You are here:
Run Walk 5K Training Plan
Written by Andrew Taylor. USATF Level 1 Coach. Coaching runners since 2010.
10 weeks to a 5K finish line, walk breaks and all.
Whether you are tackling your first 5K or returning after a long break, this 10-week run-walk plan builds your stamina safely without the overwhelm.
You will start with just 30 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking, dividing your effort into controlled intervals to beat fatigue before it builds.
Over 10 weeks, your runs will gradually grow to 5 minutes while your total workout times stay short and manageable. Keeping those walking breaks allows you to maintain a steady, high-quality effort—the exact strategy that will carry you confidently across the 5K finish line.
- 10 week plan
- 3 sessions per week
- 1.25 to 2 hours a week
- Longest session 40 minutes
- 30 coached runs
One-time purchase, yours for life. Delivered through Final Surge.
Is This You?
Already able to run continuously for 20 minutes? Look at the Beginner 5K. Choose the Run/Walk 10K for this method over a longer race.
Book a free 15-minute call if you are unsure where you fit.
The Walk Belongs in the Plan
We built the walking into the work because it gives you enough recovery to run again with control, not because we expect less from you.
Your running grows from 30 seconds to 5 minutes at a time. The walk never gets taken away as a reward for improving. At the peak, you still walk for 1 minute after every 5-minute run because that recovery lets you repeat the effort instead of spending everything on one stretch.
You can carry that same rhythm onto the starting line, through your 5K, and into races years from now.
What Makes A Sunrise Running Plan Different
Most plans tell you how far to run. This one tells you how it should feel, and what to do when it doesn’t.
More on why this Sunrise Running plan works off of effort instead of pace.
A Real Week From The Plan
Week 6 is the week the running intervals reach 3 minutes and start to feel like running.
| Day | Session | Time | What It Asks For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5 x 3 minutes | 30 minutes | Walk for 5 minutes, complete 5 rounds of 3 minutes easy running with 1 minute walking, then walk for 5 minutes. |
| Tuesday | Cross Training | 30 minutes | Choose low-impact cycling, swimming, elliptical work or brisk walking, or take the day off. |
| Wednesday | 5 x 3 minutes | 30 minutes | Repeat Monday's session at the same controlled effort. |
| Thursday | Cross Training | 30 minutes | Add another optional low-impact session, or do nothing at all. |
| Friday | Rest Day | Full rest | Leave the day open before Saturday's longer session. |
| Saturday | 7 x 3 minutes | 38 minutes | Complete 7 rounds of 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking, the longest session of the plan so far. |
| Sunday | Rest Day | Full rest | Recover fully before the next Monday session. |
| Week total | 3 running sessions | 98 minutes | You complete 51 minutes of running as both sides of the run-walk ratio change. |
Every number in that week is a time, not a distance, which is the right way to measure this plan.
Every Week Opens With A Note Like This One
Week 6 begins with the coach’s explanation of the new rhythm and Saturday’s longer work.
Three minutes of running at a time now, and you should be starting to feel like a runner rather than someone doing intervals.
Your breathing will settle into a rhythm partway through each one, which is exactly the sensation you want, and it is the thing 30-second intervals could never teach.
This is your second build week in a row, and Saturday is the longest session of the plan so far.
Focus this week on:
- Settling into a rhythm inside each 3-minute interval rather than counting it down
- Keeping the walking recovery brisk and complete
- Running Saturday’s 7 rounds at the same effort as the first two
You get a step back next week before the biggest block of the plan, so finish this one strong and then let yourself recover.
You receive 10 weekly notes like this, plus a separate coaching note on every session.
The 10 Weeks, Phase By Phase
| Weeks | Phase | Weekly Time | What It Does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Foundation | 78 to 95 minutes | Run intervals start at 30 seconds and reach 1 minute, 3 sessions a week with walking recovery between every one. Week 4 lengthens the runs but cuts the reps to let it settle. |
| 5 to 7 | Build | 80 to 98 minutes | Run intervals double to 2 minutes, then 3, and total running time climbs from 34 to 51 minutes. Week 7 trades reps for length, 3 rounds of 4 minutes, and holds the volume down. |
| 8 | Peak | 108 minutes | The biggest week of the plan and the longest run intervals in it, 5 minutes each. Saturday's 5 rounds add up to 25 minutes of running, roughly what race day will ask for. |
| 9 | Taper | 84 minutes | Three identical 28-minute sessions, each 3 rounds of 5 minutes. The interval length holds so the legs keep the feel of it while the week's total running drops by 20 minutes. |
| 10 | Race Week | 55 minutes + race | Two short sessions lead in, 4 rounds of 4 minutes Monday and 3 rounds Wednesday, then the 5K on Saturday. Nothing new is introduced in the last week. |
What You Get Inside Training Plan
- All 30 coached sessions, from Week 1's 30-second runs through the 5K on Saturday of Week 10.
- No strength work to schedule, plus 20 optional low-impact cross-training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays when you want them.
- Run by effort, not pace. Every session on an RPE 1 to 10 scale. No paces, no heart rate, no zones.
- A coach's note on every run: how it should feel, one cue to hold onto, and how to shorten it when today is not the day.
- One-time purchase, yours for life. Printable PDF, syncs to your watch, delivered through Final Surge.
How It Works
Final Surge is free to use — you’re paying for the plan, not a subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if you can walk briskly for 30 minutes, you are ready to start. There is no running prerequisite. Your first week breaks the running into 30-second intervals with 1 minute 30 seconds of walking after each one, so you are never asked to arrive with running fitness you have not built yet.
Not necessarily, and running continuously is not a better outcome than using the method you trained. By Week 8, you are running for 5 minutes at a time with 1-minute walks between efforts. That gives you a practiced run-walk rhythm you can carry through a 5K without guessing when to run or walk.
No, both weekly cross-training sessions are optional. Tuesday and Thursday can hold 30 minutes of cycling, swimming, elliptical work or brisk walking when you want more movement. They can also remain open. Your Monday, Wednesday and Saturday running sessions are the work that moves the plan forward.
By then, you can handle 30 seconds less recovery between rounds. Your running interval reaches 3 minutes while the walk drops from 1 minute 30 seconds to 1 minute. The first 5 weeks build the running and recovery pattern you need to handle that shift.
Skip the missed run and continue with the next scheduled session. Do not stack runs, squeeze a long run into the wrong place, or turn a recovery week into a make-up week. Consistency across the 10 weeks of the plan beats being perfect for 2.
No. Every session is written on an RPE 1 to 10 effort scale. That means the plan works on hills, in heat, on tired legs and at any fitness level, and it keeps working as you get faster.
Pick your race, set your start date, and the plan builds backward from it. If the race moves, the plan moves. You keep it for life, which means the next build starts from something you already know works.
You can take the same run-walk method into the Run/Walk 10K when you want a longer race. If you want to run your next 5K continuously, the Beginner 5K gives you that structure. They are different directions from this plan, so your next choice depends on the kind of race you want.
Founder & Head Coach, Sunrise Running Company
Andrew is a USATF Level 1 certified running coach in Modesto, California, with 35+ years of running and 8 finishes at the 100-mile distance. He holds a BS in Exercise Science Education and an MA in Sports Management from Ohio State, and he writes every Sunrise Running plan himself.
10 Weeks To Run Walk Your First 5K
Pick your race, set your start date, and the plan builds backward from it. If the race moves, the plan moves. You keep it for life, which means the next build starts from something you already know works.
One-time purchase, lifetime access. Delivered instantly through Final Surge.