Touches, yuh starting plan for approaching the 5k has to factor in when the race is ... yuh say January, but yuh eh say WHEN in January ... if the race is in late January you'll have the opportunity to do more endurance work that you can gradually supplement with a fartlek workout (in basic terms that's alternating the pace at which you run over a common distance/time period or you can elect to alternate the distance of the sprints/jogs).
The Savannah is a good location to do this if you divide it into segments that fit its natural layout ... I run counter-clockwise Savannahs, I eh know wha your approach is ... buh say yuh start by QRC, take it straight up from there to the nex' bend at a consistent pace, according to how yuh feel, decelerate/accelerate the next segment in front ah All Saints, then reverse the next natural segment/half segment as you go around the Savannah ...
Then I suggest you run another full Savannah at a comfortable pace (not too slow, somewhat challenging, lehwe say no less than 70% - no more than 80%).
Return to your starting point ... restrict your recovery period to no more than 7 - 8 minutes ... tackle the Savannah again with fartlek (this should be at least as aggressive as the initial fartlek) ... Make sure you finish strong over a reasonable distance in the end (not knowing yuh physical condition, buh since yuh kickin ball 3-4 times a week ... you should try to finish strong over 50-75 yards ... think of it as a finishing kick ... as you improve you'll learn to extend your kick and to determine when to kick ... I used to gear up for my kick as I rounded de final bend after the Hollows/the Zoo ... might be a good idea to finish wherever dey selling some coconut water
Stretch, warm down ... call it ... I wouldn't stop your final burst abruptly, but I would gradually decelerate into a recovery walk (could be/should be at least the equivalent distance of your final burst) ... consciously think about your breathing/master your breathing and try to concentrate on running when you're running, rather than de sights.
Since yuh sweating 3-4 times a week I eh know how yuh going to fit both in, but you should at least be running this cycle 3-4 times a week ... For your purposes, I would alternate days. If you thinking about running more frequently than that you can compensate with a longer weekend run instead.
The 5K is about 3 miles ... your daily training regimen doesn't need to exceed 8 or 9 miles (hence your weekend run should max out at this ... 7 miles long run optimally).
Hill Work? ... again, I eh know yuh condition ... buh fuh me dahis marginal benefit fuh resistance purposes ... it need not be a part of yuh workout ...
Now, all a dis depends on your objectives ... ah 5k is a blazer ... buh maybe yuh planning on running it like a longer race and at a much slower clip than I have in mind.
If de race is earlier on in January ... lehwe say 4-5 weeks from now ... I would suggest no more than 3 weeks endurance work with weight training and the final 10 days to 2 weeks on speed with some minimal endurance (like de long weekend run)... You could incorporate fartlek here, but you could also just as well progressively sweat out de Xmas beers (ah trying to remember if yuh say yuh doh drink
) ... by going for time by monitoring your daily time progress each time you run the Savannah ... if dahis de case, do this: run your first Savannah slow as a warm up ... nutten more than 40%, run a second at least 60%-70%, run a third all out at 100%.
Good luck. Enjoy.
