WHY IS THIS INTERMEDIATE 5K TRAINING PLAN BETTER?
This is the second plan in our series of nine-week, free intermediate 5k training plans, created using modern sport science and training monitoring techniques. They’ve been designed so that completing one plan prepares you for the subsequent plan.
If this plan seems too challenging, check out our Intermediate 5k Training Plan (Sub 24 Mins) or Intermediate 5k Training Plan (Sub 22 Mins).
Bookmark our training plan so you can follow it throughout your training and let us know how you get on #caffeinebullettime
Here’s 5 Reasons Our Training Plans Are Better Than The Rest:
1. Our plans obey the 80:20 principle – this means that around 80% of your training week will be performed at an easy intensity. Consistently spending less than 80% of training at an easy intensity can increase injury risk and lead to poorer race performance. Analysing training intensity distribution in other training plans was key when designing our plans as it is extremely common to see training weeks fall significantly below 70% easy intensity training.
2. Our plans are easy to adjust – They’re kept simple and the progression patterns are easy to recognise. We understand the variability in response to training between individuals, so we want you to be able to easily modify our plans to suit YOUR needs and get the most out of your training.
3. No plans start too hard – Assuming you start the plan with the appropriate level of fitness and experience, no plan starts too hard or too fast. As large jumps in weekly training workload can drastically increase injury risk. Therefore, our plans aim to ease you in to ensure you’re able to reach the start line as well as the finish line. If the plan is too hard you can change to an easier plan and if it’s too easy you can either adjust it or move up to the next plan.
4. We prioritise recovery – All of our plans have deloads/recovery weeks built into them to limit the risk of overtraining. They are clearly marked and can be adjusted by the user to suit their recovery abilities. Don’t be afraid to reduce the mileage of these weeks even further if you feel the need to.
5. We listen to your feedback – We want to hear from anyone using our plans so we can make them even better. All we care about is making sure you get a new personal best!
| WEEK | MON | TUE | WED | THUR | FRI | SAT | SUN | WEEKLY MINUTES | EASY % |
| 1 | 25 min Easy run | 20 min Easy run, then 10 min @ half marathon pace | Rest | 30 min Easy run | 30 min Easy run | 20 min Easy run | 55 min Easy run | 190 mins | 94.74% |
| 2 | 30 min Easy run | 20 min Easy run, then 15 min @ half marathon pace | Rest | 30 min Easy run | Intervals: 4 x 1 min @ 1 mile pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
20 min Easy run | 60 min Easy run | 202 mins | 86.63% |
| 3 (Recovery) | 30 min Easy run | 20 min Easy run, then 10 min @ half marathon pace | Rest | 30 min Easy run | Intervals: 4 x 1 min @ 1 mile pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
20 min Easy run | 45 min Easy run | 182 mins | 87.91% |
| 4 | 35 min Easy run | Intervals: 3 x 4 min @ 3k pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
Rest | 35 min Easy run | Intervals: 6 x 1 min @ 1 mile pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
25 min Easy run | 45 min Easy run, then 5 min @ 5k pace | 211 mins | 80.57% |
| 5 | 40 min Easy run | Intervals: 3 x 5 min @ 3k pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
Rest | 35 min Easy run | Intervals: 8 x 1 min @ 1 mile pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
30 min Easy run | 50 min Easy run, then 5 min @ 5k pace | 235 mins | 78.72% |
| 6 (Recovery) | 40 min Easy run | Intervals: 3 x 3 min @ 3k pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
Rest | 30 min Easy run | Intervals: 6 x 1 min @ 1 mile pace (2 min easy run recovery in between) |
25 min Easy run | 40 min Easy run | 198 mins | 83.33% |
| 7 | 45 min Easy run | 20 min Easy run, then 20 min @ half marathon pace | Rest | 35 min Easy run | Intervals: 5 x 3 min @ 3k pace (2 min easy recovery in between) |
30 min Easy run | 55 min Easy run, then 5 min @ 5k pace | 250 mins | 80.00% |
| 8 | 45 min Easy run | 25 min Easy run, then 20 min @ half marathon pace | Rest | 40 min Easy run | Intervals: 6 x 3 min @ 3k pace (2 min easy recovery in between) |
30 min Easy run | 60 min Easy run, then 5 min @ 5k pace | 270 mins | 79.63% |
| 9 | 45 min Easy run | 15 min Easy run, then 15 min @ half marathon pace | Rest | 35 min Easy run | 25 min Easy run, then 10 min @ half marathon pace | 25 min Easy run | 5k Race | 170 mins | 85.29% |
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS TRAINING PLAN
A common way runners can end up injured is by running their “easy runs” too hard and too fast. To get better results and reduce your chance of injury we recommend sticking with your calculated “easy pace”.
Easy runs are run at conversational pace at an effort level of about 3-4/10. To find your easy pace you can start with running at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate or at a pace 5-10% slower than your marathon pace. Check out our article on easy runs to find out all you need to know about easy running.