8 KM - 5 Mile Race Training Schedule for Beginners
Use this 10 week race training schedule if you have never ran (or not for many years), and are looking at starting with a 5 miler (8 km).
The first 2 weeks runs are 5 and 1s which means running 5 minutes and walking 1 minute. Take a look at ten and ones vs continuous.
Week 3 you move up to 7 and 1s, then weeks 4 through ten can either be 10 and 1s or continuous depending on your preference. If you are in fairly good shape you might not need to start on week 1, just use this running schedule as a guide.
8 KM - 5 Mile Race Training Schedule
Week | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Total |
1 | Off | Off | 5/1*-2km | Off | 5/1*-2km | Off | Off | 4 km |
2 | 5/1-3km | Off | 5/1*-3km | Off | 5/1*-3km | Off | Off | 9 km |
3 | 7/1-3km | Off | 7/1**-3km | Off | 7-1**-3km | Off | Off | 9km |
4 | 3km | Off | 3km | Off | 3km | Off | Off | 9km |
5 | 5km | Off | 3km | Off | 3km | Off | Off | 11km |
6 | 6km | Off | 3km | 1 hill | 3km | Off | Off | 12km+1hill |
7 | 7km | Off | 3km | 2 hills | 3km | Off | Off | 13 km+2hills |
8 | 8km | Off | 3km | 4 hills | 3km | Off | Off | 14km+4hills |
9 | 4km | Off | 3km | Off | 3km | Off | Off | 10km |
10 | 8km | Rest and Recovery |
*5/1-2km = run for 5 minutes then walk for 1 minute for a total of 2 km
**7/1-2km= run for 7 minutes then walk for 1 minute for a total of 2 km
Useful Tools:Check out these useful tools to help you calculate your training pace and plan your running schedule.