5 KM Advanced Plan - L4

I have already completed Ben Parkes’ half marathon training plan twice and achieved a PB of 1 hour 30 minutes, and now I have also purchased the 5K plan to improve my time to under 20 minutes. Thank you, Ben, for the very well-structured plan, the variety of runs, and for being the best. I can’t wait to start training with this plan.

I started this plan with the hope of breaking sub-20 for a 5km after 10 weeks of training. I picked this plan up as I'd been watching Ben's YouTube channel for a while and found it really motivating. So, I thought I'd support his channel by making a purchase.

This program is well laid out, and the training days are flexible as long as you space out the quality sessions.

So far, I've completed 3 weeks of this plan. On week 4, I managed to catch a cold, so I decided to drop some workouts that week and wouldn't run until I felt completely recovered. I dropped the quality work that week as I thought it would prolong the recovery, as my body didn't need any more stress.

On the second rest day, I bounced back completely and felt great; my legs felt rested. This week was looking like a taper because of the extra rest, so I decided to check in and see where I was at. I turned up Saturday morning to do the local park run. I've attached a screenshot. This plan has increased my park run time by +90 seconds.

Other (Garmin estimated) performance metrics changed as well. My VO2 max increased from 49 to 52, and my LTHR improved by 15 seconds.

I would absolutely recommend this plan. Thank you Ben!

Easy to follow, fantastic sessions. This is my 5th plan I have bought. PB’s all day

Loved this 5K programme. Very well structured with varied sessions and a good amount of goal pace running which really helped me get comfortable at race pace. Ran a 19:20 in March and have just run an 18:25 with a strong headwind (possibly could have gone quicker!) absolutely made up with it and will be purchasing a marathon programme later in the year. Thanks a lot Ben!

Lays out a program and gets you running faster. I especially like the pace charts. My only complaint is this level is a bit low on mileage.

After using one of Ben's Marathon plans, which got me a sub 4 hour on my first Marathon, I have purchased the 5k improver to wedge in before Brighton training block begins. These plans are great value for money and it doesn't matter if you work in miles or kms as these plans cover both.
Very easy to follow with even suggested paces for the various workouts for the time you are aiming for
I thouroughly recommend giving one a try

I am on my third plan now. I’ve PB’d in 10k, HM and hopefully I will achieve my goal with 5k too. These plans are detailed but easy to follow. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them and it’s given me the focus I needed.

Keep up the great work and thank you :)

Ben Parkes' 5k advanced plan was easy to follow, motivating and totally doable. I really enjoyed the structure each week. After a month of knee injury holding me back at the start of the season, this plan finally got me to a sub-20 minute 5k, a time I had been chasing for so long! Thanks so much!

This is the First Training plan Ive have ever followed after Years of making it up as I go along.I have a 5k pb of 19.43 and Im hoping to improve on this on My 57th birthday at the end of Sept.Already I feel more discplined and a have Real Plan to help Me achieve My Goal!

I’ve tried a few of Ben’s plans at different distances and have really enjoyed them—whether I’ve had a specific event in mind or just wanted some structure and motivation to keep improving. They’re excellent value for the price, user-friendly, and the content is both accurate and well thought out. The plans are ambitious but sensible, striking a great balance that pushes you without risking overtraining or injury.