Progressive 5K Speed Session

Workout - Progressive 5K Speed Session

• 10min @ 6'00''/km
• 7 lots of:
  • 400m @ 3'50''/km
  • 1min 30s rest
• 3 lots of:
  • 400m @ 3'40''/km
  • 1min 30s rest
• 10min @ 6'30''/km

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Intro

Want to know when to step up the pace on your speed work? StrengthRunning tackles this exact question in When do I increase the pace of my speed workouts? We’ve pulled out the core ideas below so you can run this workout today. The full video has additional context worth a watch.

Key Points

• Race-driven pacing: ground your workout speeds in your recent race results—5K, 10K, marathon, whatever you’ve done. What you’ve actually raced tells you more about your fitness than any calculator.
• Update your paces as you improve: suppose your 5K drops from 25:00 (≈8:05 min/mi) to 24:00 (≈7:40‑7:45 min/mi). Now bump your 400‑m repeats from around 2:00 per rep to the 1:55‑1:56 range.
• Tempo runs: use a pace calculator if you plug in a recent race time, or judge by feel—target a comfortably hard effort you could sustain for about an hour. Adjust based on conditions like heat, sleep quality, and fatigue levels.
• Stay flexible: you don’t have to hit goal pace every single session. Let how you actually feel and what’s happening around you (heat, fatigue, recovery) set the bar for that day.
• Negative-split strategy: begin the session at your current race pace, then shift the final 2‑3 repeats to goal pace (15‑60 seconds faster for a 5K). This trains your body to finish strong at a new speed.

Workout Example

# 5K Speed Session (400‑m repeats)
- 10 × 400 m repeats
- Reps 1‑8: run at current 5K race pace (e.g., 8:05 min/mi → ~2:00 per 400 m)
- Reps 9‑10: aim for goal 5K pace (e.g., 7:40‑7:45 min/mi → ~1:55‑1:56 per 400 m)
- Finish with a negative split: try to drop a few seconds per final rep (e.g., 1:54, 1:52, 1:50, 1:49).
- Rest 1‑2 min between reps; adjust rest if you feel fatigued.

Closing Note Try this session and adjust the paces based on your latest race times. The Pacing app lets you customize it to wherever you’re at right now. Now go run.

References

• When do I increase the pace of my speed workouts? - YouTube (YouTube Video)