You hit the pavement running from time to time every week, but you do not see much improvement in your 5k time. This kind of frustration is common to most runners and maybe soul-crushing. If this is you — then you have come to the right place, where you will find workouts to improve your 5k time.

You can easily improve your 5k time by introducing more specific workouts for your body, which will help you smash PRs. In this article, I will cover some workouts that can help improve your running performance. 

Most of the ones that are covered here are speed workouts. Speed workouts should only make up at most 30-40% of your week (2 days for someone who runs 5 days in a week). There will also be other workouts to build your strength to do these workouts. Consider adding these to your current schedule! 

(Are you a beginner? Here are some 5k tips: https://runxperience.com/how-to-improve-at-the-5k-guide/)

Before adding specific speed workouts to your schedule, consider building your mileage to a comfortable point. 

If you are already comfortable with your current base, scroll over to the specific workouts section of this post.

5k Base Building Workouts

Build your Base Mileage for your first two weeks. The schedule below shows a possible system of base building you could use. Remember to do a warm-up before you start and a cool-down after you finish.

Feel free to use this schedule and make adjustments to your comfort:

Week 1:

• Monday: Run for 10 to 15 minutes or around 1.5 miles
• Tuesday: Cross-train (e.g., cycling, swimming)
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: Run for 25 to 30 minutes or around 1.5 miles
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: Run for 30-35 minutes or 2 miles at a comfortable pace
• Sunday: Cross-train

Week 2:

• Monday: Run for 30 minutes or around 1.75 miles
• Tuesday: Cross-train (e.g., cycling, swimming)
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: Run 1 mile at a tempo pace (should feel difficult, but should be sustainable)
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: Easy run for 30-45 minutes or around 2.5 miles
• Sunday: Try to run a 5k without stopping

After finishing your base-building training, you should be able to run for 5 kilometers without stopping.

5k Endurance Workouts

Before adding specific workouts to your week, I would recommend improving your endurance. 

For the next week, consider introducing simple speedwork into your workout on top of easy runs. This will not only help you run for longer distances but will also improve your speed.

Need help keeping track of your runs? Consider getting a Garmin watch!

Get a Garmin watch today!

Week 3:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Run 3 miles at a comfortable pace
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: 4x200m sprints at 90% effort with 200m walking/jogging/rest in between. Then run one mile at an easy pace.
• Friday: Strength training, do body weight exercises such as push-ups, squats, or sit-ups to your comfort 
• Saturday: Run 3 miles at a comfortable pace
• Sunday: Cross-train at moderate effort

Week 4:

• Monday: Run one mile at a tempo pace (difficult, but sustainable).
• Tuesday: Run 3 miles at a comfortable pace
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: First, run a 1-mile warm-up. Then, run for 1 minute fast and 2 minutes slow (based on effort) and repeat this 4-6 more times. Finally, do a 1-mile cool-down after.
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: Run 3.25 to 3.5 miles at a comfortable pace
• Sunday: Cross-train at moderate effort or strength training with bodyweight.

Now that you can run a 5k without stopping and build your endurance, start incorporating some workouts into your routine. Only do the workouts below once a week for your speed day.

Specific workouts for the 5k

Below I have provided some useful speed workouts you could incorporate into your current training. These workouts are aimed to increase your ability to sustain a faster pace for a longer time.

1k repeats to 5k

Purpose: Splits a 5k into 5 parts and allows for you to rest in between each kilometer. Over time, your rest will reduce and you can achieve your goal times.

Workout:

• Warm up: run 1-2 miles at an easy pace and do dynamic stretches to loosen up your muscles.
• Run for 1 kilometer (preferred on a track) at your goal pace or close to the goal pace.
• walk/jog/run 400 meters for recovery or wait a for set time
• For best results, repeat the last two steps 4 more times
• Run 1 mile for a cool down, then do static stretches

400 meter repeats

Purpose: helps you get a feel for running at race pace and improves your lactate threshold.

• Warm up: run 1-2 miles at an easy pace and do dynamic stretches to loosen up your muscles.
• Run 400 meters at a goal pace for your 5k and then walk/jog 400 meters in between. I would recommend aiming for 10-12, but you can do less if you wish. When running, do not run the intervals faster than your goal pace — you may get injured.
• Run 1 mile for a cool down, then do static stretches

4-6 x 200 meters

Purpose: this workout helps prepare you for the final push of your 5k race. It also helps improve your sprinting speed and sustains faster paces.

Workout:

• Warm up (follow the one above)
• Run 200 meters faster than your goal pace for your 5k and then walk/jog 400 meters in between for 6-8 sets, but you can do less if you wish. 
• Cool down (follow the one above)

5k Tempo Workout

Purpose: to build endurance to run a 5k on race at a fast pace without stopping.

Workout:

• Warm up (same as above)
• Run for 15-25 minutes at a tempo pace, where it feels uncomfortable yet sustainable. To mix things up, try to include hills and different surfaces in your run. 
• Cool down (same as above)

Hill workout

Purpose: increase your knee drive and your ability to use oxygen during hills in your actual races.

Workout:

• Warm up (same as above)
• Find a hill that is about 400 meters long and run up at a moderate, hard effort and jog down at an easy pace. Repeat this 4-6 times for the best results.
• Cool down (same as above)

Additional Tips for the 5k

As you may have noticed, I included warm-ups and cool-downs for all workouts above. It may seem unnecessary, but it is definitely important to your recovery.

Not to mention, stretches will help loosen up all your muscles that become tight from running and allow you to run comfortably the next day. Importantly, stretching also prevents a lot of injuries, so it is the perfect form of recovery from running.

Also, I recommend staying consistent in your training and understand that improving in a 5k is a long, difficult process. An inconsistent training with unscheduled breaks would lead to slower improvement and make people less motivated to run. Remember, you can not improve your running times for any distance if you do not run!

Check out more tips to get faster: https://runxperience.com/how-to-get-faster-at-running/ 

Conclusion

Improving at a 5k may seem like a difficult task, but it is much easier with a well-planned schedule. Include many different workouts in your regular running schedule to improve various aspects of your running that will help smash your PR on race day. Just remember to stay consistent and stretch!

Good luck in your journey of improving at the 5k!