I am going to be so happy when half marathon training is over. As I stated in my goals for this year, I want to focus on decreasing my 5k time. So after the Country Music Half, I’m going to take a couple weeks off to run how I want and then get started on that goal! To assist me in this, I’ve drafted up the following training plan. It’s based a lot on a couple of Hal Higdon’s training plans, specifically his Intermediate 5k and Intermediate 10k programs, with some changes (like I added hill repeats because I’m a glutton for punishment). The final result is a 16 week program, running a race every fourth week, with a 10k being the last one.
| Week | Speed Work | 3mi Easy Run | 3-6mi Easy Run | 3-6mi Easy/GP Run | Long Run/Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05.12-05.18 | 6x400m 5k pace | 3mi | 3mi | 3mi | 5mi |
| 05.19-05.25 | 30 min tempo | 3mi | 3mi | 3mi | 5mi |
| 05.26-06.01 | 6x short hill repeats | 3mi | 3mi | 3mi 10k pace | 6mi |
| 06.02-06.08 | 7x400m 5k pace | 3mi | 3mi | rest | Barrel Fest 5mi* |
| 06.09-06.15 | 35 min tempo | 3mi | 4mi | 4mi | 6mi |
| 06.16-06.22 | 7x short hill repeats | 3mi | 4mi | 4mi | 7mi |
| 06.23-06.29 | 8x400m 5k pace | 3mi | 4mi | 4mi 10k pace | 7mi |
| 06.30-07.06 | 40 min tempo | 3mi | 4mi | rest | Music City July 4th 5k |
| 07.07-07.13 | 8x short hill repeats | 3mi | 5mi | 5mi | 6mi |
| 07.14-07.20 | 9x400m 5k pace | 3mi | 5mi | 5mi | 6mi |
| 07.21-07.27 | 45 min tempo | 3mi | 5mi | 5mi 10k pace | 7mi |
| 07.28-08.03 | 4x long hill repeats | 3mi | 5mi | rest | Smyrna Parks 5k |
| 08.04-08.10 | 10x400m 5k pace | 3mi | 6mi | 6mi | 7mi |
| 08.11-08.17 | 50 min tempo | 3mi | 6mi | 6mi | 8mi |
| 08.18-08.24 | 5x long hill repeats | 3mi | 6mi | 6mi | 8mi |
| 08.25-09.01 | 6x400m 5k pace | 3mi | 3mi | rest | Franklin Classic 10k |
* The “Barrel Fest 5mi” is on there because I couldn’t find a 5k I liked that weekend. I did, however, find an interesting sounding 5 mile run, so my current plan is to run the miles in intervals: first mile at 5k pace, second mile at tempo, third mile at 5k pace, fourth mile at tempo, fifth mile at 5k pace. I am probably fooling myself to think I have that much control during an actual race. 😉
Pace Times:
5k goal pace: 09:00-09:30 min/mi
10k goal pace: 10:00-10:30 min/mi
Tempo: 10:30-11:30 min/mi
Easy: 12:00-12:30 min/mi
Jog: 13:00+ min/mi
Progressive Runner 
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