I have created this 12 week to 5K program for those who are either just getting started with running, athletes who are coming back to the sport after a long hiatus or even runners who are no strangers to 5Ks but perhaps they are currently running intervals and they would like to run a full 5K without walking recoveries. It starts with gentle walks for the first week, then short jogs, and as the program progresses, we will be picking it up until you can run all of the 5000 meters, 5K or 3.1 miles, however you want to call it!
You will be running 3 days a week and walking on Sundays. I have assigned Tuesdays as strength or cross training days and included two full rest days. Each week, the three workouts increase in difficulty, and the last and third workout assigned for Saturdays is the “long run;” this will be the longest workout of the week. Sundays are a walking day and the length of the walk will increase as the program progresses; these are active recovery days.
The “run” portions of the program don’t mean you sprint for the duration of the assigned time; you will be running at a speed that you can eventually sustain for the entirety of the 5K. Spend your first few weeks determining what that speed is for you; ideally you should be able to talk through these sessions as we build your base. This pace looks different for everyone, so don’t be discouraged if someone else can do the
same at faster speeds and you are doing the program together; fast/slow are relative terms!
Tuesdays are a strength or cross training day, and I purposely left it vague so this could be the day that you do what you want, meaning you could choose to lift, swim, bike, yoga, the options are endless. The only thing I ask is that you don’t go ham on this day; remember that your current main goal is running a 5K at the conclusion of the program, and I don’t want you to be sore after trying to PR your deadlift or go on a century ride on your bike. Your strength or cross training should be aiding you in your running goal, not hindering it.
There are two rest days in the program, and these are non-negotiable! Rest is just as important as training, and it will give your body an opportunity to recover from your hard workouts, so you can perform better at your next one. The placements of the rest days are purposeful, so keep that in mind when switching things around.
Talking of switching things around, I know the schedule says Monday-Sunday and each day has an assigned workout or rest. As we all know, life tends to get in our way sometimes, so please feel free to shuffle the schedule around. For example, if you have off from work on Wednesdays and you’d rather run that day instead of resting, then shuffle your schedule forwards or backwards so you are running on Wednesday and resting on Thursday. Maybe you work on the weekends, and you’d rather do the long run on Fridays vs Saturdays; that works too! Just make sure you have a rest day before your long workout.
I am confident that at the conclusion of this program you will be able to run a 5K and be proud of your accomplishment! I highly recommend picking a local 5K event and starting your program 12 weeks out from the race, so you have a concrete finish line It is not necessary, but I always find that having a concrete goal pushes me harder during training.
HAPPY RUNNING!
Coach Katie