Dipping below 30 minutes for the 5k is an important milestone for many runners. Achieving that target requires both speed and endurance, with a pace of 6:00 min/km, or 9:39 min/mile – and one second quicker overall – needed to run 29:59 across 5000m.

Data suggests that the average 5k finishing time for UK runners is around 29 minutes, meaning breaking the half-hour barrier represents a strong performance to build from.

Getting quicker relies on a consistent training routine focused on building a stronger aerobic base and improving your VO2 max. While more mileage can help you move closer to your goal, it’s still possible to improve by running just once a week – provided you make that session count.

A combination of easy runs, tempo sessions and interval workouts across a week of training is usually seen as the optimal way to chase a time goal, but for some people it simply isn’t possible to squeeze all of those runs in.

So, if you only have time for one run a week, this pace accumulation model devised by Men’s Health fitness director Andrew Tracey will help you get the most from that single session.

You’ll work with intensity, earning the right to add extra volume 500m at a time.

‘With only one run per week, your only goal is to build your tolerance to the goal pace and gradually add volume at this pace as you adapt,’ Tracey says.

This endurance test will have you running slightly quicker than 6:00 min/km, forcing you to become comfortable at a faster tempo.

• Complete a thorough warm-up, including a few faster 200m efforts, then set off.
• To hit 28 minutes over 5k, you’ll need to average 5:36 min/km. Hit this pace and hold it for as long as you can. The minute your pace drops below 5:50 min/km and you can’t get it back, the test is over.
• Take the total distance you manage to hit and round down to the nearest 500m. For example, if you manage 1.3km, round down to 1000m.
• In your next session, aim to hit that 1000m at 5:36 min/km pace.
• Once you can do this, your target in the next session is 1500m.
• Continue in this fashion, adding an extra 500m each time you manage to hit your target distance at target pace.
• If you progress linearly, you should be able to hit your goal time for 5k in under 10 weeks. If you miss your target on a few sessions, don’t fret; just pay attention to your recovery and nutrition around your run next time.
• On your final testing week, you only need to stay below 6:00 min/km to hit the 30-minute mark. You’ve been training with a few minutes of buffer built in to make this easier.
• These paces are calculated for a sub-30-minute 5k, but you can recalculate and use the same 500m progression model for any pace or distance if you’re only able to complete one run a week.

If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.

Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_ 

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.    

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.   

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.   

 You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.