The 5k is one of the most popular distances in road racing. Because of it’s popularity, there is no shortage of different training plans geared towards preparing for it. A runner’s experience plays a big role in determining the right approach to training. But I believe there’s five key runs that should be present in ANY 5k training plan.
Like any race, I like coming at it from two angles: the speed side (we need to make sure we can run the pace we want) and the endurance side (we need to maintain that pace for the race distance). The first 3 runs will target endurance, while the last 2 will target speed. Let’s get into it!
1. Easy Runs
I’m starting with the most boring of all runs in your training plan. Trust me, it gets better after this! Easy runs, however boring they may be, are crucial in being able to absorb the faster efforts involved in 5k training.
The 5k distance is still 85-90% aerobic in nature, which means your endurance better be strong. The best way to build foundational endurance is through keeping overall mileage high. And the best way to accomplish that in 5k training without killing yourself is to make many of those miles easy runs.
Easy runs should be beyond comfortable – a pace 2-3 minutes per mile slower than your 5k pace. Yes, that’s right. Even American distance runner legend Shalane Flanagan goes almost 3 minutes slower than her 5k pace on her easy days. So slow it down! Doing so will give you an extra boost for those hard days when you need it and enable you to get all the mileage in to bolster your endurance.
2. Long Runs
Long runs? For a 3.1 mile race? What gives?! Yes! It may not be as essential as it is for a half marathon on marathon race, but a long run is still fantastic for fortifying the aerobic engine.
Think of your aerobic engine like the foundation to your 5k training pyramid. The bigger the base, the higher the peak!
I like to keep long runs between 90-120 minutes during 5k training, which is just long enough to get the right benefits. As far as pace goes, best to keep them easy. Save your energy for the faster and more specific training!
3. Threshold Runs
Okay, we’re getting faster now. Threshold runs accompanied with long runs and easy runs will give you all the endurance support you need in a 5k race. The closer we get to actual 5k pace, the most important these workouts become so pay attention!
Threshold runs (in this article) will refer to those targeting your anaerobic threshold. At this threshold, your body accumulates lactic acid at a rate that your body can no longer clear out and muscle fatigue will set in. Running at or close to your threshold is the best way to improve aerobic power.
This pace is about the pace you could maintain for a 60-minute race. If you run a 10k in 60 minutes, then threshold pace is your 10k pace, for example. For many runners, threshold pace sits somewhere between 10k and half marathon pace.
Workouts at this pace should include roughly 20-40 minutes at this pace total with short rests of 1-2 minutes. Something like 20 minutes at threshold pace or 5 x 5 minutes with a 1-minute jog are great starter workouts here in a 5k training plan.
4. Race Specific Runs
Another notch faster and we arrive at race-paced running, or workouts done at 5k pace. These are obviously the bread and butter of a 5k training plan. Don’t make the mistake of doing them every week though for your entire training! They are peaking workouts and should be done in the last 6-8 weeks only.
5k pace is a pretty high percentage of VO2 Max for runners. So running at this pace will improve your VO2 Max – the maximum amount of oxygen your muscles can consume at once and use effectively.
The common research suggests keeping intervals at this pace to at least 2 minutes since it takes that long to reach your VO2 Max. So I prefer to stick with 800-1,600m intervals here with rest equal to about 50-90% of the work portion (time, not distance) of the interval.
A good suggestion is to work up to workouts where you’re covering at least 3 miles at race pace during the workout.
5. Faster than 5k Pace Runs
Anything 5k pace or faster is building the speed side of your pyramid. Many novice runners make the mistake of doing too little here or ignoring it altogether because well…it’s a fast pace that feels hard!
But if you only run up to 5k pace in training and that’s the fastest pace you’re used to, you can’t expect it to feel too comfortable on race day. Running a couple notches faster will do just that. And when you feel relaxed, your running economy (or running efficiency) is much improved.
So how fast are we talking? Well, think 1-2 mile race pace here for short reps. This is the pace for 200m or 400m intervals. I always tell my athletes to focus on running smooth and relaxed even though the pace is fast. It’ll feel hard, but give yourself a rest period longer than the work period to balance it out.
The Best 5k Training Plan
The very best plan for a 5k is one that combines these types of runs in a way that makes sense to each individual. Too much of any single ingredient will make a good recipe into an awful one! So look for balance in your training and progress workouts in a way that is gradual.
Remember that stress + rest = growth. All these workouts will mean nothing if you are not recovering from them, which is where the growth happens. Any good training plan will have plenty of rest built in which is highly individual.
When you’ve trained up and you’re ready to go, head on over to my other post to get the best 5k racing strategy for your big day. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
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