My favorite 5k training workouts (what’s beautiful)

My 5k race is this weekend! I am SO excited. I've had so much fun focusing on a shorter distance as part of Under Armour's What's Beautiful Challenge.

If you haven't registered yet, I strongly encourage you to sign up for the What's Beautiful Challenge at http://whatsbeautiful.ua.com/. Seeing what the other participants have accomplished really gives me the extra push I need to give it my all during my workouts.

Since 5k training is new to me, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite workouts I've done during this training cycle:

1. "Long" runs. What constitutes a long or short run is just a matter of perspective. During marathon training, I was always excited for step back weeks because my long run would "only" be 12 miles or so. Ha.

Now that I'm training for a 3.1 mile race, my long runs are no where near as long as they once were. But I enjoy doing longer runs, so I haven't abandoned distance all together. Now I limit myself to a long run of 1 hour, which equals somewhere between 7.2- 7.6 miles.

I miss going longer sometimes, but it's nice to get my longest workout of the week out of the way in just 60 minutes!

I've been wearing my Charge RC Storm Running Shoes on most of my runs. Still love these shoes!

2. Plyometrics. Did anyone else have circuit training days in high school gym class? We had circuit training two times per week, and I dreaded it because it hurt. Now I actually enjoy tough workouts so I'm doing many of the same exercises my teenage self hated. Once a week, I do 4-5 sets of the following exercises:

• 50 jumping jacks
• 15 burpees
• 10 (per side) 180 squat jumps
• 50 mountain climbers
• 15 jumpees
• 50 high knees

I'm loving the Coldblack Training T-shirt. Its cool fabric helps block the sun's heat, which means I can actually wear a shirt with sleeves on summer runs! I also like these Ultra 4" Compression Shorts. When I wear these, I stay cool and dry. Best of all, they keep me from chafing on the inside of my legs. A huge win!

3. 5k races. The biggest perk of training for a short race? You can race the distance as part of your training. I did this with a 5k race a couple of weeks ago. While I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, it was still a great workout and left me feeling better prepared for my goal race.

Having a fun training plan and a realistic goal helps me empower my workouts. How do you keep motivated to achieve your personal fitness goals? Tell me below to be entered for the chance to win a $500 Under Armour gift card!

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