If you are not quite there yet then take a look at the 24 minute 5k training plan instead and then come back to this one once you are in a position to run at this pace.
Other 5k training plans: 16 minute 5k || 18 minute 5k || Sub 20 5k || 22 minute 5k || 24 minute 5k || 26 minute 5k || 28 minute 5k || Sub 30 minute 5k || Couch to 5k Training Plan
Please read before starting a training plan:
Frequently Asked Questions | Signs of Overtraining
Your Speed/Distance Training Zones: 22 minute 5k
| Pace per Mile / Km | Treadmill Pace | 400m / 800m Splits | 5km Race Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07:00 / 04:22 | 8.5 mph / 13.7 km/h | 1:44 / 3:29 | 21min 50s |
Your 22 minute 5k training plan
| Day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Rec. Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 30min easy | 30min easy | 30min easy | Rest/Cross-train |
| Tuesday | Reps@4:23 per km/ 7:03p/m (90s rec.) | Reps@1:42s per 400 / 6:50p/m (60s rec.) | Reps@4:23 per km/ 7:03p/m (90s rec.) | Rest/Cross-train |
| Wednesday | 30min easy | 30min easy | 30min easy | 30min easy |
| Thursday | (200m jog rec.) | Fartlek Examples | Examples | Rest/Cross-train |
| Friday | Rest/Cross-train | Rest | Rest/Cross-train | 30min easy |
| Saturday | 30min easy | (200m jog rec.) | 30min easy | Rest/Cross-train |
| Sunday | Long run | Long run | Long run | Long run |
22 Minute 5k Training Plan Components
Breakeven Sessions – 22 minute 5k training plan
These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:
- Steady Run – this should be no quicker than 09:00 p/m, ideally aim for somewhere around 09:00-09:30 p/m.
- Long Run – slow & steady, this should be less than 1 hour.
- Fartlek – unstructured training. Example Fartlek sessions.
Breakthrough Sessions – 22 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 6:50 p/m pace (1:42 per lap) with a 60sec standing recovery.
- 800m Reps – should be reps at 7:00p/m pace (3:29 per 800m) with a 200m jogged recovery.
- 1km Intervals – hit 7:00p/m pace (4:22 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 consider following this 22 minute 5k plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 07:03 minute for at least a mile (4:22p/km) and/or have a PB under 24 minutes.
The core work for the 22 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 2/3 months of using the training plan that you take a break and treat yourself to a couple of weeks of low-key training. This should start with 2-3 day's off from running completely and continue with a nice short easy run every other day.
Whats pace,and miles on a “long run”? Also should the 30 min run be easy– say 9 min pace or faster?
Thanks!
Hi,
Just went through the plan …but cant find where is the slot for the steady run and how long it should be.
Hi George, the steady run for this plan is listed as being no quicker than 07:45 p/m (30mins).
How do you access he whole plan? I am looking now and it is only giving me week 1. Am I looking in the wrong spot?
Thank you. Looking forward to starting soon!
Hi Cari, the plan listed should be a 4 week cyclic plan. Can I ask which device/ browser you are using?
You need to swipe the plan left to see others weeks if using a phone
Hi. Great plan. Looking forward to trying it out. At 22:35 at the moment so will doing this program as a precursor to the sub20 plan.
Just wondering at what point should you attempt to actually get a 22 min score. As in where do you do a PR run? Immediately after the rest week?
Hi, my advice would be to do a couple of cycles of the plan and then look to incorporate a PB attempt at the end of a week 3 that you have tailored to be less intense, i.e., no speed work within 3-4 day’s of the attempt but maybe a tempo run. It’s a good question so I think I will add a page to the site with some recommendations so please check back again soon and and will hopefully have some more information that’ll help.
Good luck in the meantime.
Thanks for the training plan! My PB for 5k was 22:34 but that was in 2013 so thought I’d try and break the 22min mark. I did a timed effort at the start and got 23:51. I then followed the plan/structure for 12 weeks, I swam twice a week, one LSR, one breakthrough session, one game of 5aside football (most similar to fartlek training session), one or two steady 30min runs and sometimes spin class instead of a steady run.
I did a timed run after 5 weeks of the plan and got 22:43 – so improvements but not quite sub 22. So i had an easy two weeks recovery, then started again for 5 weeks and just did 21:58 yesterday.
My pacing was off somewhat, i went too hard and did the first km in 4:09 and then suffered so I changed it to a 4x1km interval run with 330m recovery. But i was left with having to do 4:05 for the last km, but did it in 4:03. I would be interested seeing what time I’d get if i did a constant pace, think it would be around 21:40
The training plan really helped give me ideas of what sessions I should be doing, how often and most importantly what pace! Time to step up to the sub 20min 5k now eek, as following my timed run where i did PB km and mile running times, I meet the ‘pre-qualifying’ criteria.
Thanks for the article. I’m keen to give it a go. My parkrun PB is 22:06 at the moment but I am averaging about 22:30 so am aiming to get consistently sub 22 there. I’ll generally use parkrun as a steady run and just take it a bit easier. One question: in the article you mention the need to commit 8-10 hours a week for training but the plan seems to factor about 3 hours or so each week… I’m assuming this is just a carrier over from a longer distance training plan?