5 km running program under 25 minutes in 8 weeks

In just 8 weeks you can get under 25 minutes on the 5 km distance. You can expect to cut 1-2 minutes off your 5 km time with this program if you can currently run 5 km between 25 minutes and 30 minutes in just 8 weeks. If you are slower than 30 minutes on the 5 km, you should choose a slower running program from here. The running program is for the intermediate runner.

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 25 min in 8 weeks

This is the download section. Download the running program as a PDF, print it out and hang it on the fridge.

The structure of 25 min in 8 weeks

Number of training sessions per week (quality + quantity)

The easy 5 km running program requires you to run 3 times a week. 2 of the times will be intensive training (Tuesday and Saturday) and 1 time will be normal, relatively calm training (Thursday).

Tuesday is your hardest and most intensive day. You will do interval training here, which will be either training your maximum oxygen uptake (VO2-max) or training speed. In weeks 1 and 5 you will train speed. In weeks 2, 3, 6 and 7 you will train VO2-max. It is important that you maintain the specified tempos.

Tuesday is a relatively calm day where the trick is to hold back. You should run at your estimated marathon pace, which the running program has calculated for you.

Saturday is tempo training. Here you train your limit for when waste products, including lactic acid, accumulate in your muscles. By doing tempo training at the indicated pace, you will push this limit workout by workout.

Week 4 is a recovery week where you run at a relaxed pace and don’t push your body too hard. You also have a taper for your competition to be fully recovered.

The running program to get under 25 minutes for 5K starts with a week of 22 km running and peaks with 29 km running in one week. You should feel comfortable running at this pace.

Types of training

Your new running program consists of a variety of different types of training. The intensity varies and this also requires varying warm-ups. Below you will find the suggested warm-up 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 cannot run 5 km in under 27 minutes, do not use the suggested paces from the running program. You can then adjust the different paces, and you will find the results below. For example, if you can run 5 km in 29 minutes, you should run marathon pace in 6:08 min/km.

The table is based on your current level minus 2 minutes.

If you’re still struggling with the 30 minutes, choose one of these programs to get under 30 minutes.: 8 weeks – 12 weeks.

Do you have any questions about this 5 km running program for intermediate runners? Use the comments box below and you will get an answer very quickly.