rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 3-5 miles, 5-8k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 2 | Monday | Optional easy run | |
| Tuesday | Interval session: 10×400 (or 2mins) hard, 90 sec rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 20mins @ threshold | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 3-5 miles, 5-8k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 3 | Monday | Optional easy run | |
| Tuesday | Interval session, alternating minutes: run 1 minute at 5k pace, then 1 minute at marathon pace, repeat 10 times (20 mins total). | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 3x 2k @ threshold 3 mins rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 4 | Monday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k |
| Tuesday | Interval session: 4X1k@ 5k pace 90 sec rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 30 mins @ threshold | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 5 | Monday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k |
| Tuesday | Interval session 10x 200m (or 1min) hard, 90 sec rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 2x 2k@ threshold 3 min rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 6 | Monday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k |
| Tuesday | Interval session: 12×400 (or 2mins) hard, 90 sec rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 30 mins @ threshold | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 7 | Monday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k |
| Tuesday | Interval session: alternate 1min hard, 3 mins easy (10 each) | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Threshold: 2x15mins @ threshold, 3 min rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k | |
| Sunday | Endurance run | 3-8 miles, 5-13k | |
| Week 8 | Monday | Optional easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k |
| Tuesday | Interval session: 12x 200 (or 1min) @ 5k 1 min rec | 10 mins warm up and cool down | |
| Wednesday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Thursday | Easy run | 4-6 miles, 6-10k | |
| Friday | Rest or cross train | ||
| Saturday | Optional easy run | 3-5 miles, 5-8k | |
| Sunday | Race |
Training Pace Calculator
RPE is a Rating of Perceived Effort, for more detailed info, see our page explaining training paces
Delighted with this programme. In my late 50’s, I ran 23m 24s on Sunday having followed the programme. Had my doubts after week one, coming from a non running background. Stuck with it and got the rewards.
22m 30s is the new target 😁
That’s a great outcome John, thanks for letting us know.
For your next training block you could take a look at the sub-20 schedule and take some guidance from that.
Good luck.
Graham
Just wanted to say a big thank you for the plan. Started out with a 28:30 5K and managed to get 23:59 this morning 8 weeks after starting.
The program was really easily to follow and offered enough variation to be interesting whilst also giving consistency week on week. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole 8 weeks and would recommend the plan to anybody with a similar start time.
Again, much appreciated!
Great to read your comment Warwick, thanks for taking the trouble to write it.
I’m glad you found the schedule useful and effective.
Four and a half minutes is a huge improvement and I suspect there’s plenty more to come.
Well done!
Graham
Hi – thanks for this great piece of article. Very informative with plenty of explanation and practical guidance. Pleasure reading through.
I have a quick question: if i train by heart rate zones, which zones should I be training at for threshold and endurance sessions?
Thanks.
Stephen,
There is some variance in training zones depending on how they have been calculated. However, as a rough guide, endurance sessions fall into Zone 2 and threshold would be upper Zone 3 or creeping into Zone 4. Use the pace calculator and work it back from there according to your own calculation methods.
Hi,
Just wanted to say Im very excited to start this training plan. And I was wondering is running the threshold and interval runs on a treadmill ok? I live in a very hot country, pretty sure its the hottest (Kuwait). I can only manage to run once or twice a week outside.
Thanks,
Jana
Jana,
If you are used to running on the treadmill and are confident running at faster speeds then the interval and threshold sessions will be fine on there.
Good luck,
Graham
Thanks for this guide, I’ve found it very useful reading through. I started a C25k plan a few months ago and the first 5k took around 33 minutes.
I know it’s all very individually based, but do you think it’s worth trying a 25 min 5k plan, or just stick with improving general fitness? My 5k time has now improved by over 3 minutes in a few weeks by running more (I’m working towards a 10k event).
I can run 1k in under 4 minutes, but that’s a real effort and certainly not sustainable with my current fitness, so my fastest 1 mile time drops to 7.30 (with a few walking breaks). I’m used to sprinting through various sports, but new to longer distance stuff (I’m a 36m, so getting into this relatively late in the game!).
I’ve read advice suggesting there’s less need to work on speed or pace until you are get to a point where fitness alone is having less effect.
This is interesting Matt.
You seem to have plenty of untapped potential as a runner. Improving by 3 minutes in just a few weeks indicates that you are not approaching any plateau quite yet. You also have some decent speed over 1k.
Given this, I would agree with your final point that your focus at the moment should be on building endurance. This is especially so reading that you are working towards a 10k.
You don’t say how far your longest runs are at the moment or how much you are training in total.
If sub 25 mins is the next 5k goal then this training plan is still suitable as long as the total distance is not too much of a step up for you. You could also gradually push that long run a little further.
Having said this, it is crucial that you do not increase your distance and running speed too much too soon; the improvements will come for sure if you are patient and remain injury-free.
The speed sessions are really the icing on the cake in this schedule and perhaps swapping one of those for an easy steady run will be the way to go for you.
Let us know how you get on.
Graham
Thanks to your plan (and further advice) I’ve beaten the 25 minutes now. I ran a 24:21 in November after adapting your 25 min guide slightly to fit my schedule.
I have three new goals now, a 22 min 5k, a 50ish minute 10k and being able to comfortably complete a half (I’m up to 17.5k and following your advice to increase slowly).
Ultimately I’d like to run a 5k in under 20 minutes, but I’ll see how it all goes! When I started back in july I couldn’t even run for 2 minutes, so I’m pleased with my progress regardless.
Thanks once more for your valuable guides.
Thanks for your update Matt.
It’s heartwarming to read reports such as yours and an inspiration for others too.
Best Wishes for 2022.
Is Tuesday week 6 correct? 12x400m hard plus 20 minutes warm up and cool down makes for a veeeeery lengthy session, feels more endurance than intervals!
Good question Floriana.
No mistake, this session is a slight progression from Week 2 Tuesday (10×400 (or 2mins) hard, 90-sec rec).
It is a tough one yes, but still less than 5k of hard running or about 20 minutes. The whole session, including warm-up and cool-down will be about 62 minutes.
Most of the Tuesday sessions include similar distances: around 5k or 20 mins of hard running. There are some shorter, faster reps in there too which amount to a shorter distance due to the higher intensity of the reps.
Don’t forget, the hard pace in this session should be challenge, but not so fast that you have to slow down during the rep.
I didn’t understand one thing.
For the training paces i have the use the calculator. Ok. But do i use my actual recent race/pace time (28min) or aim for a 25min finish time?
Thank you!
James,
Train according to your current fitness, not goal fitness.
As you progress through the schedule, this should improve and you should adjust your paces accordingly. Of course, we don’t always know our current form, especially in these recent months when there have been no races for many of us to test ourselves. But it’s not crucial to be exact. This is why I stress that it’s important for us to get to know the ‘feel’ of different paces. Many of us don’t have access to a track and rely on GPS watches to show us our pace. These are simply not accurate enough to show reliable data. Often too, we run in windy conditions or on hilly terrain when running to pace is impossible.
So, for example, a session like the 4x1k at 5k pace. Run that according to your feeling for 5k pace. It’s going to be challenging to run that session and you certainly won’t be able to talk in sentences at that pace. If it’s an easy session you are going to slow, if you find you are fading before the 1k is done, you are going too fast.
The threshold session will tell you a lot about your current fitness too. 30 minutes at threshold pace is going to make some real demands; you’ll be glad to slow down after it, but it should be manageable. At these sort of times, threshold pace is going to be very similar to 10k race pace.
Ideally, as you move closer to your goal race, your current fitness pace will be close to your goal pace.
Hello,
Before I started this plan with my calculations my 5k pace was roughly 5:45 and now entering week 8 I see 12x 200m @ 5K pace. Should I still be doing 5:45 or should I be aiming more closely to my target 5K pace?
Jason,
You should run the session at current 5k pace. Of course, you might not know what this is at the moment, but you should have a feel for whether you’ve improved in recent weeks.
Ideally, if you are soon hoping to run 5k in 25 mins then you should be able to run through those 200s in 60 seconds; that’s target pace.
If it feels too tough after 3 or 4 to maintain that speed then back off a little, and that’s probably an indication that you are not quite ready. But, unless you are on a track in good conditions, it’s quite hard to be so accurate over such a short distance.
If you are not on a track (or other accurately measured distance) go by feel. 5k pace is roughly where you can just about talk, but you couldn’t really be holding a conversation.
Graham
I didn’t understand the threshold run. Could you please elaborate?
Sharik,
Theshold pace is very roughly the pace a runner could maintain for 60 minutes. So, for an elite male runner it will about half marathon race pace. For the standard of runner this schedule is aimed at it will be about 10k race pace. You can read more about it on a our training paces page.
Not able to open the page. It’s saying Page not found.
Apologies Sharik, there was a typo in the link, fixed now.
Hi I’m a 68 year old male. Ran close to 25mins eighteen months ago (25.30) but seem to be slowing and can’t currently get under 27 mins.
Run with a club so interval train most Tuesdays, longest run around 7miles. Can I get back to sub 25 just following the programme or do I need to strength train?
Andrew,
First, a reality check. How much gain in ability will offset the natural decline due to age? A 68 year-old male running 25:30 achieves an age grade of 66.15% (that percentage is a comparison against the world best for that age). At age 70 (admittedly a 2-year advance and not 18-month), that time would achieve a 67.6% age grade. The decline over 2 years is roughly 25-30 seconds. So your observation that you seem to be slowing down is completely normal.
You also want to improve on that 25:30 time you ran age 68 by more than 30 seconds to sub 25. Of course, I don’t know what your training looked like back then, so can’t comment on any aspects to develop or improve.
Rightly, you mention strength training. If you do none at the moment, that’s certainly an area to explore; we do lose muscle power and strength as we get older. What sort of training? Dynamic body-weight exercises: squats, single-leg squats, burpees, lunges, hopping. Many of these can be done on the run or as an active warm-up. All these will help you to build explosive power and more muscle strength; essential for 5k running. Indeed, if you’ve neglected strength training, then there could be significant gains to be found without increasing your specific running training.
On the other side of the coin is the greater need for recovery we have as we age. You’ll know how you feel on your current training level and how that affects your ability to nail the most important training sessions.
So to summarise. I cannot tell you if this schedule will get you in sub 25 shape, there are simply too many variables. But I’d certainly introduce some strength training, maybe even with weights (with qualified guidance).
Also, see how close you can get to your target pace in a session, for example a 5x 1k with 90 sec recoveries. Can you run this session at 5 mins per km? If not, can you run just 1k in 5 mins? Results from a session like that can indicate where you need to be focussing your training. If you have the speed, then work on the endurance and vice-versa.
Good luck.
Using this plan I managed to run a 24:46 5k in 9 weeks training from a starting time of 27ish minutes. I took one week off, and I also weight trained and cross trained until week 6 where I wanted to focus more on recovery.
Some observations that may help others:
– the threshold sessions were the hardest for me when broken up into session/recovery/session. I could sustain threshold pace continuously for a total distance, but not recover and go again. Probably a psychological thing.
– I really enjoyed the interval sessions
– my long runs were about 80% 6-7k and only hit 10k a couple of times
– my race saw me run my two fastest kilometres at the beginning and the end. Looks like I have a middle kilometre slump problem.
I would now like to take a week off and try and get to 22.59 in 8 weeks, but I think it will be tough. What should I focus on or mix and match from the sub 20 minute plan please?
First of all, congratulations on making such great improvements on your 5k time.
Your comments are very interesting and useful too, so thanks for that.
As for your next goal. If you cut your time by over 2 minutes in 9 weeks then there’s more improvement to come I’m sure.
You’ve probably noticed that the 20-minute plan is similar. The main differences are in volume, both in long runs and speed sessions. In both plans the training paces are determined by current fitness so you can take sessions from the faster plan.
If you do not already do any strength training then incorporating a session or two each week will boost your running speed and endurance (and injury resistance).
I think it would be worthwhile pushing out the long run slightly, but do it gradually.
Also as well as your week off, an easy couple of weeks will enable you to start your new block refreshed.
Good luck and let us know how you progress.
Awesome plan, definitely feeling uncomfortable especially in the florida heat 🥵 I’m having a harder time with the 1k intervals than the 2k I even have to stop at times. Should I slow my pace down, any idea why?
Virginie,
It’s hard to give an accurate answer without knowing your current ability and also the pace you are attempting to run the reps.
It’s certainly harder running in the heat; it takes a while to acclimatise.
The 1k interval sessions have a much shorter recovery time between reps so you will be carrying some fatigue from each previous rep.
If you are finding that you have to slow down or stop during the rep, then yes, you are likely running them too fast. These 1k reps should be run at your current 5k race-pace, so should be well within your capability to run in 1k chunks.
Remember, the 5k pace is calculated on your current ability, not on your planned goal race time.
Hope that helps.
I have not ran a timed 5k very recently, but I think I can do about it in about 27 minutes. I have been training on my own and I recently found this plan. On my long runs I have been doing about 7 miles in roughly an hour. Is that too fast? It feels hard while I’m doing it, but I’m not too tired afterward. Should I slow down for endurance runs?
B,
Your long runs should be run at a slow, easy pace. This will enable you to be recovered for the more strenuous speed workouts. If your 5k race time is 27 minutes then it’s ok to run the long runs around 11 mins per mile. This might feel too slow if you are used to running quicker, but leave the faster running for the speed training (and the racing).
However, if you can run 7 miles in an hour (that’s 8:34 per mile), your 10k potential is just over 53 mins and so I suspect your potential 5k time is closer to 25 mins now. Given that, your long run pace should be around 10:30 per mile; it’s not crucial exactly, but probably a couple of mins per mile slower than you are currently doing them.
Eveing,
I am 55 and my 5k is 28:53 this is my best time ever.I have no problems running around 29/30 minutes for the 5K and my big goal is Sub 25 finding this plan will hopefully put me in that direction because i want to become a fast Vet runner.
I ran a lot back in the 1990’s and then my time was 17 minutes on the road.I had a break then from running 1997 to 2015 when i started again breaking 30 minutes for 5k only happened this year so hope i can break 25 minutes.
I like to ask a question about my long run’s at what pace should i ran at when you say easy?
Julian,
If you have no problems running 29/30 mins, then I suspect you can run at least a little quicker without necessarily becoming more well-trained.
Your 17-minute 5k when you were in your prime equates to roughly 20 mins as a 55 year-old.
Of course, you’d need to be training pretty seriously to reach that level, as I guess you were back then. Regardless, your history does provide a measure of your potential now.
Your question about long runs. Their purpose is to develop endurance and we don’t need to be running very fast at all for these long runs to have the desired effect. 11 to 12 mins per mile will be fine. If we run them too quick then we decrease our ability to complete the speed sessions successfully. This is increasingly important as we get older when the body needs more time to recover.
So keep the long runs slow, very slow, and make the most of those speed sessions.
Hope that helps.
Thank you so much sorry for such long delay in replying
Hi,
In regards to week 3 interval session (tuesday) it’s mentioned that we should alternate minutes at 5k & marathon pace (10 each) – could you please clarify how many meters are to be ran at the 5k pace, and then how many meters are to be ran at the marathon pace?
Kind regards,
Humza
Humza,
The distance you run for each minute will vary depending on your ability and environmental factors such as gradient, wind, running surface.
Ideally, you’ll run the fast minutes at 5k race intensity and the slower minutes at marathon pace intensity.
I have just done a 5,000m time trial in 25:57. How fast should the 400’s and 200’s be. I was doing the 400’s in 1:52 and the 1 mins I am covering 250m. Recovery has been 100m jog 45secs. However, I am finding it so hard, am I overtraining by trying to go this speed or not enough recovery. My best time was 24:21 in 2018 aged 72. I am now 74. So how hard is hard.
Peter, I’m not surprised you are finding those reps challenging, those recoveries are very short at 45 seconds. You should be taking at least twice that time for recovery: 90 secs. The hard pace is faster than 5k but not so fast that you lose form or cannot complete the session. So extend the recoveries to those as given in the plan, and if necessary slow the reps down a little. For your stated 5k race pace of 25.57, your pace per 400 is 2.04.
You do incredibly well to maintain that pace for 25 minutes, and your age-grading is over 70%, which places you in a very high category of running ability. Your 25.57 is comparable to a younger you running under 18 mins. Incidentally, your 24.21 at age 72 is roughly inline with a 25 min time at age 74.
As we age, we lose speed and power more than endurance, and the paces of those short fast reps drop off comparatively quicker. To redress this imbalance it becomes increasingly important to work on strength and developing the muscles that determine our running economy.
Also, as you probably know, as we get older we need more recovery, especially after those fast rep sessions.
Good luck, let us know how you go.
I am currently in second week of this program. And I have question regarding intervals.
So my best 5k time was 29:45 (5:57 min/km)
I was running Interval session: 10×400 (or 2mins) hard, 90 sec rec
On 400m I had pace (5:00 min/km), but I was to exhausted to jog for 90 sec, so I was walking for 90 sec.
I managed to complete whole workout with that tempo.
My question is: Was that workout beneficial beacues of my walking ? Or should have I maybe ran those 400m with some slower pace so I could be able to jog in those 90s recoveries?
Thank you!
Thanks for your question Domagoj,
Those 400s at 5 min/km a significantly faster than your 5k race pace. Indeed, that pace is most likely quicker than your 1k race pace. So you will be exhausted after running 400m at that pace.
However, that particular session is meant to be run at a hard pace. It’s for developing running economy, form and speed, all crucial for optimum 5k racing. A recovery walk is absolutely ok, but don’t leap straight into the next rep, jog a little and ease up to speed, and if you need a little more than 90 seconds then that’s ok too.
Usually, for the slower-paced interval sessions, we’d be looking to start each rep in a partially depleted stated, but for these hard reps we should be more recovered.
I should add that jumping from 29.45 to 25 mins in 8 weeks is a very rapid progression, so I (and others I’m sure) will be interested to see how you get on.
Good luck.
Hi,
First of all I would like to thank you for this programme.
I just wanted to clarify “week 3 Tuesday – Interval session: alternate minutes at 5k & marathon pace (10 each)” – could you confirm what distance I am to run on this interval day? Would I be wrong in assuming I am to alternate 5k and marathon pace (10 each) over 400 meters?
Thanks,
The reps are run to time, not distance. So, forget about 400 metres, run for 1 minute at 5k pace, then recover with 1 minute at marathon pace, repeat 10 times.
I’ll clarify the notation.
Good luck,
Graham
Hello,
Thanks for this plan. Could you explain to me Week 3’s Tuesday Interval Run? Will I be running this in one continuous run, alternating each minute from 5k to marathon pace till I hit 10 on each side or is there a recovery in between?
Thanks,
Yes, the alternating minutes are run continuously. The marathon-pace minutes are the recovery, albeit at a more controlled, active pace than might usually be adopted.
I just wanted to check on how we are supposed to be doing the recovery periods. Are we supposed to walk during that time, or are we supposed to jog at a slow pace?
Geof,
Good question.
Recovery pace will depend on the individual’s fitness level.
For this particular training plan, assuming runners are not much slower than a 25 minute 5k, an easy jog will be ideal, certainly no quicker than marathon pace.
For the shorter, faster reps, where you’ll be running quite a bit quicker than 5k pace, then you might feel the need for a short walk after the effort, easing into a jog after a few seconds.
Although there are no flat-out reps in this schedule, if you were doing some HIT training with very high-intensity, short-duration efforts, then a short walk is sometimes all you can manage.
I’ll add some similar notes to the interval sessions section.
Graham
I will be.starting week 3 next week but I don’t understand the Tuesday workout which is: Interval session: alternate minutes at 5k & marathon pace (10 each). What is the distance amount of each interval? I guess I’m not sure of the distance for each of these, thank you.
Robin,
There’s no need to worry about the distance because the session is based on time. So, after a warm up, run one minute at 5k pace, then slow down to marathon pace for the next minute. Repeat this cycle 10 times (20 mins total).
As a guide, at 25 minute 5k pace, a minute will take you through 200m.
Getting the pacing absolutely right is not crucial, just aim to run to effort or intensity. As the session progresses, those minutes at 5k pace will be getting quite challenging, but you should be able to do them without slowing down before the minute expires.
Good luck!
Super plan, folks – thanks so much. I broke 25 minutes on Sunday – 24.55! I had not run a sub-25 in ten years so it was great to get back there. It took me 12 weeks because I lost two weeks in the middle when I was sick and when I restarted I went back two weeks in the plan as I knew I would not be able to pick up where I had left off from. Now for the next target, whatever that will be! It’s a great training plan, I’d highly recommend it. I did three of the sessions – Tuesday, Thursday and long run at the weekend, whilst also doing a circuit class in the gym on the Wednesday.
Ed,
That’s great, thanks for the feedback.
Very sensible approach to backtrack a little after the illness rather than jump straight back in.
Good luck with your next target.
I started your plan at the beginning of the year in anticipation of a race this past weekend. I finished my last 5k in December at 27:23, so I used that number in the calculator. I followed the plan religiously through week 4 when I strained my hamstring. I took three full weeks off and resumed only lighter runs with no speed work.
The race this past weekend was, of course, cancelled because of the coronavirus. However, my friends and I got together and ran the course. I finished the race in 25:39 (as calculated by my GPS). I was very happy with my time given the injury mid-way through my training.
I am already looking forward to my next race. With a little additional training, I expect to break 25:00 mins.
Thank you very much for this plan!
Thanks Scott,
That’s great news and thanks for letting us know.
Good luck in breaking that 25 minute barrier.
Thank you very much for this plan & explanation. I have been cycling for several years & would like to do my 2nd sport as running in a decent pace (5 k in sub 25 Min). great to read before start it.
Thanks very much, and good luck with the training.
Hi,
Thanks for the training plan. Looks really useful.
If you look at week 2 Tuesday it says “Hard”. How hard is this? How can it be calculated?
Thanks
A
Adam, good question. I’ve added a section ‘Interval sessions’, just above the plan to provide more detail.
‘Hard’ is going to be between 5k and 1-mile race pace. It will feel hard, but not so hard that you are forced to slow down during the rep or run the latter reps slower than the earlier ones.
As we get stronger and faster, should we re-calculate our training pace?
Scott, ideally yes.
But, in reality, there will be limited opportunities to accurately assess your ability within the 8-weeks. However, you could swap a Park Run for the Thursday threshold session if it fits in (you won’t lose anything in training terms, but don’t over-race).
Try and get used to running by intensity (rather than the watch) and as you progress you should get a feel for how hard the paces are to maintain. Naturally, you’ll be running quicker paces and the goal is to get your training paces up to those determined by a 25 min 5k.
Then you are ready.
Hello,
This may be a silly question but using the pace calculator, do I input the race time that I wish for or my current 5k time?
Rana, not a silly question at all and it’s important to get it right. Use current fitness ability to calculate training paces. Why? Your current ability is a known factor, whereas goal time is notional. Goal times are also highly variable in their level of realism depending on the ambition and confidence of the individual.
We need to be training from where we are now. We also need to monitor our ability regularly and adjust our training paces accordingly as we develop.
I should add that there is strong value in training at target race pace. Note that there is a big difference between the target pace and a goal or ‘wish’ pace. We must ensure that this target pace is realistic and that we have firm evidence that it is achievable in the right conditions.
A useful session to check for this would be 3 x 1k at target race pace with 90-sec recoveries; that session should be manageable without slowdown during the reps. Ideally, you’ll want to be on a running track or at least using an accurate, flat 1k section.
Hi,
First of all thank you for the training plan and the explanations.
How can I calculate my pace for “Optional easy run” and “Endurance run”?
Thanks
Ori
Many thanks Ori,
I’ve added a little more detail into those sections. In essence, the endurance run pace is the same as the long run which can be shown by using the calculator. It’s quite a bit slower than many runners do their long runs. There really is no need to run them faster.
Easy runs should be just that, easy, very easy. We don’t want to be experiencing fatigue from these runs, typically the pace will be long run pace if it’s a short run or even slower. Its purpose is one of recovery, not exertion.
Graham
Many thanks
Ori
Not sure why people talk about miles when talking about kilometre based races. Take one unit and stick with it.
Thanks John.
Maybe some people are more familiar with their pace per mile even when running a metric distance.
Here in the UK, we are very much a mixed unit country: road signs are marked in miles and MPH. We still buy beer in pints, but road fuel and wine in litres and centilitres.
It’s similar for runners, if it’s a 5k or 10k road race the markers will be in km. If it’s a 10-mile race or half or full marathon the markers will be a mile apart. Even on the track, we might be running 5000m or a mile.
So it’s useful to have an idea of pacing in both miles and km. I’m sure I’m not alone in running km interval sessions on the track and then running to a pace/mile in a race.
It sure is a mixed up country.
Is the endurance run pace the same with long run pace??
Yes it is, I’ve now clarified in the article, thanks.
Hi, I wanted to say thank you for this plan – I’ve been running for several years but breaking 25 minutes for 5k was always stubbornly just out of reach. I followed your plan for the eight weeks and last weekend got a new PB of 24.24 – faster than I thought I was capable of! And as an added bonus I also came third in my age category. Thank you again!
Emily,
That’s fabulous and great to read; thanks so much for letting me know.
Always keep in mind that the 8-week plan is for race preparation and we cannot expect to train at this level all the time.
Now that you have a framework that works for you, you can build on it and adapt it for the next one.
Many congratulations to you.
Graham
Hello,
I don’t quite understand the Tuesday and Thursday sessions and wondered if you could break these down into a little more detail for me as I’m really keen to start this 8 week programme in advance of a race I have coming up?
Many thanks,
Jess
Jess,
Here’s an example from one of the Tuesday sessions.
Tuesday Interval session: 4x1k @ 10k race pace. 90 sec rec
After a warm up (which you should always do before a run session), run 1k at your current 10k race pace (your 10k time / 10), then jog easy to recover for 90 seconds. You do this cycle 4 times, then a jog cool down.
A Thursday example:
Thursday Threshold: 2x 2k@ threshold 3 min rec
After a warm up, run 2k at your current threshold pace, then jog easy for 3 minutes recovery, then run another 2k at threshold pace. Threshold pace will depend on your current ability level, but will be between 10k pace and half marathon pace. To get a more accurate idea, use the pacing calculator that follows the schedule.
Here’s another Tuesday example:
Tuesday Interval session: 12x 200 (or 1min) @ 5k 1 min rec
Run 200 metres (or 1 minute) at current 5k race pace, and recover by jogging for 1 minute. Repeat this 12 times.
Hope that’s clear, let me know if not.
Thank you so much for clarifying!!
“Τhursday Threshold: 2x 2k@ threshold 3 min rec
After a warm-up, run 1k at your current threshold pace. ”
I think that there is a mistake here. According to the written instructions, we have to run 2k and not 1k. at our current threshold pace
Thanks
Aristotelis
Well spotted Aristotelis and thanks.
I’ve now amended my reply.
Graham