Running · beginner

Beginner 5k training plan

A beginner 5k training plan takes a newer runner managing about 8 km a week, who can run 5 km in around 35 minutes from where they are to race day in 9 weeks, building to 16 km in the biggest week. It spends 6 weeks in build, 2 weeks in peak, with 1 lighter week to absorb the work, on 4 days a week.

Build my 5k plan — free

Built from your own numbers and your own week. The first week is free.

Is 8 weeks enough?

8 weeks is a comfortable length for a first 5k. At this distance a separate base phase is not needed — the plan builds steadily from the first week, with a lighter week to absorb the work and time to arrive fresh.

What the weeks are for

Build	6 weeks — the harder sessions arrive and volume keeps climbing
Peak	2 weeks — the biggest, most race-specific weeks
Lighter weeks	1, roughly every fourth week
Total	103 km, 26 hours

The 9 weeks

Generated for a newer runner managing about 8 km a week, who can run 5 km in around 35 minutes.

Week	Phase	Volume	Load
1	Build	8 km	72
2	Build	8 km	75
3	Build	11 km	96
4	Build · down	7 km	65
5	Build	12 km	104
6	Build	14 km	114
7	Peak	15 km	126
8	Peak	16 km	136
9	Race · race	11 km	112

The biggest week, session by session

Week 8, peak phase — the heaviest week of the block.

Tuesday	Threshold — 2 × 9 min — 0h42, 4.5 km
Tuesday	Strength — lower body — 0h27
Thursday	Easy run — 0h30, 2.8 km
Saturday	Easy run — 0h30, 2.8 km
Sunday	Long run — 0h59, 6.1 km

The paces

Pace band	Per kilometre
Easy — the ceiling, not the target	8:38
Marathon pace	7:48
Threshold	7:23
Interval (VO₂max)	6:42

Computed from VDOT 25.6, derived from that time trial using Jack Daniels' model. Your own numbers will differ — the plan builds these from a time trial you enter.

What this plan says out loud

Worth knowing

You are starting from a low base, so the first few weeks are deliberately modest. Consistency now is worth more than any single session.

Worth knowing

Some sessions have been cut to fit the time you said you have — 45 minutes on a weekday and 100 at the weekend. That is a real constraint and the plan respects it, but be aware the long session is the one that matters most: if you can find more time anywhere, find it on the weekend.

Worth knowing

Race day looks like about 35:00 on today's fitness — Run 35 min. Assumes a flat course, reasonable conditions and a sensible first half.

Common questions

Is 8 weeks enough for a 5k?

Yes, for most people who already exercise. We would choose at least 8 weeks, and this is 8.

How many days a week does it train?

4, on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday in this example. You tell the plan which days you actually have, and it never puts two hard days back to back.

What is the longest session?

Long run, about 0h59 and 6 km. It is capped by share of the week, by absolute length, and by the time you say you have.

Can I use this if I train at altitude?

Yes, and you should say so when you build it. Paces and power are corrected for the difference between where you tested and where you train — in Johannesburg that is roughly 8%, or about 26 seconds a kilometre on an easy run for a 20-minute 5 km runner.

Other 5k plans

Goal times

Worth reading

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