5k Interval Workouts I Used To Train To Break 16 Minutes
Updated: Nov 5
5k interval workouts
The 5k is a particularly hard race to run, even harder than a 10k in my opinion, your legs are burning like an 800m, your breathing heavy like you are sprinting and the fatigue you feel is like a marathon- I believe it to be the most mentally challenging distance to run a fast time for. This is where 5k interval workouts can help you.
A huge challenge that also comes with the 5k distance is pacing, this is where your 5k-specific sessions can help you lock into your pace, increase your confidence, and most importantly increase your Vo2 max. It is important to note that you can increase your Vo2 max faster with 3000m pace work but I do not recommend this to the runners I coach as this is more dangerous when it comes to injury and burnout and you can achieve the same results over time with 5k pace interval workouts. With the athletes I coach I always recommend building a strong aerobic base before moving on with 5k sessions.
Check out this blog from 'Great Run': How To Pace Your Perfect 5k.
Principles of 5k interval workouts
There are multiple different factors that come into designing these 5k interval workouts, these include the overall distance that should be run, the recovery between intervals, and the length of the intervals.
The ideal total distance for your 5k interval workout is between 5-8k. This is where a lot of people decide that 5k is not far enough of a distance to run in training, but the physiological benefits are still the same when it comes to your Vo2 max. I do still believe that 6-7k is the sweet spot for these types of sessions and 8k should be saved for the very much faster runners among us- even when I was running sub 16 I did not touch 8k.
Having a good warm-up is a vital part of having a good session.
Learn more about warming-up properly for runners here: The Ultimate Guide To Warming-Up For Runners.
The recovery between reps should be relevant to the time of the actual interval. A ratio of 'work to recovery' should roughly be 2:1 so a 2-minute interval and a 1-minute rest would be ideal but this can fluctuate.
The distance of the reps can vary between as short as 1 minute and up to 6 minutes max. I believe the ideal to be between 2-5 minutes.
You may also like: How To Train For Your Best 10k.
The best 5k interval workouts
6x 1000m (2 mins recovery)
Hearing my coach say "Today we have 6x 1k" used to fill me with dread. I hated this session with a passion and looking back it was because I would run it too fast. This session used to be with a 90-second recovery as we were running around 3:00-3:10 but I would end up running sub 3 for most reps and that was just not what I needed. I was making the mistake a lot of runners make, which is using a session to see how fit I was.
Either way, this is a great session, gives you a good indicator of the shape you are in, make sure to adjust the recovery based on how long the 1k reps take you. If they take you 5 minutes then have a 2:30 minute recovery, if they can you 4 then have a 2-minute recovery.
2. 12-16x 400m (1-minute recovery)
This session is harder than it sounds and is great when you're just starting to do your 5k pace interval sessions after building a good aerobic base.
The short distance of these reps is great for building up to bigger sessions. As always figure out your recovery based on the time it takes you to complete the 400m reps.
Check out this blog from the founder of BMC races and coach Frank Horwill: How To Train For The 5k.
3. 2x 1200/1000/800
This session is great when you are at the peak of your training, these longer reps will really teach you to settle into your 5k pace, also the varying distance helps to keep things interesting. The idea for this session to to keep all of the reps at the same pace, the 1200m should be the same pace as the 800m. Be sure to take a full 3-5 minute recovery after the 800m and for each of the reps keep the recovery to half of the interval time.
Check out this blog from SweatElite: 5000m – 5 Race Indication Workouts.
With all of these sessions, you must be recovering well after the workout to get the most out of the session. Want to learn more about optimising your recovery?
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