Run it around your neighborhood, or get the same workout on a treadmill with incline cues.
Warm-up
- Easy jog10–15 min
Longer warm-up before hard efforts — your engine needs to be fully online before the first hard rep.
- Dynamic drills~5 min
Leg swings, walking lunges, high knees, butt kicks, A-skips, carioca.
- Strides4 × 20 s
Build to ~90% over 20 s, float the last few steps, walk back to full recovery. Primes your legs for fast running.
Main set
- 5K race3.1 mi (5K) at goal effort
Your goal 5K effort — controlled-hard and repeatable, the rhythm you want on race day.
Warm up 10–15 min easy plus 3–4 strides. Go out controlled (don't bank time early), settle into your goal rhythm, then empty the tank over the last km.
Outside: a certified 5K, a track (12.5 laps), or any flat measured route works.
💡 Even effort wins 5Ks — resist a fast start. Trust the work you've put in.
Cool-down & stretch
- Easy jog / walk5–10 min
Bring the heart rate down gradually before you stop.
- Calf stretch30 s × each
Hands on wall, back leg straight, heel down. Then bend the knee slightly to hit the lower calf (soleus).
- Standing hamstring30 s × each
Heel on a low step, hips back, flat back, hinge forward until you feel the stretch.
- Hip flexor lunge30 s × each
Half-kneeling, tuck the pelvis and press hips forward. Huge for runners who sit all day.
- Quad stretch30 s × each
Standing, pull heel to glute, knees together, stand tall.
- Figure-4 glute / piriformis30 s × each
Seated or lying, ankle over opposite knee, gently pull the thigh in.
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