5K training plan
Eight weeks and four days a week to run a better-prepared 5K: base, VO₂max intervals, race pace and a taper week, with zone-based paces from your vVO₂max.
By My PR ·
- Level
- Beginner with a base
- Length
- 8 weeks
- Days a week
- 4
- Longest run
- 60 min
A 5K is run almost entirely in Z5, close to your vVO₂max, so the plan is built around VO₂max intervals. Most of the time is still easy running, though, and that is what lets the intervals go well.
- Prerequisite
- Run 45-50 min without stopping
- And already run three or four days a week. If you are not there yet, start with start running.
- Key sessions
- 3-4 min intervals and 1 km at 5K pace
- Two quality sessions a week from week 3, never on back-to-back days.
Before you start
This is a generic plan, not a prescription. If you have pain that gets worse when you run, a recent injury, heart disease or any medical concern, check with a health professional first. If a session leaves you sore for more than a day, cut the volume; do not repeat it to “make it up”.
5K plan, week by week
| Week | Phase | Tuesday | Thursday | Saturday | Sunday · long run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | Base | vVO₂max test: 6′ at the fastest pace you can hold | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Easy run 30′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 50′ Z2 |
| W2 | Base | Fartlek 8 × 1′ Z5 (92-100 %) · equal recovery | Easy run 40′ Z2 | Easy run 30′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 55′ Z2 |
| W3 | Build | 5 × 3′ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | Tempo 15′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Long run 55′ Z2, last 10′ in Z3 |
| W4 | Build · deload | 8 × 30/30 Z5 (100-105 %) | Easy run 25′ Z2 | Easy run 20′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 40′ Z2 |
| W5 | Build | 4 × 4′ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | Threshold 3 × 6′ Z4 (86-90 %) · 2′ recovery | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Long run 60′ Z2, last 10′ in Z3 |
| W6 | Specific | 6 × 3′ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | 4 × 1 km at 5K pace Z5 (92-95 %) · 3′ recovery | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Long run 60′ Z2 |
| W7 | Specific | 12 × 30/30 Z5 (100-105 %) | 5 × 1 km at 5K pace Z5 (92-95 %) · 3′ recovery | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Long run 55′ Z2 |
| W8 | Taper | 3 × 3′ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | Easy run 25′ Z2 + 4 strides | Easy run 20′ Z2 | Race day (5K) |
The week-1 test is not optional: it gives you your vVO₂max, and every pace comes from that. If you tested within the last two months, swap that day for a 35′ easy run with 4 strides.
How it is organized
- 1
Base (weeks 1-2)
Test, easy runs and a fartlek: speed at no cost while your legs adapt to the volume.
- 2
Build (weeks 3-5)
Long VO₂max intervals and threshold. Week 4 is a deload: about 30% less and just a short 30/30.
- 3
Specific (weeks 6-7)
Race pace comes in, as 1 km reps. If you cannot hold that pace here, the goal is optimistic: adjust it before the race, not during it.
- 4
Taper (week 8)
Half the volume and a few short intervals on Tuesday so you do not arrive flat. Nothing new that week.
Deload and taper
To arrive fresh, cut volume and keep intensity
The reference meta-analysis on tapering found the most effective approach was a taper of about two weeks, cutting volume by 41-60% progressively without dropping intensity or session frequency. That is why the last weeks of each plan still include short intervals or race pace, just less of it.
What is most linked to injury is suddenly lengthening a single run
In a cohort of more than 5,000 runners, a session more than 10% longer than the longest of the previous month was associated with more overuse injuries; week-to-week changes in volume were not. The weekly 10% rule was never validated, while the risk of big jumps does show up in the literature. It is an observational study: a guide, not a guarantee.
How to adapt it
- If you miss a week, do not make it up: repeat the previous week and carry on.
- If your longest recent run is shorter than week 1, start from it and add no more than 10% a week.
- If you cannot train one day, move the quality session rather than stacking it on another: keep 48 h between hard days.
- If you want to lift, do it on interval days, never the day before the long run (strength for runners).
Takeaways
- Eight weeks, four days, two quality sessions from week 3.
- Paces come from your vVO₂max: test in week 1.
- A deload week mid-plan and a taper week at the end.
- Run the first two kilometers slightly slower than goal pace.
Sources
- [1]Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I (2007). Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. meta-analysis
- [2]Frandsen JSB, et al. (2025). How much running is too much? Identifying high-risk running sessions in a 5200-person cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine. trial
- [3]Damsted C, Glad S, Nielsen RO, Sørensen H, Malisoux L (2018). Is there evidence for an association between changes in training load and running-related injuries? A systematic review. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. review
- [4]Nielsen RO, Parner ET, Nohr EA, Sørensen H, Lind M, Rasmussen S (2014). Excessive progression in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries: an association which varies according to type of injury. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. trial
Other plans
Your plan, at your paces, for your race date
Tell the app your race, the days you have and what you run now: it builds the weeks, warns you if the goal is optimistic and adjusts the plan when life does not follow the table.
