Break 22 Minutes: 5K Training Plan for a New Personal Best! - Lee Grantham

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of Break 22 Minutes: 5K Training Plan for a New Personal Best! from Lee Grantham. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

Use a three‑day weekly structure (Mon, Wed, Fri) plus a Sunday “all‑in” run; keep easy runs at 7.5‑8 km/h (about 33 % slower than race pace).
Focus Wednesday on treadmill interval work at 12‑12.5 km/h (≈5 min/km) to raise speed tolerance while keeping heart‑rate under control.
Every 3‑4 weeks attempt an all‑out 5K on Sunday to gauge progress, otherwise run at 80‑90 % effort with short repeats.
Warm‑up 10‑12 min, sweat before the first repeat, and use active recovery (30‑45 s walk or easy jog) to drop HR between intervals.
Gradually increase total interval volume from 3 km up to 5 km, lengthening repeats from 300 m → 400 m → 600 m → 800 m → 1 km as you get comfortable.

Workout Example:

Warm‑up: 10‑12 min easy jog (7.5‑8 km/h) + dynamic drills
Main set: 10 × 300 m repeats @ 12.5 km/h (≈5 min/km)
        • 1 min easy jog or walk between reps to bring HR down
Progression: after 2‑3 weeks increase to 12 × 300 m or 10 × 400 m, then 8 × 600 m, etc., building total interval volume to 3‑5 km.
Cool‑down: 5‑10 min easy jog

*Adjust the speeds to match your current easy‑run pace – aim for about 20‑25 % faster than your normal easy speed.

Closing Note: Give this structured interval plan a try, tweak the paces to fit your own numbers in the Pacing app, and watch your 5K time drop. Keep tracking your heart‑rate, stay consistent, and enjoy the progress – you’ll be on your way to breaking 22 minutes before you know it!