10-Week Advanced 5K Training Plan

Published July 9, 2021 10:20PM

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.

Training Terms Defined

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)