Your Speed/Distance Training Zones: 18 minute 5k
| Pace per Mile/ Km | Treadmill Pace | 400m / 800m Splits | 5km Race Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05:45 / 03:35 | 10.4 mph / 16.6 km/h | 86s / 2:52 | 17min 55s |
Your 18 minute 5k Training Plan
| Day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Rec. Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 30mins easy | 30mins easy | Examples | Rest/ Cross-train |
| Tuesday | Reps@3:35 per km / 90s 5:45p/m (90sec rec.) | Reps@84s per 400m/ 5:35p/m (60s rec.) | Reps@3:35 per km / 90s 5:45p/m (90sec rec.) | Rest/ Cross-train |
| Wednesday | 30mins easy | 30mins easy | 30mins easy | to include 3miles @6:00 p/m |
| Thursday | Reps@2:49 per 800m /5:40p/m (200m jog rec.) | Examples | Examples | Rest/ Cross-train |
| Friday | Rest/ Cross-train | Rest | Rest/ Cross-train | 30mins easy |
| Saturday | 30mins easy | Reps@2:49 per 800m /5:40p/m (200m jog rec.) | 30mins easy | Rest/ Cross-train |
| Sunday | Long run | Long run | Long run | Rest/ Cross-train |
18 Minute 5k Training Plan Components
Breakeven Sessions – 18 minute 5k training plan
These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:
- Steady/ Easy Run – this run should be according to how you feel, don't worry about the time, make sure it's no quicker than 07:45 p/m. Concentrate on recovery and form.
- Long Run – slow & steady run, this should be less than 1 hours work.
- Fartlek – unstructured training. Example Fartlek sessions.
Breakthrough Sessions – 18 minute 5k training plan
These sessions are meant to be challenging intense efforts, treat them as mini-milestones towards your target:
- 400m Reps – these need to be at 5:35 p/m pace (84s per lap) with a 60sec standing recovery.
- 800m Reps – should be reps at 5:40p/m pace (2:49 per 800m) with a 200m jogged recovery.
- 1km Intervals – hit 5:45p/m pace (3:35 per km) with a 90sec jogged recovery.
- Hills: Kenyans/ Hill Sprints – alternate between Kenyans and Hill Sprints to get a balance of power and endurance training. Example Hill Training Sessions.
About this Plan
Remember that to even consider following this 18 minute 5k plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 5:45 for at least a mile (3:35 p/km) and/or have a PB under 20 minutes.
The core work for the 18 minute 5k training plan is set over a 3-week period with the addition of 1 week's recovery. At the end of the first 4-week cycle you can repeat and/or tailor the plan to your individual needs to focus on your particular 5k event.
It is recommended that after three months following the 18 minute 5k plan that you reduce your training for a period of one to two weeks to allow your body time to recover from the impact of running. This should mean more time cross-training with a couple of nice easy runs every few days to keep the legs ticking over.
How much is the appropriate pace for the hills run? Tks so much!
Hello. I’m 33 and not good at all with English. My question is Can I get to sub 18 at 33 years old? My PB is 19,47 in the 5k.
Hi Emanuel, yes you certainly can! I know of many personal examples where runners who were well into their 40s have been able to take their 5k and 10k times down significantly. You’re only 33, I wouldn’t let age put you off at all; whether you take good care of your body, diet etc., is a much greater factor than age (at 33).
Hi Matt. Thanks for your words. They were very inspirational to me.
I couldn’t achieve my goals. Maybe my genetics are not good or my age is a factor. I’m clase to 34 now.
My garmin profile is Emanuel, the profile image shows two pine trees and it’s snowing.
I would appreciate some help or maybe advices. Pherhaps I got my peak and now is downhill.
Emanuel, I’m 53 and this weekend’s race I’m expecting to run about 17:40. My workouts and easy runs are suggesting close to this. But I’m going to start adding some faster stuff like what I’m seeing here after this race.
Hello Joe. You’re amazing then and what you say makes me believe I can get sub 18 minutes. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Diet, sleep, consistency….. you can do it
Matt, thanks for writing these training guides, I’m loving them for lots of reasons. They’re really well structured with the recovery week, which I feel is missing from a lot of plans. Without having that easier week, I’ve often overtrained in the past and ended up injured around 8-12 weeks into a training plan. Having plans for different target 5k times also really helps to find the right splits and sessions based on current progress, so I can review my progress every month. At 43 years old I’m having one of the most reliable, sustained periods of training and am on course to beat my 5k PB in the new year. Thanks for writing these and providing them free!
Hi Gavin, thank you for taking the time to write some feedback. I get a real buzz when I hear that the plans are being used and people are having success with them. It takes a lot of discipline to follow a plan like this so congrats to you for sticking with it and having the sustained period of training. Good luck with the PB hunt in the new year, and let us know how it goes. Cheers!
I improved my 5k PB from 19:02 to 18:07 in 5 weeks, thank you so much for this plan, it’s great but pace for “easy runs” is too fast, I was running 4:30/km and that was maximum pace for “easy run”.
Hi, I’m 16 and currently run 18:40 in the 5k, and am trying to get to sub 18 as fast as possible, I can already hit the race paces fairly easily. Should I try the 16 min plan to push myself more? or how many cycles do I need to do?
I’d like to endorse this plan. After 1 cycle (4 weeks) my PB improved from 18:21 to 17:46. Huge gains.