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Black Country Run Series 2026 — Free 5K Training Plans

Free 5K training plans for the Black Country Run Series 2026. Three summer evening races across Baggeridge, Wombourne, and Dudley Zoo. Plans from complete beginner to sub-20 minutes by Ex-GB International Martin Williams.

Race Dates 2026

Black Country Run Series 2026

FREE 5K TRAINING
PLANS FOR YOU

Whether you're lacing up for the first time or chasing a sub-20 minute finish, these plans by Ex-GB International Martin Williams will get you to the start line ready to race.

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2026 Series Schedule

THREE ICONIC RACES

Three evenings. Three completely different courses. One interlocking series medal when you complete all three.

1

Race 1

Andy Holden 5K

Wednesday 8 July 2026 · 7:15pm
Baggeridge Country Park, Sedgley
Trail and off-road through Baggeridge Country Park. Rolling terrain — expect some elevation. Capacity: 300.
2

Race 2

Great Wombourne Railway 5K

Thursday 23 July 2026 · 7:15pm
South Staffordshire Railway Walk, Wombourne
EA-measured fast and flat course along the former railway line. Perfect conditions for a personal best. Capacity: 300.
3

Race 3

Dudley Zoo 5K

Wednesday 29 July 2026 · 7:15pm
Dudley Zoo & Castle, Dudley
A unique 5K starting and finishing inside the historic Dudley Zoo and Castle grounds. Unforgettable finish line. Capacity: 300.

Organised by Tipton Harriers. Register at blackcountryrun.co.uk

Free Training Plans

CHOOSE YOUR LEVEL

Five plans covering every ability. Each is built on the same physiological principles I used at international level — just scaled to where you are right now.

When to start your plan

Plan Race 1 — Wed 8 July Race 2 — Thu 23 July Race 3 — Wed 29 July
Beginner / Sub-30 / Sub-25 (8 wks) Start Mon 11 May Start Mon 25 May Start Mon 1 June
Sub-22 (10 wks) Start Mon 27 April Start Mon 11 May Start Mon 18 May
Sub-20 (12 wks) Start Mon 13 April Start Mon 27 April Start Mon 4 May

All three races start at 7:15pm — race day falls mid-week (Wednesday or Thursday), not Sunday

Complete Beginner · 8 Weeks

Couch to 5K — Black Country Style

Never run before, or returning after a long break? This plan uses run/walk intervals that build safely week by week. By race day you'll cross that finish line — no matter how long it takes.

Runs per week

3

Duration

8 weeks

Current ability

Little or no running

Goal

Complete 5K

Week Theme Run 1 Run 2 Run 3
W1 First steps Run 1 min / Walk 2 min × 6
(18 min total)		 Run 1 min / Walk 2 min × 6 Run 1 min / Walk 2 min × 6
W2 Building time Run 90s / Walk 90s × 7
(21 min total)		 Run 90s / Walk 90s × 7 Run 90s / Walk 90s × 7
W3 Longer efforts Run 3 min / Walk 90s × 5
(22 min total)		 Run 3 min / Walk 90s × 5 Run 5 min / Walk 3 min × 3
W4 Consolidation Run 5 min / Walk 2 min × 4 Run 5 min / Walk 2 min × 4 Run 8 min / Walk 2 min × 2
+ Run 5 min
W5 Pushing further Run 8 min / Walk 90s × 3 Run 10 min / Walk 2 min / Run 10 min Run 20 min continuous (easy pace)
W6 Continuous running 25 min easy continuous 22 min with 3 × 2 min pick-ups 28 min easy continuous
W7 Race feel 30 min easy 25 min incl. 2 × 5 min at race effort 35 min easy (furthest run yet)
W8 Race week Mon: 20 min easy jog Tue: 10 min easy + 4 strides Wed 8 Jul · Thu 23 Jul · Wed 29 Jul
7:15pm — RACE DAY!
Key principle: All easy runs should feel conversational — you should be able to hold a full sentence. If you can't, slow down.
Beginner+ · 8 Weeks

Sub-30 Minute 5K Plan

You can already jog for 20-30 minutes but haven't run a structured race. This plan introduces easy interval sessions to build your aerobic engine and get you comfortably under 30 minutes.

Runs per week

3–4

Duration

8 weeks

Current ability

30–40 min 5K

Goal

Sub-30 min 5K

Week Theme Easy Run Key Session Long Run
W1 Aerobic base 25 min easy 6 × 2 min at brisk effort, 2 min walk recovery 30 min easy
W2 Building volume 28 min easy 5 × 3 min brisk, 90s jog recovery 35 min easy
W3 Tempo intro 30 min easy 2 × 8 min at comfortably hard, 3 min jog recovery 35 min easy
W4 Recovery week 25 min easy 4 × 2 min brisk, 2 min walk 30 min easy
W5 Race pace work 30 min easy 6 × 3 min at goal race pace (6 min/km), 90s recovery 40 min easy
W6 Longer tempo 30 min easy 3 × 10 min at comfortably hard, 2 min recovery 40 min easy
W7 Sharpening 30 min easy 8 × 1 min hard (5K effort), 90s easy jog 35 min easy
W8 Race week Mon: 20 min easy Tue: 15 min easy + 4 × 30s strides Wed 8 Jul · Thu 23 Jul · Wed 29 Jul
7:15pm — RACE DAY!
Target race pace: 6:00 min/km (that's 1 km every 6 minutes). On easy days, run at least 90 seconds per km slower than this.
Intermediate · 8 Weeks

Sub-25 Minute 5K Plan

You're running regularly and sitting around 26-29 minutes. This plan introduces proper interval sessions, a weekly tempo run, and progressive long runs to unlock the next level.

Runs per week

4

Duration

8 weeks

Current ability

26–30 min 5K

Goal

Sub-25 min 5K

Week Theme Easy / Recovery Intervals / Tempo Long Run
W1 Foundation 2 × 30 min easy 8 × 400m at 5K effort (5:00/km), 90s recovery 45 min easy
W2 Aerobic push 2 × 30 min easy 20 min tempo (comfortably hard, 5:20–5:30/km) 50 min easy
W3 Interval block 2 × 30 min easy 6 × 800m at 5K effort, 2 min jog recovery 50 min easy
W4 Recovery 2 × 25 min easy 5 × 400m at 5K effort, 90s recovery 40 min easy
W5 Race pace sharpness 2 × 30 min easy 10 × 400m at target race pace (5:00/km), 60s recovery 55 min easy
W6 Threshold strength 2 × 30 min easy 2 × 15 min tempo at 5:20/km, 3 min recovery 55 min easy
W7 Final quality 2 × 30 min easy 5 × 1km at target pace (5:00/km), 2 min recovery 45 min easy
W8 Race week Mon: 25 min easy / Tue: Rest Tue/Wed: 15 min easy + 4 × 30s strides Wed 8 Jul · Thu 23 Jul · Wed 29 Jul
7:15pm — RACE DAY!
Target race pace: 5:00 min/km. Easy runs: 6:30–7:00 min/km. Tempo: comfortably hard — you can speak in short phrases, not sentences.
Club Runner · 10 Weeks

Sub-22 Minute 5K Plan

You're training consistently and sitting around 22:30–24:00. Breaking 22 minutes means learning to sustain 4:24/km — this plan develops the threshold fitness and race-specific speed to do it.

Runs per week

4–5

Duration

10 weeks

Current ability

22:30–24:30

Goal

Sub-22 min 5K

Week Theme Mon/Wed Easy Tue — Key Session Thu — Tempo / Fri Easy / Sun Long
W1 Aerobic base 35 + 30 min easy 10 × 400m at 4:20/km, 75s recovery 25 min tempo (4:40/km) / 30 min easy / 55 min easy
W2 Volume build 35 + 35 min easy 6 × 800m at 4:24/km, 2 min recovery 20 min tempo / 30 min easy / 60 min easy
W3 Threshold block 35 + 35 min easy 5 × 1km at 4:20/km, 90s recovery 2 × 12 min tempo / 30 min easy / 60 min easy
W4 Recovery 30 + 25 min easy 6 × 400m at 4:20/km, 90s recovery 15 min tempo / rest / 45 min easy
W5 Race-pace focus 35 + 35 min easy 12 × 400m at race pace (4:24/km), 60s recovery 25 min tempo / 30 min easy / 60 min easy
W6 Quality volume 35 + 35 min easy 3 × 1 mile at 4:25/km, 3 min recovery 2 × 15 min tempo / 30 min easy / 65 min easy
W7 Peak load 35 + 35 min easy 8 × 600m at race pace, 90s recovery 30 min tempo / 30 min easy / 65 min easy
W8 Sharpen 30 + 30 min easy 6 × 400m fast (4:10/km), 90s recovery 20 min tempo / 30 min easy / 50 min easy
W9 Taper begins 25 + 25 min easy 4 × 800m at race pace, 2 min recovery 15 min tempo / 25 min easy / 40 min easy
W10 Race week Mon: 20 min easy / Tue: rest Tue/Wed: 4 × 200m fast, full recovery (keep legs fresh) Wed 8 Jul · Thu 23 Jul · Wed 29 Jul
7:15pm — RACE DAY!
Target race pace: 4:24 min/km. Tempo pace: 4:35–4:45/km. Easy pace: 5:45–6:15/km. All intervals at target or faster.
Performance · 12 Weeks

Sub-20 Minute 5K Plan

Sub-20 is the benchmark that separates recreational from serious runners. You need consistent 4:00/km for 5km. This 12-week plan is the hardest on the list — it requires 5 runs a week and genuine commitment to quality sessions. I've coached runners to sub-19 using these principles.

Runs per week

5

Duration

12 weeks

Current ability

20:30–22:00

Goal

Sub-20 min 5K

Phase 1 — Weeks 1–4

Base Building & Aerobic Development

Phase 2 — Weeks 5–8

Threshold Development & Race-Pace Work

Phase 3 — Weeks 9–12

Sharpening, Taper & Race

Wk Mon Tue — Intervals Wed Thu — Tempo Sun — Long
W1 40 min easy 10 × 400m at 3:55/km, 90s rec 35 min easy 25 min tempo (4:10/km) 60 min easy
W2 40 min easy 6 × 800m at 3:58/km, 2 min rec 35 min easy 20 min tempo + 4 × 200m fast 65 min easy
W3 40 min easy 5 × 1km at 4:00/km, 2 min rec 35 min easy 2 × 15 min tempo, 3 min rec 65 min easy
W4 30 min easy 6 × 400m easy-ish, 90s rec (recovery) 30 min easy 15 min tempo (recovery week) 50 min easy
W5 40 min easy 12 × 400m at 3:52/km, 75s rec 35 min easy 30 min tempo (4:10/km) 70 min easy
W6 40 min easy 8 × 600m at 4:00/km, 90s rec 35 min easy 3 × 10 min tempo, 2 min rec 70 min easy
W7 40 min easy 4 × 1 mile at 4:02/km, 2:30 rec 35 min easy 35 min tempo (4:08/km) 70 min easy
W8 30 min easy 6 × 800m at race pace, 90s rec 30 min easy 20 min tempo (recovery) 55 min easy
W9 40 min easy 10 × 400m at 3:50/km, 60s rec 35 min easy 2 × 20 min tempo, 3 min rec 65 min easy
W10 35 min easy 6 × 600m at 3:50/km, 90s rec 30 min easy 25 min tempo + 4 × 200m fast 60 min easy
W11 30 min easy 4 × 1km at 3:55/km, 2 min rec 25 min easy 15 min tempo + 4 × 200m strides 45 min easy (taper)
W12 Mon: 20 min easy Tue: 4 × 300m fast, full recovery Wed 8 Jul · Wed 29 Jul
7:15pm — RACE DAY!		 Thu 23 Jul
7:15pm — RACE DAY!		 Rest
Target race pace: 4:00 min/km. Tempo pace: 4:08–4:15/km. Easy pace: 5:20–5:45/km. This plan requires you to already be running 4–5 days/week comfortably.
Ready to go further?

WANT A PLAN BUILT
JUST FOR YOU?

These free plans are a solid starting point. But every runner is different — your history, injury record, work shifts, current fitness, and goals all matter. My paid coaching gives you exactly that:

  • A fully personalised weekly plan — adjusted as you progress
  • Direct access to an Ex-GB International with a 2:17 marathon PB
  • Race-day strategy for all three Black Country Run races
  • Injury prevention and load management built in from day one
  • Discounted sports massage for coached athletes in Sedgley

"I hit goals I honestly didn't think were possible — a sub-19 minute 5k and a sub-39 minute 10k within less than a year of starting training!"

— Clare Hollis, Coached Athlete

"In just one 12-week plan, I ran massive PBs, smashing sub-17 minutes for 5km and breaking 36 minutes for 10km at Telford."

— Roy C, Coached Athlete

Enquire About 1-to-1 Coaching

No obligation. Just a conversation about your goals.

These plans are written by

Martin Williams — Ex-GB International

2:17:36 marathon PB · Edinburgh Marathon Winner · Scottish Marathon Champion · Commonwealth Games athlete (Delhi 2010) · European Championships (Barcelona 2010) · England Athletics Licensed Coach · ITEC Qualified Sports Therapist · Based in Sedgley, West Midlands.