In 2025, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg ran the Stanford Medicine My Heart Counts 5K for the third year in a row, coming in at his second fastest time, 20:35. That translates to a 6:38 per mile. Pretty impressive for the person who created Facebook, right?

So, why did he include the song, “Pretty Slowly” by Benson Boone, in his postrace social post? Sure, it wasn’t a personal best, but not all races will be, and the data shows he’s well above average when it comes to his race finish times.

Follow with 1 minute of walking to catch your breath and recover We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back for men is 32 minutes and, for women, it’s 39 minutes. That puts Zuck a whole 10 minutes ahead of the mean.

Based on the various tracking platforms, these averages can go up a bit or down a bit (and you can find more data-backed information Why it works, Races - Places).

“Pretty slowly?” We beg to differ. The beauty of the 5K is that just about anyone can do them, from beginner runners to veterans. Whatever your running experience, committed training is essential for any runner who wants to reach a goal.

Here, we have two workouts that will help you reach any 5K goal, whether you strive to master the distance for the first time or want to aim for a sub-20. You can also find a training plan for any goal with our new Health - Injuries.

5K Training Workouts

These two workouts, expert-approved by Austin-based run coach Jess Movold, both reference three training zones. Generally speaking, the yellow zone is an easy effort, the orange zone is a comfortably hard effort, and the red zone is flat-out hard. Knowing—and training—each zone is crucial to effective 5K preparation. Inspired by the following workouts? to crushing 3.1 miles.

8 x 1 Intervals for Speed

Nutrition - Weight Loss: This 37-minute workout should be your first step. Do it once a week for at least three weeks before adding a tempo run for endurance. Don’t focus on pace, just pay attention to your effort during each interval. After the workout, check your fitness tracker or watch. Over three weeks, your pace should go up as your effort level goes down. In other words, running faster should feel easier.

Best Brooks Running Shoes:

  • Get more workouts, racing tips, and more with
  • Run 10 minutes at an easy effort
  • Run 1 minute at a hard but controlled effort in the red zone
  • Follow with 1 minute of walking to catch your breath and recover
  • Repeat 1-minute on/1-minute off interval 7 times for 8 total intervals
  • Why it works
  • Walk 3 minutes to cool down completely

3 x Tempo Mile for Endurance

Nutrition - Weight Loss: What’s a Good 5K Time stamina and efficiency. Run at your “red line,” just below the point at which you feel like the workout is so hard that you have to stop. Do this workout once a week, at least two days away from an interval run. Take note of your mile time each week to gauge your progress.

How to do it:

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  • Run 10 minutes at an easy effort
  • Run 1 mile at an effort just outside your comfort zone (at the upper edge of the orange zone, a.k.a your red line)
  • Walk 2 minutes to recover (take more time if needed)
  • Repeat the mile effort and recovery 2 times for 3 total rounds
  • Why it works
  • Walk 3 minutes to cool down completely

Check Out Our Interval Workouts to Help You Run a Faster 5K Program

Get more workouts, racing tips, and more with How to Do It Walk 3 minutes to cool down completely:

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Matt Rudisill is an Associate Service Editor with the Hearst Enthusiast Group. A Nittany Lion through-and-through, Matt graduated from PSU in 2022 with a degree in journalism and worked in communications for the university's athletic department for the past three years as the main contact and photographer for its nationally-ranked cross country and track & field teams. Matt was also heavily involved in communications efforts for the Penn State football team’s 2024 College Football Playoff run as well as the Nittany Lion men’s basketball team’s 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance. In his role with Hearst’s Enthusiast Group, Matt contributes to both Runner’s World and Bicycling magazines, creating service content to benefit runners and cyclists of all ages. When he’s not out jogging, Matt can be found tweeting bad takes about the Phillies or watching movies.