Your first race training plan, built in a minute

Pick a 5K, 10K or half marathon, tell us where you're starting, and get a week-by-week plan you can tick off on your phone. Free, no account, nothing leaves your device.

Build my plan

Build your plan

5K8weeks

Your 5K plan

3 runs a week · long run on Saturday · peak week 1 h 40 min

Tip: press “Save plan” to tick off sessions as you go. It's stored only in this browser.

Week1
Build · 1 h running
Run segments of 1 min. If a week felt hard, repeat it before moving on.
- Tue
  Run-walk · 20 min
  1 min run / 1.5 min walk, repeated for 20 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Run-walk · 20 min
  1 min run / 1.5 min walk, repeated for 20 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Sat
  Long run · 20 min
  1 min run / 1.5 min walk for 20 minutes. This is your longest session of the week; keep it gentle.
Week2
Build · 1 h 5 min running
Run segments of 2 min. If a week felt hard, repeat it before moving on.
- Tue
  Run-walk · 20 min
  2 min run / 1.5 min walk, repeated for 20 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Run-walk · 20 min
  2 min run / 1.5 min walk, repeated for 20 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Sat
  Long run · 25 min
  2 min run / 1.5 min walk for 25 minutes. This is your longest session of the week; keep it gentle.
Week3
Build · 1 h 20 min running
Run segments of 4 min. If a week felt hard, repeat it before moving on.
- Tue
  Run-walk · 25 min
  4 min run / 1 min walk, repeated for 25 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Run-walk · 25 min
  4 min run / 1 min walk, repeated for 25 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Sat
  Long run · 30 min
  4 min run / 1 min walk for 30 minutes. This is your longest session of the week; keep it gentle.
Week4
Cutback · 1 h 5 min running
Cutback week: a little less, so the last three weeks can sink in.
- Tue
  Run-walk · 20 min
  9 min run / 1 min walk, repeated for 20 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Run-walk · 20 min
  9 min run / 1 min walk, repeated for 20 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Sat
  Long run · 25 min
  9 min run / 1 min walk for 25 minutes. This is your longest session of the week; keep it gentle.
Week5
Build · 1 h 25 min running
Run segments of 20 min. If a week felt hard, repeat it before moving on.
- Tue
  Run-walk · 25 min
  20 min run / 1 min walk, repeated for 25 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Run-walk · 25 min
  20 min run / 1 min walk, repeated for 25 minutes. Start and finish with 5 minutes of brisk walking.
- Sat
  Long run · 35 min
  20 min run / 1 min walk for 35 minutes. This is your longest session of the week; keep it gentle.
Week6
Build · 1 h 35 min running
Longest run this week: 35 minutes.
- Tue
  Easy run · 30 min
  30 minutes at a pace where you could chat in full sentences. Walk breaks are allowed.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Easy run · 30 min
  30 minutes at a pace where you could chat in full sentences. Walk breaks are allowed.
- Sat
  Long run · 35 min
  35 minutes at easy, conversational effort. Walk breaks are fine; time on your feet is the goal.
Week7
Build · 1 h 40 min running
Longest run this week: 40 minutes.
- Tue
  Easy run · 30 min
  30 minutes at a pace where you could chat in full sentences. Walk breaks are allowed.
- Wed
  Optional cross-training
  20–30 minutes of cycling, swimming or walking, or 10 minutes of strength work (squats, lunges, calf raises, planks). Or rest.
- Thu
  Easy run · 30 min
  30 minutes at a pace where you could chat in full sentences. Walk breaks are allowed.
- Sat
  Long run · 40 min
  40 minutes at easy, conversational effort. Walk breaks are fine; time on your feet is the goal.
Week8
Race week · 35 min running
Race week: freshen up. The work is done.
- Mon
  Rest
  Rest. Lay out your kit and check the race instructions.
- Tue
  Easy + strides · 20 min
  15 minutes easy, then 4 × 20-second relaxed faster strides with full walk-back recovery.
- Thu
  Short shakeout · 15 min
  10–15 very easy minutes. Nothing to prove this week.
- Fri
  Rest
  Rest, hydrate normally, eat familiar food, early night.
- Sat
  Race day: 5K
  Start slower than feels right for the first kilometre, then settle in. Planned walk breaks are a perfectly good race strategy.

How the plans work

Every RaceReady plan follows the same three rules coaches use with beginners:

Mostly easy. Nearly every run is at a pace where you could hold a conversation. This builds your heart, lungs, tendons and bones without wrecking you for the next session.
Small steps. The long run grows by a few minutes each week, and every fourth week backs off so your body can absorb the work.
Fresh on race day. The last week (two for a half) trims the volume so you start with bouncy legs.

Brand-new runners start with run-walk intervals: a minute of running, a minute and a half of walking, repeated. The run segments stretch week by week until you're running 20 minutes without a break. If a week feels too hard, repeat it. That's not failing; that's training.

Want the full detail for one distance? See the 5K plan, 10K plan or half marathon plan.

Stuck? Ask the coach

An AI answers questions about training for a first 5K, 10K or half. It's general guidance, not medical advice. Your question is sent to our AI provider and isn't stored by us.

Everything else for race one

Pace calculatorTurn a finish-time goal into a per-km or per-mile pace, and predict your 10K from your 5K.Race-day checklistTick-off kit list and morning timeline.Run-walk timerBeeps you through intervals.Running for beginnersForm, breathing and the first week.Find a raceHow to choose, and where to look.

Questions first-timers ask

Is this training plan really free, with no sign-up?

Yes. The plan is built in your browser. If you press Save, it is stored in your browser’s local storage on this device only. There is no account, email or payment.

How is this different from Couch to 5K?

Couch to 5K is a fixed nine-week run-walk programme. RaceReady adapts to your starting level, your race date, whether you can run three or four days a week, and it goes beyond 5K to 10K and half marathon plans using the same gentle progression.

Why are the plans in minutes rather than miles?

New runners’ paces vary hugely, so a “3 mile” run can take one person 27 minutes and another 45. Time-based sessions keep the load similar for everyone and stop you rushing to hit a distance.

What if I miss a week?

Repeat the last week you completed comfortably, then carry on. If you miss more than two weeks, step back two weeks. A plan that bends is better than a plan you abandon.

Can I walk during my first race?

Absolutely. Planned walk breaks are a legitimate race strategy used by runners at every level, and nobody at a parkrun or local 5K will think twice about it.