Nike Run Club’s free eight-week 5K plan is enough for most runners training for their first 5K. Runna is better for runners chasing a specific time, setting a pace for every session based on your current fitness and adjusting it as you train.
Runna, owned by Strava, costs £17.99 or $19.99 a month, or £109.99 or $119.99 a year. Nike Run Club is free to download and use. Since 5 June 2026, Runna’s beginner plans, including New to Running and Path to parkrun, require a subscription after the first week, so beginners no longer have a free Runna option.
Nike Run Club’s free 5K plan
Nike’s 5K training plan runs for eight weeks, and you can join it anywhere from eight to four weeks before race day, with Nike recommending at least four weeks. A week includes five runs: speed sessions such as intervals, fartlek, hills, and tempo runs; a long run; and recovery runs at whatever pace feels easy. Rest days can include easy miles or an optional routine from Nike Training Club.
The plan includes Guided Runs, audio workouts in which Nike coaches and athletes such as Chris Bennett talk you through the run. Nike says Guided Runs adapt to your experience level, but the plan does not give you a personal pace target for each session the way Runna does. Nike Run Club also has a four-week Get Started plan for complete beginners and a 14-week half marathon plan.
What Runna’s subscription adds
Runna builds the plan based on your current ability, the days you can run, and your race date. On its 5K and parkrun improvement plans, your estimated race time sets the pace target for every session, and Runna changes those targets if you repeatedly beat or miss them, as Is Runna AI? explains. Its beginner plans, New to Running, Return to Running and Path to parkrun, are effort-based and have no pace targets. Strength and mobility sessions sit alongside the running, and each run goes to the watch, with support for Garmin, Apple Watch, COROS, Suunto and selected Amazfit models.
The first week of any Runna plan is free, after which Premium is required. Is Runna free? lists the trials and the Strava bundle. In the UK, new subscribers already pay £17.99 a month or £109.99 a year, and existing subscribers move to those prices at their first renewal on or after 10 December 2026.
Which app has the better 5K plan?
Both mix easy and fast running.
Both plans combine intervals, tempo work, easy recovery runs, a longer run and rest days. Most of the running is easy, with one or two harder sessions a week, which is how both plans build the aerobic fitness a 5K depends on while leaving time to recover.
Personal pacing or a flexible week
A runner aiming for a time, such as a first sub-25 parkrun, gets the most from Runna, because each rep on its 5K and parkrun improvement plans comes with a pace based on current fitness. Nike suits a runner whose aim is to finish, or whose week changes often, because its sessions are run by feel and leave no pace target to miss. Garmin owners have a third, free option in Daily Suggested Workouts, which sets a session each day based on the watch’s recovery data.
Does paying make you faster?
No study has compared the two apps head to head, so there is no evidence that Runna’s paid plan produces faster 5K times than Nike’s free one. Most 5K progress comes from running consistently for weeks, and a runner following either plan week after week will improve. The 100 tips for a faster parkrun PB cover the rest, from pacing to race-day warm-ups.
Quick answers
Is Nike Run Club free?
Yes. The Nike Run Club app is free to download and use, including its eight-week 5K plan and its audio Guided Runs.
Is Runna better than Nike Run Club for a 5K?
Runna is better for runners chasing a specific time because its improvement plans set and adjust a pace target for every session. Nike Run Club’s free plan is enough for most runners training for a first 5K.
How long is the Nike Run Club 5K training plan?
The plan lasts eight weeks, with five runs a week. You can join it anywhere from eight to four weeks before race day, and Nike recommends at least four weeks.
Does Nike Run Club include strength training?
The 5K plan has no strength sessions. Nike suggests an optional routine from its separate Nike Training Club app on rest days, whereas Runna builds strength and mobility sessions into its plans.
Are Runna's beginner plans free?
Only the first week. Since 5 June 2026, Runna’s New to Running, Return to Running and Path to parkrun plans need a subscription after week one.
Strength work and injury risk
In a randomised controlled trial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers followed 325 novice recreational runners for 24 weeks. Those given a hip and core exercise programme had fewer overuse injuries than a control group that stretched, while an ankle and foot programme did not reduce them.
Runna puts strength and mobility sessions into its plans, so the hip and core work comes with the subscription. Nike’s 5K plan has none, which means a Nike runner who wants that protection has to add the sessions, for example from Nike Training Club. Runna’s own plans have faced injury questions, with physical therapists reporting Runna-related injuries in February 2026, linked to pace progression, intensity distribution and recovery.
Which app should you choose?
Choose Runna if:
- You have a finishing time to beat.
- You want a pace target for every rep, based on your current fitness.
- You want strength and mobility sessions built into the plan.
- You want the sessions on a Garmin, Apple Watch, COROS, Suunto or selected Amazfit watch.
- You are happy to pay for those extras.
Choose Nike Run Club if:
- You are training for your first 5K.
- You want coached audio runs without a subscription.
- Your week changes often and you would rather run by feel.
- You want to build a running habit before worrying about pace.
Runners who want a human coach should look at Coopah vs Runna, and Runna vs Strava covers whether Strava’s subscription adds anything for a 5K runner.
Verdict
Nike Run Club is the better start for most first-time 5K runners, because its eight-week plan covers speed, endurance and recovery for nothing. Runna is worth paying for once you have a time to chase, because personal pace targets that move with your fitness are the one thing Nike’s plan does not give you.
Last Updated on 12 November 2026 by tfk the5krunner
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- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
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Health, recovery and sleep
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- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used. Occasional use.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
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On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions. I use both.
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Home and indoor training
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- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
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- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home via Starling. I use it.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
