A 12-week 5K training plan with week-by-week structure, workouts, adaptation rules, and built-in tools (paces + time predictor). Variations are included on one page.
Start here
Pick the default variant, scan the phase map, then use one tool to lock pace and fueling numbers.
1. Choose a variant
3 days/week (Beginner-friendly)
Start with the recommended default. Customize only after two consistent weeks.
2. Scan the phase map
Base → build → peak → taper
Use the condensed view, then open the full week-by-week table only when you need detail.
Jump to week-by-week3. Lock your numbers
Pace + fueling defaults
Run one calculator now so race week is execution, not improvisation.
Jump to toolsPlan length
12 weeks
Built with phases, cutbacks, and a taper you can actually execute.
Weekly rhythm
3–5 days/week
Choose one variant and follow it for 2 weeks before tweaking.
Typical session time
Easy: ~40m • Long: ~75m
Prefer consistent minutes over heroic single sessions.
Readiness gate
Default recommendation
3 days/week (Beginner-friendly)
Start here to reduce decision fatigue. Customize only after your first two weeks feel stable.
This is general training information, not medical advice.
Coaching beta
Get coach-style adjustments when you miss sessions, sleep poorly, or feel fatigue signals.
Pick a weekly rhythm you can repeat consistently. Start with the recommended default, then adjust only after your first two weeks feel stable.
3 days/week (Beginner-friendly)
4 days/week (Balanced default)
5 days/week (Advanced, recovery-dependent)
Pick a days/week variant you can repeat without drama. Keep easy runs truly easy so you can execute the workout and long run consistently.
Glossary (useful concepts):
Week by week
Use this as your decision map: what matters this week, what the long run is doing, and where you should back off.
Weeks 1–3
Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy.
Long session: 45 min long run (easy + relaxed strides)
Weeks 4–7
Add threshold work while protecting recovery.
Long session: 50 min long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) • Cutbacks: 1
Weeks 8–10
Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts.
Long session: 1h 5m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) • Cutbacks: 1
Weeks 11–12
Reduce load; keep rhythm; arrive fresh.
Long session: 1h 8m long run (short + relaxed strides)
| Week | Phase | Focus | Long session | Key workouts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 45 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | — |
| 2 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 49 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | — |
| 3 | Base | Build consistency and mechanics; keep easy days easy. | 54 min long run (easy + relaxed strides) | Strides + hill sprints • Easy aerobic + strength | — |
| 4 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 50 min long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | Cutback week |
| 5 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 3m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 6 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 7m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 7 | Build | Add threshold work while protecting recovery. | 1h 12m long run (easy; finish steady when recovered) | Tempo / cruise intervals • Intervals (VO₂-ish, controlled) | — |
| 8 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 5m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 5K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | Cutback week |
| 9 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 21m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 5K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | — |
| 10 | Peak | Sharpen race-specific speed without racing workouts. | 1h 25m long run (easy; add controlled steady blocks) | 5K-pace reps (controlled) • Speed endurance (controlled) | — |
| 11 | Taper | Reduce load; keep rhythm; arrive fresh. | 1h 8m long run (short + relaxed strides) | Short sharpening reps • Easy aerobic + sleep focus | — |
| 12 | Taper | Reduce load; keep rhythm; arrive fresh. | 51 min long run (short + relaxed strides) | Short sharpening reps • Easy aerobic + sleep focus | — |
Workout library
You don’t need 50 workouts. You need a small library that you execute consistently, then progress safely.
Purpose: Build volume without accumulating fatigue.
Prescription: 25–55 min at conversational effort. If you can’t talk in full sentences, it’s too hard.
Substitutions
Red flags
Purpose: Improve mechanics and economy without a heavy metabolic cost.
Prescription: After an easy run: 6–10 × 15–20 sec fast-but-relaxed, full walk/jog recovery.
Substitutions
Red flags
Purpose: Raise sustainable pace and teach controlled discomfort.
Prescription: 2–4 × 8–12 min at ‘comfortably hard’ with 2–3 min easy between.
Substitutions
Red flags
Purpose: Improve speed and economy without turning every session into a test.
Prescription: 5–8 × 3 min hard with 2–3 min easy; finish with form, not desperation.
Substitutions
Red flags
Purpose: Practice race-specific rhythm and pacing discipline.
Prescription: 8–12 × 400m at controlled 5K effort with 200m jog; keep the first half conservative.
Substitutions
Red flags
Purpose: Build durability and the aerobic base that supports faster running.
Prescription: Mostly easy. When stable: finish the last 10–20 min steady (not a race). Add strides occasionally.
Substitutions
Red flags
Purpose: Support durability and running economy with minimal interference.
Prescription: 2×/week, 20–35 min: hips, calves, hamstrings, trunk. Leave 1–2 reps in the tank.
Substitutions
Red flags
Adaptation rules
Most training failures are not fitness failures — they’re pacing, sleep, or scheduling failures. Use simple rules.
Tools
Pick one tool, generate outputs, then plug them into your training week.
Evidence (high level)
For many runners with a base, yes. If you’re building durability from low volume, extend the timeline and keep intensity conservative.
A good default is one quality workout plus one long-run focus. If you add a second quality session, keep it short and only when recovery is stable.
Yes. Long runs build durability and aerobic capacity, which makes your speedwork more effective and your racing more repeatable.
Easy means conversational. If you can’t talk in full sentences, slow down or add walk breaks. Easy days are what make workouts possible.
Don’t cram. Keep the next session easy, protect the long run, and resume structure when your legs feel normal again.
Two short sessions per week is a high-ROI habit for durability. Keep it consistent and avoid leaving yourself sore for key runs.
5K training plans, pace tools, and guides — built to get faster without racing your workouts.
Convert distance + time into pace per km/mile and generate a splits table. Useful for planning workouts and race pacing.
Estimate equivalent 5K/10K/half marathon/marathon times from one known result using a simple model. Useful for goal-setting and pacing.
A practical long-run progression guide: how to increase time safely, when to cut back, and how to use long runs to rehearse pacing and fueling.
A practical taper checklist: what to reduce, what to keep, and what to rehearse so race week is calm and repeatable.
Calculator
Enter distance and finish time. Get pace per km/mile and a simple splits table.
Same unit as distance.
Pace / km
Pace / mile
Total time
| Split | Distance (km) | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5:00 |
| 2 | 2 | 10:00 |
| 3 | 3 | 15:00 |
| 4 | 4 | 20:00 |
| 5 | 5 | 25:00 |
Assumptions: steady pacing; no terrain/wind adjustments. Use this to plan, then calibrate by effort in real conditions.
Calculator
Start with one recent performance, then estimate equivalent 5K / 10K / half marathon / marathon times. Useful for goal-setting and workout planning.
Default 1.06. Higher = more slowdown as distance increases.
Known result
Predicted half
A good checkpoint for endurance readiness.
Predicted marathon
Assumes you train the endurance + fueling required.
| Distance | Predicted time | Pace / km | Pace / mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5K | 25:00 | 5:00 | 8:03 |
| 10K | 52:07 | 5:13 | 8:23 |
| Half marathon | 1:55:00 | 5:27 | 8:46 |
| Marathon | 3:59:47 | 5:41 | 9:09 |
This is a simplified model. It does not account for heat, hills, fueling, or whether you’ve trained the durability needed for longer races. Use it for planning — then execute by effort.