Peaking sample plan
Sub-30 5K Training Plan
Breaking 30 minutes in the 5K is a lot of people's first time goal. 8 weeks, 3 days, easy 7:15 /km, quality toward 6:00 /km. Peak volume 25 km.
Generate your personalized 8-week sub-30 5K plan
We preload distance, weeks and goal. Start free — the engine builds the plan from your PBs and real days.
Start freeA 8-week 5k sub-30 plan for beginner runners. Peak week 25 km, key long session 10 km, 3 training days. Peaking periodization: Build → Peak → Taper.
- Peak week
- 25 km
- Key long
- 10 km
- Days / week
- 3
- Race pace
- 6:00 /km
- Easy
- 7:15 /km
- Tempo
- 6:15 /km
- Intervals
- 6:00 /km
Week-by-week overview
Weeks 1–4
Build
Threshold and race-pace work land on top of the base. Long run stretches toward its peak.
Weeks 5–6
Peak
Highest quality + highest fatigue. Race-specific sessions, then a down week before taper.
Weeks 7–8
Taper
Volume drops 40–60%. Keep a little intensity so you stay sharp, then race.
| Wk | Phase | Focus | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | build | sub-30 specific | 24 km |
| 2 | build | sub-30 specific | 24 km |
| 3 | build | sub-30 specific | 24 km |
| 4 | build | sub-30 specific | 24 km |
| 5 | peak | Peak specific load | 25 km |
| 6 | peak | Controlled down week | 25 km |
| 7 | taper | Taper — short quality | 14 km |
| 8 | taper | Race week | 11 km |
Sample week 5
Peak specific load · 25 km
Week 5 (peak): keep 7:15/km honestly easy. Quality lives at 6:00/km. If the long run feels heavy, cut 10% — don't add a day.
Mon
Rest
Tue
running
sub-30 quality
50 min · RPE 7
- Warm-up12 min7:15/km
- Intervals8×400 m6:00/km · eq. rest
- Cool-down10 min7:15/km
Wed
Rest
Thu
Rest
Fri
running
Easy run
37 min · RPE 3
- Warm-up10 minEasy Z1
- Main set6 km7:15/km
- Cool-down5 minWalk / jog
Sat
running
Long run
62 min · RPE 4
- Warm-up10 minEasy Z1
- Main set10 km6:53/km
- Cool-down5 minWalk / jog
Sun
Rest
Who this plan is for
It's for someone who already finishes the distance and now wants sub-30 (30:00 on the clock, 6:00 /km). Catalog level: beginner. If your current mark is more than ~12% off that goal, the personalized engine lengthens the block or eases quality paces — this preview uses the goal as the anchor.
How the weeks are periodized
Weeks 1–4: Build — Threshold and race-pace work land on top of the base. Long run stretches toward its peak. Weeks 5–6: Peak — Highest quality + highest fatigue. Race-specific sessions, then a down week before taper. Weeks 7–8: Taper — Volume drops 40–60%. Keep a little intensity so you stay sharp, then race. Volume doesn't climb in a straight line: each phase has its own wave, plus a down week before taper. Peak load 25 km. No full base phase: aerobic fitness is assumed to already be there.
Intervals, tempo and easy running
Quality A: intervals at 6:00 /km. Quality B (unless you're a beginner): tempo at 6:15 /km. Long run 10 km at long-run pace, not race pace. The classic 5K mistake is running the easy days at 6:00 /km; here easy is anchored to 7:15 /km.
5K: economy and recovery
The 5K is short; the mistake is training every day as if it were short. 3 days, with easy running at 7:15 /km so the intervals at 6:00 /km are actually fast. Long warm-up on quality day (12–15 min). The 10 km long run keeps the aerobic base that holds a 5 km effort together.
From this preview to a plan that's yours
The preview is anchored to “Sub-30 5K Training Plan”: 3 days, 25 km, 6:00 /km. At signup Peaking preloads distance (5K), 8 weeks and a sub-30 goal. The live engine then asks for PBs, available days and constraints, and regenerates whole weeks — not a static PDF. The CTA below opens registration with those fields and this page's UTMs.
Generate your personalized 8-week sub-30 5K plan
We preload distance, weeks and goal. Start free — the engine builds the plan from your PBs and real days.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
Is this 8-week sub-30 5K a generic plan?+
The overview and week 5 come from Peaking's periodization composer (same phases and session types as an in-app plan). It's persisted per slug — it doesn't change on every visit. The paid plan personalizes from your PBs and real days.
How many kilometres / hours per week does it peak at?+
Peak 25 km, key long session 10 km, 3 days. Base weeks sit well below that; the taper (Weeks 7–8) cuts volume and keeps short quality.
What pace should I use if my mark isn't 30:00?+
This preview anchors race to 6:00 /km, easy to 7:15 /km and threshold to 6:15 /km (sub-30 goal). In the app, paces come from your PBs or a Riegel predictor — don't copy these splits if your current 10K sits at a different level.
Can I skip days or squeeze this into fewer than 8 weeks?+
Skip an easy day, never the long run or both quality sessions in the same week. Compressing 8 → 8 often works if the base is already there; the hub lists other durations for this 5K.
How do I go from this page to a plan generated for me?+
Start free preloads 5K, 8 weeks and sub-30. You finish onboarding (sports, PBs, days) and the engine builds the full plan. This URL stays as the SEO reference; your plan lives on the dashboard.