You are a competitive runner serious about improving your 5K performance. Here you find sub 18:00, 17:00, 16:00, and 15:00 minute time goal plans in 8, 12, and 16 week versions. 

Not an advanced runner? Check out the beginner or intermediate plan.

The key to running a faster 5K is to improve your endurance, lactate threshold (and lactate tolerance), VO2 max, and speed. You can achieve this by optimizing three training variables: 

1. Effective workouts
2. A balanced training week
3. Intelligent training progression

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Effective Workouts

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For a fast 5K time, you cannot afford to have any weakness in any training zone. But for a 5K race preparation there is more emphasis on VO2 max and speed training, than what is typical for longer races. The 5K advanced training plan includes 12 training zones and sub-zones:

• Recovery run
• Easy run / Long run
• Moderate pace
• Marathon pace
• 30K pace (aerobic threshold)
• HM pace
• 15K pace (lactate threshold)
• 10K pace
• 5K pace
• 3K pace (VO2 max)
• 1500m pace
• Power

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The 5K Advanced Training Week

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The 6-day running week consists of 2 key workouts and 1 long run. It can be modified to 5 runs per week by crossing out one easy run or replacing it with aerobic cross-training. You can do your long run on Saturday with the first workout of the week on Monday or postpone the entire week with your long run on Sunday and the workout scheduled on Tuesday.

1. Key workout 1
2. Easy
3. Easy
4. Key workout 2
5. –
6. Long run
7. Easy

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Intelligent 5K Training Progression

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The 5K advanced training plans are made up of 3 distinct training phases – base training, support training, and race-specific. My approach to training progression is called funnel periodization, where general intensities progress towards race-specific efforts.

Base Training

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The 6-week base phase lays the foundation of general endurance and speed. Here your weekly mileage increases week-by-week and some easy runs are spiked with hill sprints to develop the muscular power for the training phase that follows. This is training to get ready for real training.

1. Easy + hill sprints
2. Easy
3. Easy + hill sprints
4. Moderate
5. –
6. Long run
7. Easy

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Support Training

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In the 6-week support phase, your speed, lactate tolerance, VO2 max, and lactate threshold are optimized. This starts with endurance and speed support (two race distances up/down from 5K pace) and transitions to direct endurance and speed support (one race distance up/down from 5K race pace). Not only does this improve your capacity for 5K pace training, it also avoids a premature peak.

1. Intervals 3K/1500m pace
2. Easy
3. Easy
4. Tempo Mar/HM/15K pace
5. –
6. Long Run + fast finish
7. Easy

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Race-Specific

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In the final weeks, intensities at 5K goal pace are emphasized. This means longer efforts at 5K pace with shorter rest intervals. Your hardest race-specific workout will be 10 days out from race day. After that, a gradual race taper begins.

1. 5K/3K pace
2. Easy
3. Easy
4. 10K pace
5. Easy
6. Long Run
7. Easy

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Customizing the 5K Advanced Training Plan

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You can choose from 48 different versions based on 4 criteria:

• Time goal 18:00, 17:00, 16:00, or 15:00
• Plan duration of 8, 12, or 16 weeks
• Imperial or metric (miles or km)
• TrainingPeaks or FinalSurge