5 km running program under 20 minutes in 8 weeks

With just 8 weeks of training, you can shave about 1 minute off your current 5K time and get under 20 minutes if you are already an experienced runner. Some people are also lucky to cut more, but experience shows that 1 minute is a good bet. If you have 4 extra weeks, I recommend you try your hand at the 12-week program to get under 20 minutes instead – as the build-up phase is a little longer and you are more likely to finish safely.

If you cannot run 5 kilometers in between 20 minutes and 25 minutes, you should instead choose another running program from this page.

Useful links before you get started

• Necessary knowledge about speeds, interval breaks and intensity
• General information about the 5 km distance and the structure of 5 km running programs
• General structure of running programs
• Same program over 12 weeks of training.

Download: 5 km under 20 min in 8 weeks

This is where you can download this program that will help you get under 20 minutes – a magic limit for many runners. Below you can also see a picture of the program before downloading there, if you want a quick overview of what training is in store.

The structure of 20 min in 8 weeks

Number of training sessions per week (quality + quantity)

Very few people will ever run 5 km in under 20 minutes. With 8 weeks of training you can get a good distance. You should be aware that you start with a training week of 36 kilometers and top out with 43 kilometers in one week including 2 quality training sessions. If you are not used to running 30-40 kilometers per week, you may benefit more from an easier 5 km running program.

Structurally, you have 4 weekly running sessions with 2 quality sessions (interval training and tempo runs). This is very typical for running programs for experienced runners. On Tuesdays, you run interval training. The interval training up to 5 km in 20 minutes in 8 weeks consists primarily of training your maximum oxygen uptake (weeks 2, 3, 6 and 7), but in weeks 1 and 5 you have speed training that improves your running technique and your speed. It is the interval training in particular that will push your limits for how fast you can run 5 kilometers.

Week 4 is a recovery week where you do easy runs. Make sure to keep up with your training.

Types of training

Your running training consists of easy running, marathon pace running, threshold training in the form of tempo running, VO2-max training in the form of interval training and speed training in the form of fast interval training. You can read about the different types of training, how they should be performed, how fast you should run and how long you should rest in one of the links I referred to earlier.

It is essential to do a good warm-up and dehumidification. Here are the suggested amounts:

• Tempo run (Saturday): 2 km warm-up + 2 km cool-down
• VO2-max training (Tuesday): 2.5 km warm-up + 2.5 km cool-down
• Speed ​​training (Tuesday): 3 km warm-up + 3 km cool-down

Alternative tempo suggestions

If you are not quite up to the task of running 5km in 21 minutes, you should adjust the speeds indicated in the running program. To help you, below are suggested tempos based on your current 5km time. The table is based on the Jack Daniels Running Formula.

If you are still struggling to break the 25 minutes for the 5 km distance, I would instead recommend that you choose one of the running programs on this page that are specific to that distance – a running program for the intermediate runner and not the advanced runner. You have two options: 8 weeks – 12 weeks.

If you have any questions about the running program to get under 20 minutes in 8 weeks, you can use the comments box below.