I have completed several running coach certification programs and have also run many 5ks. One year, I decided to be truly committed to running a little bit faster and studied/followed the Hansons Marathon Method, which I modified for the 5k distance. I am not a fast runner at all but training using this method did improve my 5k time. My typical finish time was 33 to 35 minutes and my goal was to finish under 30 minutes. I was able to beat that after training for 8 weeks and finished in 28:30, cutting 4 1/2 minutes off my fastest time until that date!

The plan is straightforward and has a few key components. You should be in relatively decent running shape before diving into this. If you are just starting out, take a few weeks to get to base weekly mileage of 10 to 15 miles a week before starting this program. Mileage week over week generally should only increase by 10%.

Key components:

Run 4 days a week. You may feel fatigue in the first few weeks as your body gets used to the increased effort.
2 of those days will be easy runs of 3 to 5 miles.
There are 2 effort days including tempo, track and hills.

The plan is simple, but it does require hard work and dicipline.

8 week training schedule:

First week, build your base. Run 4 days per week, 3 to 5 miles on each run. Then follow the below in addition to 2 easy runs per week of 3 to 5 miles:

Paces for each effort:

I really enjoyed using this training method and felt I was very strong heading into my race. Would love to hear from others about their experience using Hansons.