What it takes
A sub 35 minute 5K means holding 6:59 per km (11:15 per mile) from start to finish. In Jack Daniels' VDOT model, that is a fitness score of about 25.6.
The 5K pace chart has the splits for it. It also covers every other time from 14 to 45 minutes.
One consistent block of training usually moves a runner a couple of points. So this plan suits someone who runs the 5K in about 38:02 today.
Easy, threshold and interval paces come from that starting point, not from the goal, so you train at the fitness you have.
Sub 35: steady, not hard
Sub 35 is 6:59 per km, just under 7:00. At this level, the quickest gains come from running more often and more easily, not from hard sessions. This sample has three runs a week, and from week 4 one of them is a little faster. Easy pace is 9:19 to 9:44 per km, which should feel genuinely relaxed.
If you still walk parts of a 5K, that is fine on the way to sub 35. Just remember the arithmetic: any walking means the running parts must be quicker than 7:00 per km to average under it.
Easy runs at 9:19 to 9:44 per km can feel barely quicker than a brisk walk. That is fine. The fitness comes from time on your feet, so the long run's 58 minutes matter more than its pace.
Your training paces
Set from a 38:02 5K, the fitness this plan starts from.
| Pace | What it is for | Per km |
|---|---|---|
| Easy and long | Most of your running. | 9:19-9:44 |
| Threshold | Tempo runs. Comfortably hard. | 7:51 |
| Intervals | Hard repeats with recovery. | 7:15 |
The VDOT chart has the full set, repetition pace included.
The plan, week by week
3 running days a week, peaking at about 16 km. A taper leads into race day.
Long runs are on Sunday. Hard sessions are on Tuesday.