Running
1 km Time Goal Builder
Goal-pace and VO2 work for a fast 1 km. Nine weeks, five runs a week.
- Distance
- 1 km
- Length
- 9 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5
- Level
- Advanced
- Goal
- Time goal
Who it's for
You run most days and are used to structured workouts. It is built around a specific 1 km time you want to hit.
How the weeks work
It runs for nine weeks with five runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 12 weeks, or tighten it to 8 if you are already fit.
The last 7 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- Blocks at your goal race pace, so it feels familiar when it counts.
- Intervals: repeats a little faster than race pace, with easy jogging in between.
- Hill sprints of 8 to 10 seconds up something steep, walking back down to recover fully.
Setting your paces
Start with a 600 m time trial. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Later benchmarks: a 1 km time trial. Use them to adjust your paces rather than to chase a number.
Making it stick
- Protect the key sessions. The easy running around them can move.
- Compare each benchmark with the last one and adjust your paces, up or down.
- Keep strides in the week even when you are tired; they are what keep you sharp.
