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Advanced · 5K

8-Week Advanced 5K Training Plan

Peak your 5K with high-volume speed and threshold work.

Event
5K
Level
Advanced
Length
8 weeks
Days / week
6
Download the free PDF

The full 8-week plan as a PDF, every session, styled like the app.

The full plan, week by week

Base, build, peak, then taper: periodised so you arrive on race day fit and fresh, not overtrained.

  1. Week 1

    Base

    Recovery Easy Easy Easy Easy Long

    Key session Long Run 7.37 km

    Weekly volume 4h 22m

  2. Week 2

    Base

    Recovery Easy Easy Easy Easy Long

    Key session Long Run 11.28 km

    Weekly volume 5h 29m

  3. Week 3

    Build

    Recovery Threshold Easy Easy VO2max Long

    Key session Long Run 11.28 km

    Weekly volume 5h 09m

  4. Week 4

    Build Recovery

    Recovery Threshold Easy Easy VO2max Long

    Key session Long Run 10.85 km

    Weekly volume 4h 42m

  5. Week 5

    Build

    Recovery Threshold Easy Easy VO2max Long

    Key session Long Run 13.45 km

    Weekly volume 5h 36m

  6. Week 6

    Build

    Recovery Threshold Easy Easy VO2max Long

    Key session Long Run 15.05 km

    Weekly volume 6h 07m

  7. Week 7

    Peak

    Recovery VO2max Easy Easy Threshold Long

    Key session Long Run 12.73 km

    Weekly volume 5h 29m

  8. Week 8

    Race

    Recovery Recovery Strides Recovery Recovery Race Day

    Key session Race Day: Run 5 km

    Weekly volume 2h 55m

Row shading shows each week's training volume against the peak week.

This outline is the skeleton. Gritup makes it yours.

A printed plan can't know that you were travelling last week, that your long run felt awful, or that your fitness jumped. Gritup takes this exact structure and makes it adaptive:

  • Calibrated to you. Paces and zones set from your recent results, not a generic label.
  • Adapts when life happens. Miss a session or a week and the plan rebuilds the path to race day.
  • Fits your real schedule. Choose your training days, and the plan reshapes around them instead of the other way round.
  • One app, every sport. Run, bike, swim, or combine them for triathlon, without juggling separate apps.

Get the adaptive version on your phone

Download on the App Store

Frequently asked

How many days a week is the 8-week advanced 5k training plan?

This plan runs 6 days a week over 8 weeks, structured in base, build, peak, and taper phases. If 6 days doesn't fit your week, Gritup can rebuild the same goal around the days you actually have.

Is this 5k plan right for a advanced athlete?

Yes, it's written for a advanced athlete. It assumes you already have a training base and layers in threshold and race-specific work. In the app, the plan calibrates to your recent results rather than a one-size label.

What happens if I miss a session or get sick?

With a static plan you're on your own: shift the week and hope the balance still works. Gritup re-plans the remaining weeks around a missed session, an injury, or a busy stretch, so you always have a coherent plan to race day instead of a broken schedule.

Is this training plan really free?

Yes. The full week-by-week outline on this page is free to follow. Gritup itself is a subscription that turns this skeleton into an adaptive, personalised plan, with a free trial and no card required to start.

5K plan

Follow the outline. Or let Gritup run it for you.

Get this 8-week plan as an adaptive, personalised programme that adjusts to your fitness and your week, free for the first two weeks.

First 2 weeks free No card required
Download on the App Store