5k workouts for beginners

You did 10 x 400 @ 7:30 pace and now you want to do 12 to 14 x 400 @ 7:00 pace. Conventional wisdom is to change one variable at a time to see how you respond. I would go for the 1000 meter workout using the same pace as your 800s workout but I would just do 5 of them.

I agree with @coach that 5x 1000 @ 7:20 with a 400 jog as a good next step. That would put you in 23:30 territory.

If you can do that, then you can probably run your 400s faster, maybe in the 6:45-50 range. I would try an 8x 400 where the first 3-4 are at your current pace, and then next 4-5 are faster (6:50-55).

For beginners, I wouldn't have started with intervals, but you're basically doing it right by picking something doable, then increasing the challenge a bit the next time.

What I'd recommend, and what you can add on top of your current progression, is a tempo run. I made a lot of progress as a beginner by starting at 5 minutes at a manageably fast pace, then adding 2 minutes each week. Eventually I had to break it up into 2-3 segments with a short jog rest in between, then back to 2 segments, and then I managed a continuous 20-minute tempo run.

You'll see lots of different approaches to tempo runs, and they're all worth trying at some point. Figuring out how to get to 20 minutes at roughly your 5K pace + 25-30 seconds/mile will give you a great starting point for all the other variations.

Thanks for suggestions.

coach wrote:

You did 10 x 400 @ 7:30 pace and now you want to do 12 to 14 x 400 @ 7:00 pace. Conventional wisdom is to change one variable at a time to see how you respond. I would go for the 1000 meter workout using the same pace as your 800s workout but I would just do 5 of them.

First week was 10x400 @ 7:30 pace,

I did 14x400 at 7:30 the 2nd week with 400m jogs

This week 6x800 @7:20, 4x400@7:00 with 400m jogs

This week felt easier somehow, maybe it is just getting a basic fitness and comfort level at the pace. I will try the 1000m workout which I think should be easy to do 5x7:20 then I'll give Bullet's 2nd workout a try

Bullet the Blue Sky wrote:

I agree with @coach that 5x 1000 @ 7:20 with a 400 jog as a good next step. That would put you in 23:30 territory.

If you can do that, then you can probably run your 400s faster, maybe in the 6:45-50 range. I would try an 8x 400 where the first 3-4 are at your current pace, and then next 4-5 are faster (6:50-55).

Thanks. I did 4x 1250 @ 7:20 today with 400 jog . Felt a little harder than the800s but not bad.

difficulty felt like: 4, 3, 6, 7 out of 10 for each of the reps.

I'm thinking next time I willl try resetting back to 400s and dropping the pace start at 7 minute pace and figure it out from there shooting for 8-12 with long(400m) rest just to get used to the quicker paces

the tempo run I might try working in between these interval workouts. However the interval workouts /daily strides seems to be working really well because only a few weeks ago I could not have done this workout which felt fairly tame today.

1200s are very hard for beginners and many intermediate runners. V02 max intervals (and a bit slower) generally should take less than 5 minutes. 1000s would have been tough enough.

coach wrote:

BILL SLOWSKY wrote:

Thanks. I did 4x 1250 @ 7:20 today with 400 jog . Felt a little harder than the800s but not bad.

difficulty felt like: 4, 3, 6, 7 out of 10 for each of the reps.

I'm thinking next time I willl try resetting back to 400s and dropping the pace start at 7 minute pace and figure it out from there shooting for 8-12 with long(400m) rest just to get used to the quicker paces

the tempo run I might try working in between these interval workouts. However the interval workouts /daily strides seems to be working really well because only a few weeks ago I could not have done this workout which felt fairly tame today.

1200s are very hard for beginners and many intermediate runners. V02 max intervals (and a bit slower) generally should take less than 5 minutes. 1000s would have been tough enough.

Nice work, you're commitment and progress is impressive.

coach wrote:Nice work, you're commitment and progress is impressive.

Thank you.

I tried going faster on the 400s today after seeing some success the other day with that 1250x4 workout. Didn't turn out great but I think it was just an off day from running pretty hard the day after that other workout and only having one easy day yesterday.

Today did the 400s again with 400 jog. First four average pace 6:57 second four average 6:50 but I was cooked after the second four and just stopped after the 8 since my form was breaking and after all it's Christmas eve.

Also was doing these ones on a treadmill and it got tough cause the belt was soaked from sweat and getting slippery. I'm not sure how to avoid that other than bringing a spare towel to wipe it down between reps LOL

Hopefully next week I can get back to it and shoot for 10-12 ideally

Bullet the Blue Sky wrote:

I agree with @coach that 5x 1000 @ 7:20 with a 400 jog as a good next step. That would put you in 23:30 territory.

If you can do that, then you can probably run your 400s faster, maybe in the 6:45-50 range. I would try an 8x 400 where the first 3-4 are at your current pace, and then next 4-5 are faster (6:50-55).

Turned out to be correct since I did a workout like that on Tuesday then today managed 23:34 for a time trial. Think I had some more in the tank at the end honestly the splits were like 7:20, 7:55, 7:30

New years Resolution will be to go under 20 which seems pretty reasonable even if it takes most of the year. Next TT will be a mile probably. I haven't run a <7 minute mile since I was like 16 for gym class but I think I could crank once out easily enough at this point. Then when it cools down a bit I'll go for another 5k in a couple weeks

I guess I will turn this to my training log thread, maybe some future beginners will find it useful:

Yesterday: Did very slow pace 10:30 /mi for an hour with a bunch of 100m pickups at a brisk pace(6:40) then back to 10:30 pace until hr dropped back to 130s

Today: 1mi worm up,

3x0.3mi with 0.2mi jog between then

3x0.33 with 0.17 jogs between then

5x0.25 with 0.25 jogs between

rep paces were 7:00-7:05

this felt hard middle part very hard but I'm happy with the volume

I'm trying to get back into the gym for weights as well. The plan for tomorrow will be a solid chest/tris workout session then an easy 1hour run.

Unfortunately seems I've gained a bit of weight back lately over the holidays. I had gone down to~157 lb at the start of December and now I'm around 163lb. At 5'6 that's too heavy for running LOL oh well guess that's what holiday feasting and drinking does

Yesterday: Full upper body workout 4mi jog afterwards

Today: 6x0.5mi with 0.25mi jog in between: paces: 7:17, 7:15, 7:13

first one felt easy but it got hard fast. after #4 i ended up walking half of the 0.25mi while sipping some water instead of jogging because I didn't know if I could finish the workout. Weirdly after that the last two didn't feel too bad.

tomorrow I planned to do a big gym day and some easy miles but I'm getting the COVID shot tonight so I might feel crappy and take it off.

I've been doing interval workouts or a TT every other day for the past two weeks which is a tough schedule and my mileage has been suffering (dropping from 40-45mpw to 30-35). I'm planning on long slow runs /fun runs the rest of the weekend.

Monday is supposed to cool down from the mid 80s to the mid 60s so it will be the perfect time to do some mile pace work or even a mile TT

12/31: 5.25 mi jog (10 mins pace)

1/1: Tempos/threshold workout

20 mins@ 8:30 pace

1mi jog

20 mins @ 8:00 pace

1/2: 1hr run easy with 100m pickups @ mile pace

1/3 random 1hr run around 9 min pace

1/4 same as above, just exploring some trails and road loops

1/5 speed workout running 300m x 8 @ 6:40 pace with 500m jogs in between. this was NOT easy at the time but also not tiring the next day (low volume?)

1/6 progression run for 10km starting at 9:30 pace ending at 7:30 pace, average pace 8:30

1/7 very slow run with 100m pickups at mile pace (6:40) average pace out to ~930

1/8 funrun on the beach, very slow 6mi run (10+ min/mi)

1/9 mixed workout: Started with this:

[400m @ 8:00, 400m@7:30, 400m@7:00] then 400m jog into

[400m @ 7:50, 400 @ 7:20, 400@6:50] then 3 min walk into

[400m @ 6:58, 400m @ 10:45(jog)] x 4 then 3 mins walk into

[400m @ 6:58, 400m @ 10:45] x 3 then crashed and didn't finish the last one.

Overall I'm feeling a little beat up this week. I'm wondering if possibly have COVID. My workouts seem to be improving generally but they are feeling tough lately.

Another thing to note is that I've started weightlifting 3-4x per week recently. This seems low intensity mostly machines and dumbbells. I hardly break a sweat doing the weights, but I do get some DOMS and I've been seeing some of my muscle come back.

I'm not sure if my body is just having a hard time getting used to the additional stress of weights on top of my running training or if I'm kind of plateauing already with running.

There seems to be a really steep gradient in my pace comfort level. I'm comfortable running longer intervals at 7:15ish pace and able to do a full 5km at 7:30ish pace in a solo effort.

However once the pace drops below 7 min I start to struggle almost immediately. I had no idea how hard those 300m repeats would be at 6:40 pace, and was disappointed to only manage 8 of them with long jogging breaks in between.

Knowing I will have to run faster than that for the whole 5km to reach my goal is a bit daunting, also knowing how hard I'm working at this while many people are able to run faster than that with zero training on day1. I'm not mad about that but it is very humbling to consider.

BILL SLOWSKY wrote:

Knowing I will have to run faster than that for the whole 5km to reach my goal is a bit daunting, also knowing how hard I'm working at this while many people are able to run faster than that with zero training on day1. I'm not mad about that but it is very humbling to consider.

I feel like the effort required to get from ~23 min to sub 21 isn't daunting at all, but to get under 20 requires legit work. I'm in the same boat as you as a no talent runner who tells myself all these people posting about running 18:40 after 15 miles of training and "hoping for sub 16" are highly insecure trolls

I'm starting to get comfortable at 4 min/k (6:25 pace) but I've had to increase my mileage to >40 miles per week, my long run to >10 miles, and consistent fast and long interval days with adequate recovery in-between

Adding lifting on top of running is definitely a big new stress that requires additional recovery. You may want to back off lifting to 2x per week if running is your primary goal

And the reason 300m repeats at 6:40 pace are so hard is because you're running approximately at your current mile pace. If you haven't don't much mile pace work before, it's really hard! The first time I tried mile pace work as an adult, I hit my limit at 4 x 200. You can build up volume, but the first time out is really hard.

I hadn't run a step in 5 years after college until some workmates organized a group to run a 5k fundrasier. I showed up and went 5:20-5:40-17:49. I had never been so sore as I was for several days following it.

If I look at local 5ks around here pretty much everyone is slow(>6min pace for men of military age) except the top 2-3% of runners. On the other hand I know for a fact there are runners who can do better than that with minimal training. Talent does not seem to be normally distributed at all. Most people have none, about 5% have some and <1% have a lot.

Good luck on your goals, it sounds like you are getting close to breaking 20.

For me things started to turn around this week. Yesterday(1/10) was not really a proper easy day for me because I did a 1 hour lifting session in the morning and a 3 mile shakeout(10 min pace), but then later in the day went bakc and put in another 4 or 5 at around 8:45pace, which is faster than I should be running on days like that.

Either way today I nailed the workout I had planned, which was really encouraging

(1/11) did 12 x 400m @ 6:45 pace with 400m jog in between. This was a long rest period given the length of the rep, but I think the workout is good for me and builds comfort at the pace. It was only a month or two ago I was doing this workout at 7:30 pace so I'm very happy with the improvement.

Planning to keep lifting and take 1-2 easy days as needed then the next couple workouts I want to do are 6 x 1k ~ 7:15 with 400-600m jogs in between then a speed work day, something like sets of (100m, 200m, 300m, 200m) just to get acquainted with paces closer to 6 flat.

After that I will probably shoot to break 23 in a TT and recalibrate based on how that goes

1/12: 2mi shakeout (11min pace) (am) 3mi easy (9:15 pace) (pm)

1/13: longer run 7.5mi easy (9 min pace)

1/14: the 7:13 medly workout:

p = 7:13 pace rep

j = jog(10-11 min pace)

r = rest(walking)

1200m (p), 400m (j),

1200m (p), 400m (j),

600m (p), 200m(j),

600m(p), 3min (r),

500m (p) 300m (j)

500m (p)

Was a nice workout. didn't feel too hard but not easy either

1/15: 4.75mi easy beach run (9:30 pace)

My running gains have slowed down a bit from doing so much time at the gym (lifted every day this week except today). I think its worth it for now for the general upper body strength and appearance just to get a baseline strength back. I'll probably ease off to 2-3 days a week after another couple weeks of 5. Lifting has always been a lot easier for me than running and doesn't take the same kind of hard work for me to get to a "decent shape"

Anyway I think I should be doing the workouts like I did yesterday closer to 7:00 pace than 7:13 if I was properly rested and focused. The day of I knew I wasn't up for it though so picked 7:13 to make it managable

1/16 - "two mile chump workout"

2 @ 7:21

3min walk

0.25 @ 7:00

400m jog

0.25 @ 7:00

2 min walk

0.25 @ 7:00

3 min walk

0.25 @ 7:00

basically had menat to do a totally different workout starting with 1mi @ 7:30

after the first mile I felt great and ended up doing 2mi with the 2nd mile being way too fast and averaging 7:21 pace for the two miles. This might be the fastest I've run 2mi so far but still not an "all out 2 mi" though faster than my 5km TT in December.

Basically blew my load too soon with this workout. I should have just gutted out another mile for a small 5k PR or stopped after the 1st mile. Because I didn't feel tired until I stopped and I'm sure after that fast 2nd mile I could have gutted out another at 7:30 pace. However I did stop and then the rest of the workout was kind of mediocre since I started getting tired after the first break.

1/17: 5.5mi @ 9:25 pace

1/18: 2mi @ 10:15 pace(am) 3.5mi @ 8:53 pace(pm)

1/19: Another tough top heavy workout

1km @ 7:00

600m jog

1km @ 6:53

600m jog

500m @ 6:53

2min walk

500m @ 6:53

3 min walk

1km @ 7:15

600m jog

500m @ 6:58

2 min walk

500m @ 6:58

Pretty good workout, maybe a little too much walking but the paces were hard for me. My legs are trashed today. I don't know if I will even run today maybe 2-3mi jog but I had planned a chest/tris day in the gym tonight.

Basically I have had sore legs a lot after these workouts and sore in the pelvic region especially in the first mile or so the day after. I think I have to make some changes that I don't really want to make to my training.

First off I should be running 10 mins pace more often I think and running <9min pace on easy days is not helping me at this point. I should also be doing more volume on the off days. Instead of 4-6s at 8:45-9 pace should be doing 6-8s at 10-10:15 pace I believe.

I should also be doing more core work, doing some ab days and leg strength training . I've been at the gym 5 days per week the past few weeks but only focused on back, shoulders, arms, and chest. No abs or legs because I figured "i had them covered" from running. I don't think that's correct at all and need to fit some more of that into my schedule.