Coach Bernie's 8 Week Training Plan for a 5 Mile Road Race
By Coach Bernie Livingston
 |
Welcome to Road Running! Whether for fun or fitness, we hope this training guide will help you develop a comfortable plan as you prepare for the challenge of a 5 Mile race. Use this as a guide only. Run with ease to avoid strain and injury. Run without guilt. Let this be a time of satisfaction for you and remember you have months and years ahead to become even more proficient. If this is your first race, remember to set your goal reasonably. Just to complete a race is a wonderful accomplishment. We will all be celebrating. |
General Tips
Aim for running between 4-6 days per week but if you only have 3 days to run you can still meet your goal. Five days is a perfect schedule but not always possible. Always make ay least one day a day of rest.
Drink fluids generously before and after exercise.
For all workouts give yourself 5 minutes of easy walking/running for a warm-up and cool down. Also stretch your lower back, hamstrings and calves.
Choose a 5 mile race goal, usually calculated from knowing the pace of your best time for one mile (see the pacing chart below). For example, if your best time for one mile is 8 Minutes 55 Seconds, your race goal should be 49:10, averaging 9:50 per mile. Use the pacing chart to determine the pace you will use with the training guide.
Aerobic Pace (AC) is a comfortable pace, meant to be run without panting; run being able to talk with a companion. If you are a brand new runner, you should start out with a combination of walking and running. For instance, during the first days, begin by walking half a mile, run a half and alternate half or quarter miles for the total distance. As you become conditioned over the first three weeks you will be able to run more and walk less. Aim for the total miles.
| Training Guide | |||||||
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| Week 1 | 2 Miles (AC) | 3 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 3 Miles (AC) | 2 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 4 Miles (AC) |
| Week 2 | 2 Miles (AC) | 3 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 3 Miles (AC) | 2 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 4 Miles (AC) |
| Week 3 | 2 Miles (AC) | 3 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 3 Miles (E/H/E) | 2 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 5 Miles (AC) |
| Week 4 | 2 Miles (AC) | 4 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 4 Miles (AC) | 3 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 4 Miles Race Pace |
| Week 5 | 2 Miles (AC) | 4 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 3 Miles (E/H/E) | 3 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 6 Miles (AC) |
| Week 6 | 2 Miles (AC) | 4 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 4 Miles (AC) | 3 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 2 Miles Race Pace |
| Week 7 | 2 Miles (AC) | 1 Mile Race Pace | Rest Day | 3 Miles (E/H/E) | 2 Miles (AC) | Rest Day | 5 Miles (AC) |
| The week before the race - Take it Easy!! | |||||||
| Week 8 | 2 Miles (AC) | 1 Mile Race Pace | ¾ Mile Race Pace | ½ Mile Race Pace | ¼ Mile Race Pace | Rest Day | RACE DAY |
(AC) = Aerobic Pace (E/H/E) = Easy/Hard/Easy Pace per mile.
| Pacing Chart |
|||
| Race Goal -5 Mile Time | Minute Per Mile Race Pace | One Hard Mile Best Mile Time | Aerobic Pace |
| 25:00 | 5:00 | 4:24 | 6:21 |
| 25:50 | 5:10 | 4:33 | 6:30 |
| 26:40 | 5:20 | 4:42 | 6:40 |
| 27:30 | 5:30 | 4:51 | 6:53 |
| 28:20 | 5:40 | 5:00 | 7:07 |
| 29:10 | 5:50 | 5:09 | 7:21 |
| 30:00 | 6:00 | 5:18 | 7:32 |
| 30:50 | 6:10 | 5:27 | 7:45 |
| 31:40 | 6:20 | 5:36 | 7:57 |
| 32:30 | 6:30 | 5:45 | 8:20 |
| 33:20 | 6:40 | 5:54 | 8:32 |
| 34:10 | 6:50 | 6:03 | 8:44 |
| 35:00 | 7:00 | 6:13 | 8:57 |
| 35:50 | 7:10 | 6:22 | 9:10 |
| 36:40 | 7:20 | 6:31 | 9:21 |
| 37:30 | 7:30 | 6:40 | 9:31 |
| 38:20 | 7:40 | 6:49 | 9:43 |
| 39:10 | 7:50 | 6:59 | 9:55 |
| 40:00 | 8:00 | 7:09 | 10:05 |
| 40:50 | 8:10 | 7:18 | 10:18 |
| 41:50 | 8:20 | 7:28 | 10:30 |
| 42:30 | 8:40 | 7:47 | 10:41 |
| 44:10 | 8:50 | 7:56 | 10:54 |
| 45:00 | 9:00 | 8:06 | 11:06 |
| 45:50 | 9:10 | 8:15 | 11:18 |
| 46:40 | 9:20 | 8:25 | 11:29 |
| 47:30 | 9:30 | 8:36 | 11:40 |
| 48:20 | 9:40 | 8:46 | 11:53 |
| 49:10 | 9:50 | 8:55 | 12:06 |
| 50:00 | 10:00 | 9:02 | 12:16 |
| 50:50 | 10:10 | 9:12 | 12:27 |
| 51:40 | 10:20 | 9:23 | 12:36 |
| 52:30 | 10:40 | 9:42 | 12:58 |
| 54:10 | 10:50 | 9:51 | 13:09 |
| 55:00 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 13:20 |
