Beginner · 5K
9-Week Beginner 5K Training Plan
Run your first 5K strong, or take minutes off with steady progression.
- Event
- 5K
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- 9 weeks
- Days / week
- 4
The full 9-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.
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Week 1
Base
Easy Easy Easy Long
Key session Easy Run 4.03 km
Weekly volume 1h 52m
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Week 2
Base
Easy Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 4.18 km
Weekly volume 2h 00m
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Week 3
Build Recovery
Tempo Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 3.45 km
Weekly volume 1h 25m
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Week 4
Build
Tempo Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 4.47 km
Weekly volume 2h 01m
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Week 5
Build
Tempo Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 4.76 km
Weekly volume 2h 04m
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Week 6
Build Recovery
Tempo Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 3.45 km
Weekly volume 1h 29m
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Week 7
Build
Tempo Easy Easy Long
Key session Long Run 5.34 km
Weekly volume 2h 11m
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Week 8
Taper
Tempo Easy Easy Long
Key session Tempo Run 3.95 km
Weekly volume 1h 41m
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Week 9
Race
Recovery Strides Recovery Race Day
Key session Race Day: Run 5 km
Weekly volume 1h 35m
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
Frequently asked
How many days a week is the 9-week beginner 5k training plan?
This plan runs 4 days a week over 9 weeks, structured in base, build, peak, and taper phases. If 4 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 beginner athlete?
Yes, it's written for a beginner athlete. It assumes you can currently do light exercise and builds gradually with plenty of easy volume. 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 9-week plan as an adaptive, personalised programme that adjusts to your fitness and your week, free for the first two weeks.