27 sessions · 9 weeks · 3 days a week
The 9-week beginner 5K plan, session by session
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
The plan is 27 sessions over 9 weeks, three a week with a rest day between. It starts with eight 1-minute runs and ends with 30 minutes without stopping. In total you run 489 minutes; the first week is 8 minutes of running per session, the last is 30.
Minutes of running per session, weeks 1–9 (min)
How the plan is built
Every session has the same frame: a 5-minute brisk walk, the run/walk work for that day, and a 5-minute easy walk to finish. Sessions last between 28 and 40 minutes door to door, so the time you need barely changes over nine weeks. What changes is how the minutes inside are split.
Weeks 1 to 3 keep runs short (1 to 3 minutes) and running adds up to only 8 or 9 minutes a session. Week 4 is the first big step: 16 minutes of running, with 5-minute blocks. Week 5 is the only week where all three days differ, and it ends with a single 20-minute run. From week 7 there are no walk breaks at all.
This structure follows the well-known couch-to-5K style progression. The numbers on these pages — minutes, distances, treadmill speeds — are our own calculations from that structure.
Why the distance column matters
The plan counts minutes, not miles. A 30-minute run is 5K only at about a 9:39 mile. At a 13:00 mile, 30 minutes is 2.31 miles; at 15:00 it is exactly 2 miles. That is normal and it is not a failure of the plan. The table shows what each session covers at three run paces, with walking counted at an 18:00 mile, so you can see your own numbers before you start.
If you have a health condition or have not exercised in a long time, check with a doctor before starting.
All 27 sessions
| Session | Workout (after 5-min warm-up walk) | Run min | Walk min | Longest run (min) | Miles at 13:00 pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 Day 1 | 8 × (run 1 min, walk 90 sec) | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1.8 |
| Week 1 Day 2 | 8 × (run 1 min, walk 90 sec) | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1.8 |
| Week 1 Day 3 | 8 × (run 1 min, walk 90 sec) | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1.8 |
| Week 2 Day 1 | 6 × (run 90 sec, walk 2 min) | 9 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Week 2 Day 2 | 6 × (run 90 sec, walk 2 min) | 9 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Week 2 Day 3 | 6 × (run 90 sec, walk 2 min) | 9 | 12 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Week 3 Day 1 | 2 × (run 90 sec, walk 90 sec, run 3 min, walk 3 min) | 9 | 9 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Week 3 Day 2 | 2 × (run 90 sec, walk 90 sec, run 3 min, walk 3 min) | 9 | 9 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Week 3 Day 3 | 2 × (run 90 sec, walk 90 sec, run 3 min, walk 3 min) | 9 | 9 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Week 4 Day 1 | run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min | 16 | 5.5 | 5 | 2.1 |
| Week 4 Day 2 | run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min | 16 | 5.5 | 5 | 2.1 |
| Week 4 Day 3 | run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min | 16 | 5.5 | 5 | 2.1 |
| Week 5 Day 1 | run 5 min, walk 3 min, run 5 min, walk 3 min, run 5 min | 15 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Week 5 Day 2 | run 8 min, walk 5 min, run 8 min | 16 | 5 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Week 5 Day 3 | run 20 min without stopping | 20 | 0 | 20 | 2.1 |
| Week 6 Day 1 | run 5 min, walk 3 min, run 8 min, walk 3 min, run 5 min | 18 | 6 | 8 | 2.3 |
| Week 6 Day 2 | run 10 min, walk 3 min, run 10 min | 20 | 3 | 10 | 2.3 |
| Week 6 Day 3 | run 25 min without stopping | 25 | 0 | 25 | 2.5 |
| Week 7 Day 1 | run 25 min without stopping | 25 | 0 | 25 | 2.5 |
| Week 7 Day 2 | run 25 min without stopping | 25 | 0 | 25 | 2.5 |
| Week 7 Day 3 | run 25 min without stopping | 25 | 0 | 25 | 2.5 |
| Week 8 Day 1 | run 28 min without stopping | 28 | 0 | 28 | 2.7 |
| Week 8 Day 2 | run 28 min without stopping | 28 | 0 | 28 | 2.7 |
| Week 8 Day 3 | run 28 min without stopping | 28 | 0 | 28 | 2.7 |
| Week 9 Day 1 | run 30 min without stopping | 30 | 0 | 30 | 2.9 |
| Week 9 Day 2 | run 30 min without stopping | 30 | 0 | 30 | 2.9 |
| Week 9 Day 3 | run 30 min without stopping | 30 | 0 | 30 | 2.9 |
Walk min excludes the 5-minute warm-up and cool-down · miles include all walking at an 18:00 mile · calculations by FirstFiveK
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to run three days a week?
Three is what the plan is built around, with at least one rest day between sessions. Two days a week also works; each plan "week" then takes about ten days, and the whole thing closer to thirteen weeks than nine.
How fast should I run?
Slow enough to speak in full sentences. For many people starting out that is somewhere between a 12:00 and a 16:00 mile. Speed is not part of the plan — only minutes are.
Will I be running 5K at the end?
You will be running for 30 minutes without stopping. Whether that is 5K depends on pace: it is 5K at a 9:39 mile, 2.5 miles at 12:00 and 2 miles at 15:00. The pace pages show how many more minutes you need.
Data sources
Data as of October 3, 2026
- FirstFiveK calculations (distance ÷ time)Own work · 2026-10
- CDC — Measuring Physical Activity Intensity (talk test)Public domain (US federal government) · 2026-10
- HHS — Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd editionPublic domain (US federal government) · 2026-10
- How ranks and averages are calculated