How to Improve Your 5K Time from 25 Minutes to 16:42 - Lee Grantham

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of How to Improve Your 5K Time from 25 Minutes to 16:42 from the Lee Grantham channel. 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:

Start with your current 5K pace (5 min/km for a 25‑minute 5K) and add kilometer repeats that are ~10 % faster.
Build volume by running 5 km of fast km repeats, then gradually increase the number of repeats (6, 7 km) and speed the pace (4:30 km → 4:15 km → 4:00 km → 3:50 km, etc.).
Consistent 60‑second recovery jog between each km keeps the session high‑intensity but manageable.
Progressively knock 10 seconds off each kilometer as you get comfortable, moving you from a 25‑minute 5K toward 20 min, then 17 min, and finally 16:42.

Workout Example:

Week 1 – Base speed: 5 × 1 km at 4:30 per km with 60 s easy jog between each repeat (≈21 min total).
Week 2 – Faster: 5 × 1 km at 4:15 per km, 60 s recovery (≈20 min total).
Week 3 – Add volume: 6 × 1 km at 4:15 per km, 60 s recovery.
Week 4 – Speed up: 5 × 1 km at 4:00 per km, 60 s recovery.
Progression: Once 5 × 1 km at a given pace feels easy, add a sixth repeat, then a seventh, and drop the target pace by another 10 seconds per km (e.g., 3:50 per km, then 3:40 per km, etc.).

Closing Note: Try the first week’s 5 × 1 km at 4:30 per km today and watch your 5K get faster fast. Feel free to customise the repeats and paces in the Pacing app to match your current fitness—your next personal record is just a few km away! 🚀