I began two new training programs recently, and I’m pretty stoked about them because they are structured (yay!) and performance-based (double yay!) – check them out.

5K Training Plan

First, I’ve never done a 5K training plan. I mean, my first training plan was for a marathon. And secondly, I’ve been a 5K snob – I’ll admit it. I think the words “Why would I pay for a 5K when I can run that on a Tuesday morning…” have been uttered by me on more than one occasion. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and while I’d been running three times a week for a while, I was feeling…uninspired. So I decided to return to a very short race distance with a 6-week training plan.

Full disclosure, I thought it was a “Couch to 5K,” Then when I started to put the plan in my calendar, I realized it starts with a 7/1 interval base (7 minutes run, 1 min walk). So *not* really a couch starting point. But I’m in Week 3, and so far, so good. I like the simplicity of the plans, I like the structure, I like the little speed pushes, and I like feeling good when I run.

Strength Program

I work out at home, alone, in my living room. I’m motivated to train and enjoy it, but just like with running, I was banging around trying different things and decided May 1st was an excellent day to start with a 4-week training plan.

It’s a four-week intermediate-level progressive plan that means we’re lifting heavier weights, which I love. I just completed my first week, and there are ten workouts to complete that include warmups, the main workout, core, and a cool down.

Day 1 was a 20-minute test workout. It was short but I felt sore for a day longer than I thought I should have felt sore! I’ll repeat the test at the end of the four weeks, to see how I’ve improved.

These are the goals and programs that excite me. I know that many people focus on physical goals such as losing weight or inches or fitting into a specific size. There isn’t anything wrong with that. Looking and feeling your best is a great motivator!

But I’d like to throw in a plug for performance-based goals such as training to run a race, being able to do more pushups, or getting your heels down to the mat in a down dog. Once you start achieving those goals, getting faster, or stronger, your pant size or the number on the scale might not matter quite as much.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂