5 km running programs

Here you will find a number of 5 km running programs. The 5 km distance is underestimated.

Whether you are going to run a 5 km for the first time or whether you want to improve your times on the 5 km distance, you should look forward to training with high speed, many intervals and high intensity..

I am personally a big fan of 5 km running programs precisely because of the high intensity. See min videogennemgang af 5 km programmerne

I recommend that you read this page carefully before choosing your 5 km running program.

• First time – beginner – 8 weeks – 3 weekly workouts
• Under 30 min – beginner – 8 weeks – 3 weekly workouts
• Under 30 min – beginner – 12 weeks – 3 weekly workouts
• Under 27 min – easy practice – 8 weeks – 4 weekly workouts
• Under 25 min – easy practice – 8 weeks – 3 weekly workouts
• Under 25 min – easy practice – 12 weeks – 3 weekly workouts
• Under 20 min – practiced – 8 weeks – 4 weekly workouts
• Under 20 min – practiced – 12 weeks – 4 weekly workouts
• Under 17 min – expert – 8 weeks – 5 weekly workouts
• Under 17 min – expert – 12 weeks – 5 weekly workouts
• Under 16 min – expert – 8 weeks – 4 weekly workouts
• Under 15 min – expert – Interview + program – 7 weekly workouts

What you need to know before choosing a program

• If you have questions about which level you should choose, the duration of the 5 km running programs or questions about the total weekly training volume, I refer you to the overview of running programs, which you will find here.
• I also recommend that you get a handle on the different running times and speeds, etc., since that’s the term I use interchangeably throughout the programs.
• When choosing a 5 km program, you should be conservative. Don’t take chances, as the risk of injury will be too great. The trick is to hold back.
• As a follow-up to point 1, you should not train until you feel as much pain as possible. Follow the speeds suggested by the running program.
• You can adjust the 5 km running programs to fit your everyday life, but stick to the core structure.

The general structure of 5 km running programs

The physiology behind the 5 km distance

In the basic training phase of 5 km running programs, the focus is on optimizing your endurance. Your basic training will typically be the winter period, where you get a lot of kilometers in your legs. 2-3 months before your competition, you focus more on VO2-max training and threshold training, where you increase your maximum oxygen uptake and move your limits for when lactic acid accumulates in your muscles. 1 month before your competition, the focus is still on VO2-max training but also to a large extent speed training to get the last few percentages in relation to an optimized running style. You continue to train threshold training (tempo running), but the focus is on an even higher pace.

At the 5 km distance you will be in a 5-10% oxygen deficit (anaerobic). This causes lactic acid to accumulate in your muscles. If you can push your limit of maximum oxygen uptake, you can push your acid limit at the same time.

Practical in relation to the programs

1-2 weeks before the race, the intensity and number of kilometers are reduced to achieve the best possible result with fully recovered muscles. The fact that you train very lightly for 1-2 weeks in no way reduces your fitness. Unlike a marathon, you do not need a 3-4 week taper.

In my 5K running programs, you will experience a split between different types of running that I have previously discussed (easy running, marathon pace, tempo running/threshold training, VO2 max training/interval training and speed training/interval training). Make sure to have a certain amount of rest between the different quality sessions (long runs or high intensity training). You can move the days around, but make sure to rest on the right days.

I always build running programs after every 4th week should be a recovery week. I think there is too little focus on recovery, and without recovery you cannot achieve supercompensation, which is the phase where you improve. In addition, the km number increases slowly per week by 5-10%. Please note that some programs in the overview appear to be more or less identical when you look at the km number, but if you look at the intensity you will find that there may be differences.