5k Training Schedule Once / Twice a Week

Hi guys,

First post here. Quick introduction: I'm 32 with a background in several sports but also a history of knee problems (I've had 4 operations)

I started going running a few months ago as much as a way of exercising the dog as anything. I found I quite enjoyed it and in the past couple of weeks, have started taking part in park-run events, with times of 18:56 and then 18:34.

I've caught the bug and now I'd really like to improve this. However, due to a couple of reasons (I play a lot of competitive tennis for one and my knees for two), I'm realistically restricted to one (two at a push) training sessions per week. Can anyone suggest an effective 5k training schedule based on 1 or 2 sessions per week?

I have done a search of 5k training schedules but they all seem to say 'Monday do this, Tuesday do this, Wednesday do this etc' which unfortunately isn't an option for me! 

Thanks in advance, Ian

Comments

  • SupernoodleSupernoodle ✭✭✭
    I'd say just do gentle runs building your mileage up. Without a decent mileage per week effort sessions will be higher risk for injury, and your tennis has you dashing about anyway.

    Interesting runners are advised to avoid sports like tennis as cross training due to strain on knees.
  • Yeah I'm sure the tennis isn't the best thing for my knees but it's my number 1 sport and I'd never pack it in unless I was forced to.

    The only reason I mention both the tennis and my knees is because they affect the number of days I can train. If for instance, I have tennis Sunday and Thursday, my weekly schedule might be:

    Monday - rest

    Tuesday - train

    Wednesday - rest

    Thursday - tennis

    Friday - rest

    Saturday - train / parkrun

    Sunday - tennis

    If I was training twice in the same week (ie not doing parkrun), would you make both of these training sessions long gentle runs?

     

     

  • >> ✭✭✭

    one long and one session i think.

     

    try these sessions for 5k

     

    pyramid set - 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, (1 min recovery between each)

    tempo reps  - 4 x (5 min hard, 1 min recovery) 

    tempo run - 20 min at pace

    long run - 40 mins easy

     

    track interval - 400m is approx 1 min so

     

    pyramid set - 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m

    other session - 5 x 1200m, 8 x 800m, 12 x 400m

    etc,

     

    HTH

  • >> ✭✭✭

    sorry the other session part is three sessions (not 1 !)

    this i think is example of 5k pace sets if i remember correct.

  • Replace 1 or 2 of your  rest days with easy 20 min runs on treadmill.

    Your long run does not need to exceed 40 mins.

    There is no need to smash out intervals on track if you have knee problems and tennis is your number 1 sport. 

     

  • pyramid set - 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, (1 min recovery between each)

    tempo reps  - 4 x (5 min hard, 1 min recovery) 

    tempo run - 20 min at pace

    long run - 40 mins easy

     


    Thanks. I did a longer run (5 miles, 42 mins) last night. In both the 5k's I've done, I've found the last mile tough so I do think I need some longer runs to help with the endurance aspect.

    By 'tempo', how fast do you mean? (relative to my race pace)

     

  • Replace 1 or 2 of your  rest days with easy 20 min runs on treadmill.

    I know this might be good advice for most runners but due to my knees, I genuinely need 3 complete rest days a week.  

    When I made the initial post, I wasn't asking 'how many days a week should I train?' but rather 'what would be best to maximise the benefit of limited training?'

     

    There is no need to smash out intervals on track if you have knee problems and tennis is your number 1 sport. 

    Thanks. What would be your suggestion if not intervals?

     

  • Run a weekly Park Run or a 2 mile time trial as your weekly speed work out.

    A tempo run refers to a run at race pace such as a  2 mile run at 5k race pace or a 4 mile run at 10k race pace.

  • Thanks, that's useful.

     

    I tried a 4 mile tempo run this morning. I didn't know my 10km race pace but estimated it at 6:30 average mile (based on 5:59 average mile over 5km). I managed under 6:30 average mile but know for a fact that there's no way I could have maintained it for 10km!

     

    It got me thinking though..................if you're training for a 5km, is it not best to run 4 miles at a pace as quick as possible, so that you're training as close as possible to your 5km race pace?

    Or is there any reason for doing it at 10km race pace (which is obviously going to be slower)?

  • SupernoodleSupernoodle ✭✭✭
    Because I'd be cream crackered if I did all my running fast. Lots of easy miles will build endurance. Small amounts of high intensity effort will let me do it week in week out without burn out.
  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    Hi Ian,

    18:30 is pretty impressive given your background.  Surely tennis is hard on those knees... maybe time to drop it and become a runnerimage

    I'd make the following observations

    • You've done a 3.1 mile park run at sub 6 minute pace, but you say that 4 miles at 6:30 pace was challenging (you couldn't maintain it for 10km.
    • This is a clear indicator that your aerobic base is weak.  (when your run 'aerobically' you are running at a pace where you create almost all of your energy by burning fuel (usually glycogen from carbohydrates) using oxygen that you breathe in
    • This race time converter www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/rws-race-time-predictor/1681.html indicates that if you were well trained, you should do a 10K at around 6:14 per mile - but your aerobic system is not letting you do this
    • This is exactly what you must expect on your training and tennis background. To improve, you need to exercise aerobically for longer periods. I would build that long run up to at least an hour and on one of your rest days, could you fit in another aerobic exercise without knackering your knees? Swim? Cycle? It could make a really very big difference if you can only run twice a week. (would be good for your tennis too)
    • When you are racing a 10K or shorter distances, you go at speeds that need more energy than can be supplied just by burning glycogen with the oxygen you breathe.  The aerobic system still plays an important part, but other energy systems come into play - which are essentially anaerobic - fuel sources are broken down by enzymes for fast release of energy.  The downside of these processes are that they produce waste products that can and do slow you down once they build up.
    • Your slow runs train your aerobic energy systems. But you should do one 'speed' session a week.  Mix it up a bit. Maybe 800m or 1200m intervals one week, tempo the next. Tempo runs are good (make sure you do at least a mile, preferably 2 warming up and building speed before the speedy bits.  Find good speeds for training here www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/rws-training-pace-calculator/1676.html
    • Running your tempo runs at around 10K pace is done for 2 reasons. Partly so you aren't cream crackered for your next session/tennis match  but importantly, it ensures you recruit and train the optimum anaerobic energy systems.
    • In simple terms your aerobic runs increase the pace you can run before your body needs to recruit anaerobic systems - so it is a pace that can be maintained for a long time, as few nasty waste products build up in your blood/muscles.
    • And your tempo runs do produce waste products - but you run them at a pace where your body is at a threshold and can just about clear that waste at a rate that stops them building up too much.   If you run that tempo run too fast (say at 3K race pace), then your system will get flooded by waste products, you'll get knackered quickly, and there isn't an optimum training effect (you really want to work on increasing that "threshold" pace - above which waste products start to build rapidly. Running for 20-40 minutes at your current threshold pace (approx 10-14K pace) will help increase your threshold pace.
    • So I would strongly recommend that you don't do a Park Run or 2 mile time trial every week.  Do your park run once a month to monitor progress and have fun, but you'll get much better training effect by running a bit slower (maybe 6:20 pace) for a bit longer).  
    • There's
  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭
    • There's obviously some simplifications in there.... but hopefully helpful to get you to the next stage, and get you reading more about the subject.
    • Good luck with those knees.  Get good shoes. Run on softer surfaces when possible...  and work out if tennis is damaging your knees.  If so, think about taking some tough decisions.  If they're getting knackered already... a lot of your life is spent over the age of 40 and you don't want to be restricted.

    Edit

    • Where I said do tempo runs one week and intervals the next, I would really focus more on tempo type runs 2 weeks in every 3.
    • Interval training is done at faster speeds.  This definitely has its place and is good for you, but given where you are, I would have a bias towards doing aerobic and tempo runs.
    • Also, to be clear, when you run your 5K race (which I'm assuming is your short/mid term focus), most of your energy comes from the aerobic system...  so the more efficient you can make that system, the better.  But you do dip into those anaerobic systems, with the nasty biproducts... so you do benefit from that speed work.
  • SupernoodleSupernoodle ✭✭✭
    Handy post Nose Nowt. ( Oh the irony of the name....image ) Thanks
  • Nose Nowt, thanks for such a detailed response.

    I agree with you that my aerobic base is weak and I do find long distances very difficult. I'm naturally quite quick (I spent 2 years in my late teens running the 400 metres competitively) but by the last mile of the parkruns, I'm dying on my arse and desperate to see the finish line!

    I think this is because (up to last week), my training was all 5k or shorter, never further. I think you're definitely right that I need to focus on longer distances a bit slower than my 5k race pace.

     

    On one of your rest days, could you fit in another aerobic exercise without knackering your knees? Swim? Cycle?

    Yeah quite possibly. I did a lot of cycling last year, it might be an idea to get the bike out again.

     

    Where I said do tempo runs one week and intervals the next, I would really focus more on tempo type runs 2 weeks in every 3.

    Yeah that's my plan now, cheers.

     

    This has been my training the past week or so since I made the original post:

    Tuesday 17th: 5 miles, 8:20 average mile (very steady - just seeing how my knees reacted to running so far)

    Saturday 21st: Parkrun, 7:15 average mile (my legs were very tired and achy from tennis the day before, but I fancied going anyway so took the dog and jogged round)

    Monday 23rd: 4 miles, 6:25 average mile (all out, 100%) 

     

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    Great.  That 4 miler.  It's really good to have at least half a mile at a gentler pace than going 100%!   And if you're ever doing a serious attempt at a 5K time trial/park run, it will make quite a difference to jog a mile first, then do some hundred+ metre runs approaching race-pace to get all those physiological systems turning over.

  • Hi Ian, please take a look at my site which (hopefully) will help! I had similar problem to you in finding training plans that didn't just say: "Monday-Rest, Tuesday-Run", etc. So I put together some 5km and 10km training plans that are geared towards a particular race pace and target time.
    http://www.runningfastr.com/5k-training-plan/18-minute-5k-training-plan/

    Hope you find useful.
    Cheers,
    Matt
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