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.
Sorry for this question but I still struggle with the abbreviations. On Wednesday during the recovery week, it says Tempo Run, inc. 3m @6:40. I’m confused on what “inc. 3m” means. Thanks
For the tempo run it means 3 miles at 6:40minutes per mile. A tempo run is supposed to supposed to technically be just below your lactate threshold. This seems like a short run though. Usually the tempo runs I’ve seen are supposed to be longer. I would push this out to like 30 minutes.
It worked! Thank you Matt! Never broke 20 minutes until now, even in peak marathon training. Did about 2.75 cycles of this over the late winter and today ran 19:28 5k on a fairly ideal course. This is a great training plan.
Checking back in after a long while. I followed this plan (loosely, as I was marathon and half marathon training) for the past year or so. I finally had the opportunity to run a really flat 5k time trial on a nice morning. I clocked in at 19:34 and feel like I have more to give on a day when I feel a little better and have real competition. It’s nice to be getting better at 35. Thanks for the plan, it works!
Moving on to the sub 18:00 plan. Yikes!
Matt, love all of these programs, extremely helpful! Started last spring with the 26 minute plan then the 24 minute and the 22 minute, good progress all the way! Lost a little over the winter so back to the 24 minute plan this spring, feeling good. The plans get me to run more often with more variety and more enjoyment also so they are great all around! Never run the intervals before and always avoided hills and sprinting but not anymore. Have a Garmin watch so that helps also, makes it easy to see the improvements in cadence and stride length when you incorporate the varied workouts. Would love to break 20 minutes one of these days for a 5K. At 55 years old not loving my chances of doing it but it’s fun to keep working at it.
Thank you mat… this was a quite well structured program…a little tough though…but it led to an almost 1 min improve from 20.34 to 19.35 for a 5k run, after a couple of weeks. Not bad i think for a 46 year old man…
Once again thanks for the care to upload all this staff and make it publicly available…cheers from quarantined athens, greece….
I hope it works for a 46 year old woman too! I have a 20.40 5K at the moment and would love to get sub 20
I hope it works for a 46 year old woman too! I have a 20.40 5K at the moment and would love to get sub 20.
Hi matt do you offer any sort of online coaching? I just wondered if i can do 2 x 1km at 4m km but then i struggle afterwards is this ok or would you aim to keep all the splits the same? Also should the recovers be run or walk? also why is the long run sub 1 hour? Would it have a negative impact if i do 2 as i like the social with friends on a Sunday. Thanks for any help:)