How to Train for a 5K Race

In 2019, Americans registered to race a 5K almost 9 million times, making it the most popular distance in the country.

Showing up to a 5K (3.1 miles for those of you less metrically inclined) and really nailing your goal 5K time are very different things.

To be the best version of yourself on race day means balancing runs at a variety of paces during your training.

Think of it as multiple arrows in your quiver, each with a different duty. The more arrows you have, the better your fitness and the more prepared you’ll be for whatever race day throws at you.

Let's learn how to run a 5K!

2: The Long Run

Long runs take the goodness of endurance runs and push them into a more challenging (and beneficial) realm. During a long run, the duration of the run becomes a significant factor.

Not only does this boost the cardiovascular gains, but your muscles, ligaments and tendons are all challenged by the length of time they’re being asked to work.

Long runs can be at a conversational pace or they may have challenging segments added in. Their length demands your full attention, however, and should not be treated as a casual jog.

• Beginner example: 40-60 minutes at a conversational pace
• Advanced example: 90 minutes, starting conversational and increasing in intensity the last 30 minutes

3: Tempo Runs

At long last we are approaching something close to 5K race pace. Tempo runs are performed at a pace that’s roughly what you could hold for an hour-long race (meaning half-marathon race pace for an elite male and 10K race pace for a recreational runner who averages 10-minute miles).

Some tempos are performed as one continuous session. Others are broken into shorter cruise intervals. The goal is to work at a challenging but maintainable pace for an extended period of time. Doing so will increase your stamina and tolerance to the byproducts of using lactate as fuel (which is one reason tempos are also sometimes called “lactate threshold runs”).

• Beginner example: 3 x 5 minutes at a moderately hard effort (3-minute walk or slow jog in between)
• Advanced example: 3 miles at tempo pace

4: Intervals

If you want to truly be good at something, you need to specifically prepare for it. Once you feel fit, it’s time to add in interval runs. These repeats can be anywhere between a quarter-mile (400 meters) to a mile (1,600 meters) long and should allow adequate recovery in between each (roughly 50 to 90 percent of the time the interval took).

These sessions will be challenging, but they’ll let your body sense and adapt to the pace and fatigue you’ll encounter during a race while giving your cardiovascular system a huge return on investment. Please note that paces slightly slower and slightly faster than 5K pace are also highly beneficial.

• Beginner example: 4 x 3 minutes at goal 5K pace (2:30 walk after each interval)
• Advanced example: 5 x 1000m at goal 5K-10K pace (2:30 jog after each interval)

Example 5K Training Plans

Now that we’ve analyzed the different types of runs that’ll be beneficial for training, it’s time to see how they work in concert with one another.

Because most people only have the time and energy for speed work one or two times per week, consolidating training from different intensities is encouraged when possible. This could be an easy run paired with some sprints at the end or a workout that starts with a tempo and gradually works down to 5K-pace intervals.

A good rule of thumb is to work from the general to the specific, meaning you emphasize race-pace work as you get closer to race day. In the beginning, this means the easy runs and long runs taken precedence. Since it’s easier to maintain a fitness gain than it is to get fit in the first place, emphasis will decrease on those areas in favor of tempos and intervals as race day approaches.

To really make sense of this, I’ve included two mockups for a 5K race that’s six weeks away. This shouldn’t be considered a road map as much of a tutorial on how to blend work and recovery in the weeks leading up to a fun summer race. And with all those arrows you’re accumulating, you should have no trouble hitting the bullseye on this one.

Six-Week 5K Training for Beginners

Note: Run 10-15 minutes easy before all Wednesday workouts, and finish with 5 to 10 minutes easy afterwards. Take Thursdays and Sundays off.

Six-week 5K Training for Advanced Runners

Note: Run 15-20 minutes easy before all Wednesday workouts, and finish with 5 to 10 minutes easy afterwards

By Philip Latter. Latter is a former senior writer at Running Times and co-author of Running Flow and Faster Road Racing. His work has also appeared in Runner's World, runnersworld.com, and ESPN.com. He currently coaches athletes at The Running Syndicate, in addition to his day job coaching high school runners at Brevard High School (NC).