Your Speed/Distance Training Zones: 20 minute 5k
| Pace per Mile / Km | Treadmill Pace | 400m / 800m Splits | 5km Race Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06:25 / 04:00 | 9.3 mph / 15.0 km/h | 96s / 3:12 | 20min 00s |
Your sub 20 5k training plan
| Day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Rec. Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 30min easy | 30min easy | 30min easy | Rest/Cross-train |
| Tuesday | Reps@4:00 per km/ 6:25p/m (90s rec.) | Reps@93s per 400m/ 6:15p/m (60s rec.) | Examples | Rest/Cross-train |
| Wednesday | 30min easy | 30min easy | Fartlek Examples | inc. 3m @6:40 p/m |
| Thursday | Reps@3:12 per 800 / 6:25p/m (200m rec.) | Examples | Reps@4:00 per km/ 6:25p/m (90s rec.) | Rest/Cross-train |
| Friday | Rest/Cross-train | Rest | Rest/Cross-train | 30min easy |
| Saturday | 30min easy | Reps@3:12 per 800 / 6:25p/m (200m rec.) | 30min easy | Rest/Cross-train |
| Sunday | Long run | Long run | Long run | Rest/Cross-train |
Sub 5k Training Plan Components
Breakeven Sessions – Sub 20 5k training plan
These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:
- Easy/ Steady Run – this run should be according to how you feel, don't worry about the time, make sure it's no quicker than 08:25 p/m. Concentrate on recovery and form.
- Long Run – slow & steady run, this should be less than 1 hour.
- Fartlek – unstructured training. Example Fartlek sessions.
Breakthrough Sessions – Sub 20 5k training plan
These sessions are meant to be challenging intense efforts, treat them as mini-milestones towards your target:
- 400m Reps – these need to be at 6:15 p/m pace (93s per lap) with a 60sec standing recovery.
- 800m Reps – should be reps at 6:25p/m pace (3:12 per 800m) with a 200m jogged recovery.
- 1km Intervals – hit 6:25p/m pace (4:00 per km) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
- Hills: Kenyans/ Hill Sprints – alternate between Kenyans and Hill Sprints to get a balance of power and endurance training. Example Hill Training Sessions.
About this Sub 20 minute 5k Training Plan
Remember that to consider following this sub 20 minute 5k plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 6:25 for at least a mile (3:59p/km) and/or have a PB under 22 minutes.
The core work for the sub 20 5k training plan is set over a 3-week period with the addition of 1 week’s recovery. At the end of the first 4-week cycle you can repeat and/or tailor the plan to your individual needs to focus on your particular 5k event.
It is recommended that after three months following the sub 20 5k plan that you reduce your training for a period of one to two weeks to allow your body time to recover from the impact of running. This should mean more time cross-training with a couple of nice easy runs every few days to keep the legs ticking over.
Thank you for an excellent article! I am currently able to run 2 km under 4 min pace but can’t hold it further.
What can I do to improve the speed endurance? Thank you.
Stan
This is fantastic and thank you for providing this resource for free!
I’m quite injury prone and have learned that it’s best for me to run only every other day to avoid injury.
I’d love to know the 2-3 intense sessions you think are most vital to the 20 minute goal. Sitting on 20.15 currently!
Many thanks
Hi Roger, I too have recently arrived at the every-other day running due to injuries (and age) so I understand your question very well! In my view the key sessions are the 400/800/1km sessions; the fartlek and hills are important but probably not as important as the others.
I’m glad you are finding the plans useful and good luck with your training. Cheers.
Hi Matt, how long do you recommend that I stick with this plan before doing a 5K pb attempt?
Hi Jack, if you are hitting the times for the interval sessions and getting through them okay then I would give it a go after 2-3 cycles. If you don’t quite make it you can take have an easy week before repeating another 2-3 cycles and trying again. Cheers.
Thanks
Hi Matt, I’ve been following your programs for quite some time now but is it just me or is the set pace for the “easy run” too hard? The easy runs have just been feeling hard when running 07:15 p/m.. When running my own easy pace I run at about 9:17 p/m, that’s what I consider easy and steady with my heart rate in the low part of zone 3.
Also, when should I test myself to see if my times have improved? Currently I’m in week 3 of my 2nd cycle, should I test this week or next week? And what is a good replacement for hillsprints because we don’t have any hills in my area. Thanks alot in advance 🙂
I had the exact same questions – he replied to my comment a few questions below.
I’m in the same boat – hell the avg. pace for my 5k PB was 6:51 min/mile, I’d definitely consider 7:15-7:30 to be quite hard! An article from runners connect advocates for 55%-75% of your 5k pace as your easy run for optimal aerobic development – not that you can’t go higher, but it seems that aerobic development plateaus at 75%. However that does feel a bit slow. I don’t know! I can keep up (just about or maybe almost) with the speed workouts, but the easy run just does not feel easy for me.
Hi! I’ve been running for about 1.5 months. In comparison to how it is laid out on this plan, I would think I am overtraining, hahaha. I started at 5k in 30 mins, but to be fair, I do not count that. The next run I did a few days later was 27:17. Today, I was very happy to run a 22:32. Anyways, what I’ve been doing is this: 8×0.5km on Mondays and Thursdays, 5×0.8km on Tuesdays and Fridays, 3×1.6km on Wednesdays, rest on Saturdays, and a 5k run on Sundays. I do most of my runs on a treadmill, except for the 5k, and each session I increase the speed by 0.2 in km/hr. Is this too much? How can I know?
Hi Axel, it sounds like your plan is working well for you as your times are coming down significantly. If you have found a plan that works for you and you are getting what you want out of it then that is great. There is a lot of interval work in your training plan, these are great for getting fitter and increasing speed but do have a big impact on the body (especially on a treadmill) so you should ensure that you allowing more recovery time. Also, speaking from my own experience, I would say that it’s important to keep the mind fresh just as much as it is the body; the benefit of following a plan that has variety over 3-4 weeks leaves less scope for the rot of over-training to set in. Good luck and let us know how you progress.