5k Treadmill Training Schedule

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No matter what may have forced you to abandon running in the outdoors for using a treadmill, it is absolutely possible to train for your 5k performance with a treadmill. This article summarises an eight weeks 5k runner’s schedule on a treadmill.

However, those who aren’t training for a 5k run can still follow this plan and use it to train themselves during extremely cold or hot seasons.

Different Treadmill Workouts

  • Hill Repeats: Hill repeats allow you to manage your treadmill’s steepness. The workout help build confidence, strength, and speed. As indicated in the schedule, do repeat the recoveries for the stipulated time amount.
  • Pyramid Workouts: This is done after warming up for 5 minutes. You need to run hard for certain minutes and recover for the same amount of minutes until you get to the peak. It also ends with 5 min of cooling down
  • Sprint Intervals : Also done after a warm-up, the sprint interval is all about increasing pace for 30 seconds and catching your breath for 90 seconds with easy jogging. Once you’ve repeated the interval for stipulated time amount, go ahead to cool down.
  • Long Runs (LR) And Easy Pace (EP) Runs: This exercises will help you grow your stamina. They should be done at a conversational pace and you should still be able to string sentences together and breathe easily. Hard breathing indicates too much speed. If you’re breathing hard, take it easy and slow.
  • Cross-training (CT): This exercise involves any activity that you love doing apart from running. For example, it could be swimming, biking or any other. These prevent your workout activities from being monotonous.
  • Strength-training: Strength building is important for running. At least do this training one day in a week. It doesn’t have to be too intense though.
  • Rest Day: This is when you take the day off or perform cross-training

 5K Treadmill Schedule For 8 Weeks

1st Week 

Day 1: Do CT for 40 min or rest

Day 2: Hill repeats: Do EP for 10 min. Spend 2 minutes at an incline of 3.0 and 1 min at an incline of 1.0. Repeat this pattern three times. Then do another 10 minutes of EP

Day 3: Do CT for 30 min or rest

Day 4: Sprint interval: warm-up for 5 min; spend 30 seconds hard effort and 90 seconds on easy pace and do all eight times. Cool down for 5-minutes

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do LR for 4 miles

Day 7: Do 2 miles of EP

2nd Week 

Day 1: spend 40 min on CT or rest

Day 2: Hill repeats: Do EP for 10 min. Spend 2 minutes at an incline of 3.0 and 1 min at an incline of 1.0. Repeat this pattern three times. Then do another 10 minutes of EP.

Day 3: Do CT for 3: min or rest

Day 4: Sprint interval: warm-up for 5 min; spend 30 seconds on hard effort and 90 seconds on an easy pace. Do all of these nine times. Cool down for 5-minutes.

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do 7 miles LR

Day 7: Do 3 miles EP

Third Week

Day 1: Spend 40 min on CT or rest.

Day 2: Sprint interval: warm-up for 5 min; spend 30 seconds on hard effort and 90 seconds on an easy pace. Do all of these eight times. Cool down for 5-minutes.

Day 3: Do 30 min CT or rest

Day 4: Do some Pyramid workout: begin with 5-minute warm-up; 5K pace for 1 minute at, 1 minute easy; proceed with 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; do 5K pace for 3 min, 3 min easy; another 5K pace for 3 minutes, 3 min easy; do 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; 5k pace for 1 minute and 1 min easy; use last 5-minute to cool down

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do 6 miles LR

Day 7: Do 3 miles EP

Fourth Week

Day 1: spend 40 min on CT or rest.

Day 2: Hill repeats: Do EP for 10 min. Spend 2 minutes at an incline of 3.0 and 1 min at an incline of 1.0. Repeat this pattern two times. Then do another 10 minutes of EP

Day 3: Do 30 min CT or rest.

Day 4: Sprint interval: warm-up for 5 min; spend 30 seconds on hard effort or 90 seconds on an easy pace. Do them ten times. Cool down for 5-minutes.

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do 7 miles LR

Day 7: Do 3 miles EP

Fifth Week 

Day 1: spend 40 min on CT or rest.

Day 2: sprint interval: warm-up for 5 min; spend 30 seconds on hard effort or 90 seconds on an easy pace. Do any of these two ten times. Cool down for 5-minutes and sprint at interval; spend 30 seconds on hard effort or 90 seconds on an easy pace. Do any of these two nine times.

Day 3: Do 30 min CT or rest.

Day 4: Do some Pyramid workout: begin with 5-minute warm-up; 5K pace for 1 minute at, 1 minute easy; proceed with 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; do 5K pace for 3 min, 3 min easy; another 5K pace for 3 minutes, 3 min easy; do 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; 5k pace for 1 minute and 1 min easy; use last 5-minute to cool down.

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do 6 miles LR

Day 7: Do 3 miles EP

Sixth Week 

Day 1: 40 min CT or rest

Day 2: Hill repeats: Do EP for 10 min. Spend 2 minutes at an incline of 3.5 and 1 min at an incline of 1.0 Repeat this pattern five times. Then do another 10 minutes of EP.

Day 3: 30 min CT or rest

Day 4: Do some Pyramid workout: begin with 5-minute warm-up; 5K pace for 1 minute, 1 minute easy; proceed with 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; do 5K pace for 3 min, 3 min easy; another 5K pace for 3 minutes, 3 min easy; do 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; 5k pace for 1 minute and 1 min easy; use last 5-minute to cool down

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do 6 miles LR

Day 7: Do 3 miles EP

Seventh Week 

Day 1: Spend 40 min CT or rest

Day 2: sprint interval: warm-up for 5 min; spend 30 seconds on hard effort or 90 seconds on an easy pace. Do them eight times. Cool down for 5-minutes.

Day 3: Do 30 min CT or rest

Day 4: Do some Pyramid workout: begin with 5-minute warm-up; 5K pace for 1 minute at, 1 minute easy; proceed with 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; do 5K pace for 3 min, 3 min easy; another 5K pace for 3 minutes, 3 min easy; do 2 minutes at 5K pace, 2 min easy; 5k pace for 1 minute and 1 min easy; use last 5-minute to cool down.

Day 5: Rest day

Day 6: Do 6 miles LR

Day 7: Do 3 miles EP

Eighth Week 

Day 1: Do 30 min CT

Day 2: Rest day

Day 3: EP for 1 mile, 5k pace for 1 mile; 1 mile of EP

Day 4: Rest day

Day 5: 3 miles of EP

Day 6: Rest day

Day 7: 5K Race!

 

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