Training For A 5k Race On A Treadmill
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By Simon Gould
A 5k race is often the first race a beginner will join. It's the smallest distance being only 3.1 miles and there are many couch to 5k training plans out there. The world record for men is 12 minutes 37.35 seconds and for women it is 14 minutes 11.15 seconds. Both of those are extremely fast even for the best of hobby runners. Don't expect to get near those times. Training on a treadmill means that bad weather can not let you down.
Your time will depend on a number of factors but using this training plan we intend to give you a respectable one for your fitness level. This plan is designed for runners who can run 1 mile. It doesn't matter at what time you can run the mile just that you have a beginning level of fitness already. If you are totally new to running we have our own couch to 5k plan which will help you.
The 5k plan
The first thing you will notice are rest days. Rest is important for any running plan as it helps you recover. For this reason we put a rest day after the long run. You will see "CT" written in a day, this means it's a cross training day (elliptical, bike or swim). This will be easier than running but will give you a further fitness boost. For the long run on a Sunday you're given the amount of minutes to run.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rest | 1 mile | CT | 1 mile | Rest | CT | 15 minutes |
| 2 | Rest | 1 mile | CT | 1 mile | Rest | CT | 20 minutes |
| 3 | Rest | 1.25 miles | CT | 1.25 miles | Rest | CT | 25 minutes |
| 4 | Rest | 1.5 miles | CT | 1.5 miles | Rest | CT | 30 minutes |
| 5 | Rest | 2 miles | CT | 2 miles | Rest | CT | 35 minutes |
| 6 | Rest | 2.25 miles | CT | 2.25 miles | Rest | CT | 40 minutes |
| 7 | Rest | 2.5 miles | CT | 2.5 miles | Rest | CT | 45 minutes |
| 8 | Rest | 3 miles | CT | 2 miles | Rest | Rest | 5k Race! |
As you can see we have 2 days of rest for you a week. You have cross training days in between your run days. You will be running for more than the race distance for a few of the long runs on Sunday. These are to get you running quicker when you go to race at a short distance. For some Wednesday runs, run at race pace or faster so you can go for a good time on race day.
For your Tuesday run, try to run outside so your body can get used to running on the same surface as your race. The 8 weeks plan is quite a long preparation for a 5k race so if you feel you can skip a week then do so. That's it, if this is your first race then take in the atmosphere of the run and enjoy yourself. You won't be the quickest but hopefully you won't be last. Remember your time and see if you can beat it next time.
Thinking of buying a treadmill? See my top 3 recommended treadmills for 2021
Meet The Author
I'm Simon Gould. I've been around treadmills my whole life. From running on them at an early age to working in treadmill dept's of national stores. I've run outside and I've run on treadmills and I prefer running on treadmills. I still run on one nearly every day and love it.
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