Sub-20 5K Pace Repeats
Workout - Sub-20 5K Pace Repeats
- 15min @ 5'52''/km
- 5 lots of:
- 800m @ 4'00''/km
- 2min rest
- 12min @ 6'00''/km
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Intro
RUN SDJ breaks down How I Ran A Sub 20 Minute 5k after TWELVE Years of Trying with useful detail. Here’s a distilled version so you can begin training using these methods immediately. Head to the full video if you want the complete picture with all the nuance.
Key Points
- 8-week program with 5 weekly sessions, designed to reach a sub-20 minute 5K (around 4:00 min/km pace).
- The opening four weeks feature hill repeats, a pair of recovery runs, one steady or progression run, and a long run each week.
- Weeks 5 through 8 shift hill work to interval training, swap progression runs for tempo runs, with recovery runs and long run staying in place.
- Adjust the paces to your own capability — the workout prescriptions ran too fast for easy runs; dialing them back to genuine recovery intensity made the difference.
- Stay attuned to how you feel — when a knee issue cropped up, he reduced mileage, added more recovery days, and dropped 3 of 5 workouts in the week before race day.
- Race week itself follows a set pattern: an easy run on Monday, a 2-mile shakeout on Friday, massage the day before, then race execution (hold your 20-minute pace through the first 4 km, then accelerate on the final km).
Workout Example (Typical Week 6)
Monday – Hill Repeats: 6-8 climbs of 90 seconds at hard intensity, recover on the descent
Tuesday – Easy Run: 5-6 km at a pace where you could hold a conversation (roughly 5:30-6:00 per km)
Wednesday – Interval Session: 5 repeats of 800 m at your 5K goal pace (around 4:00 per km), with 2 minutes of easy jogging between
Thursday – Easy Run: 5 km at an easy clip
Friday – Tempo Run: 6-8 km at a sustained threshold effort (approximately 4:30 per km)
Saturday – Long Run: 12-14 km at a relaxed, conversational pace (about 5:30 per km)
Sunday – Rest day or optional cross-trainingModify the distances and speeds based on where you are now fitness-wise; what matters most is combining hill work, quality intervals and tempo runs, and sufficient easy-effort mileage.
Closing Note
Test out this program, adjust paces for your own capabilities, and use the Pacing app to dial in each workout. The blueprint is there — time to smash through that 20-minute ceiling! 🎉