First-timer Norwegian 5K training plan: 9 weeks, 3.25–4 hrs/week, 80/20 Endurance intensity, free coach email support. Your best 5K, on fewer hard days.
Train like a Norwegian, powered by 80/20 Endurance. Carefully controlled threshold intervals plus lots of easy volume, the method behind the current generation of Norwegian champions, adapted for everyday runners. No lactate meter required.
Is this plan for you?
At a glance: Norwegian 5K · Level 0 · 9 weeks · 3.25–4 hrs/week.
Our Level 0 plan is intended for runners who need or prefer a low-mileage program to prepare for a successful 5K race finish. You're ready to start when the first week below looks comfortable.
Your first week: 5 runs, 2.9 hours. Mon rest · Tue Run 41 min · Wed Run 30 min · Thu rest · Fri Run 32 min · Sat Run 30 min · Sun Run 40 min.
Not sure about the level? Swap to another level or intensity type free, any time. Compare levels.
What's included with your plan
One-time price. No subscription. Yours for life.
Included: free coach email support, Mind of Matt Weekly Analysis, the Level Guarantee, lifetime access, Garmin and Apple Watch sync, and heart rate, pace and power versions.
Based on the best-selling books
Based on 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald.
Mind of Matt Weekly Analysis, included
TrainingPeaks Premium for less
What 80/20 Endurance athletes say
Ready to start? Click Buy Plan. The plan loads into TrainingPeaks on the date you choose, and coach support starts the same day.
Racing more than once this year?
80/20 Endurance is the creation of Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden. Based on the breakthrough books 80/20 Running and 80/20 Triathlon, runners, triathletes, and other endurance athletes improve the most when they consistently do 80 percent of their training at low intensity and the other 20 percent high intensity. The typical endurance athlete spends only 50-70 percent their total training time at low intensity. The solution? An 80/20 training plan that ensures the optimal intensity balance.