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The 4-Day Running Week™
5K Training Plans
Beginner, intermediate, and advanced
training plans in 8 – 16 week versions
training plans in 8 – 16 week versions
Why Run 4 Days a Week?
Every run has a clear purpose
There are no junk miles in these training plans. Intervals, a medium long easy run, tempo, and a long run create the perfect balance with an 80/20 ratio of easy running and intensities above the aerobic threshold.
Recovery drives adaptation
Each of the 3 key workouts (intervals, tempo, and long run) is followed by 48 hours of recovery. This enhances adaptation, reduces the risk of injury, and ensures you arrive fresh for the next key workout.
Make time for cross-training
You have your hands free on 3 days per week for strength training, cross-training, or mobility work. Alternatively, you may rest and spend your time freely on other hobbies, social events, or with your family.
How It Works
Get Started in 3 Simple Steps
1. Choose your 4-day training plan
Find your perfect plan based on your race distance, level, and duration.
2. Activate your free FinalSurge® account
A flexible online calendar, individual training zones, and trackable progress.
3. Upload the workouts to your watch
Follow the instructions for your structured workouts on your watch in real-time.
Imperial or Metric
5K
Beginner
training plan
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Peaks at 18 mi/week
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Longest run 6 mi
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4 runs/week
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8, 12, 16 weeks
5K
Intermediate
training plan
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Peaks at 28 mi/week
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Longest run 9 mi
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4 runs/week
-
8, 12, 16 weeks
5K
Advanced
training plan
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Peaks at 37 mi/week
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Longest run 12 mi
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4 runs/week
-
8, 12, 16 weeks
5K
Beginner
plan in km
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Peaks at 30 km/week
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Longest run 10 km
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4 runs/week
-
8, 12, 16 weeks
5K
Intermediate
plan in km
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Peaks at 45 km/week
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Longest run 15 km
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4 runs/week
-
8, 12, 16 weeks
5K
Advanced
plan in km
-
Peaks at 60 km/week
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Longest run 20 km
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4 runs/week
-
8, 12, 16 weeks
Choose a plan according to your ability and the mileage you are used to. If your current fitness is high you can start with an 8- or 12-week plan. If you’re coming off maintenance or want to rebuild your base then I recommend the longer 16-week plan.
But don’t worry, if a plan turns out to be too easy or too hard for you, I’ll change it for you free of charge within 14 days of your purchase.
Yes, you can fully adjust the plan to your needs.
Training zones
You can personalize the training zones based on your fitness level for any plan with a click of a mouse button. Take a recent race result (or an educated guess) for your current ability and then update your zones as needed toward your goal race pace.
Training days
You can move your workouts easily with the drag and drop feature. For instance, if you prefer your long run on a Sunday instead of a Saturday, you can change the order of workouts. Just make sure you don’t have any hard back-to-back sessions.
You can also add aerobic cross-training, such as cycling or swimming, strength training, or mobility work on your rest days.
Race Day
By default my plans assume the race is on a Sunday. Should your race fall on a Saturday, then remove Wednesday’s easy run and bring the workouts that follow 1 day forward.
FinalSurge is one of the leading online training platforms for endurance athletes. Here you can upload your workouts to your running watch and follow the instructions in real-time. Post-workout it syncs your training data where you can observe your progress over time.
FinalSurge comes in free and paid versions. The free versions work just fine with any of my training plans.
You can contact me anytime via email if you have questions about the training plan or training in general.
But for personalized training consider my 1-on-1 online coaching.
Sandro Sket, CSCS
NSCA-Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Hi, I’m Sandro — coach and founder of RunningFront. I have been racing everything from the 400m to the marathon since my teens. I know what it takes to handle hard track sessions and demanding long runs.
As an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with 12 years of coaching experience, I work with ambitious runners who want measurable progress and faster race times.
My focus is simple: turn your training into race-day performance.
These plans are built for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners preparing for time goals from the 5K to the marathon on TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge.
Sandro Sket, CSCS
NSCA-Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Hi, I’m Sandro — coach and founder of RunningFront. I have been racing everything from the 400m to the marathon since my teens. I know what it takes to handle hard track sessions and demanding long runs.
As an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with 12 years of coaching experience, I work with ambitious runners who want measurable progress and faster race times.
My focus is simple: turn your training into race-day performance.
These training plans are built for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners preparing for time goals from the 5K to the marathon on TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge.
What's Included
FinalSurge online training log
FinalSurge is one fo the best online training platforms for dedicated runners. All your workouts are accessible on your computer, smartphone, and GPS running watch with real-time prompts, post-workout analysis, and more.
10 personalized training zones
Set your current race time or goal, and the plan automatically updates your 10 training paces accordingly. Easy runs, threshold sessions, VO2 max intervals, and race-pace work etc. are calculated to match your ability.
Drag & drop calendar
Move workouts to your preferred training days using the drag-and-drop calendar on TrainingPeaks or FinalSurge. The only precondition is that you leave the weekly structure intact with 48 hours between key sessions.
Certified coach support
If questions come up during your plan, you can email me directly for guidance on pacing, workout execution, training zones, missed workouts, and race preparation, helping you stay on track.
Who this is for
- Runners targeting qualification standards or time goals
- Runners who value structured, data-driven progression
- Runners who strategically train for a peak performance
- Runners who have outgrown generic training plans
Not for
- Runners who prefer unstructured or spontaneous training
- Runners unwilling to train consistently on 4 days per week
- Runners who frequently skip sessions without adjustment
- Runners satisfied with generic AI-based programming