Ready, Set, Train: Run a 5k with your family

Signing up your family for a race together is a great way to combine exercise with quality time. There are many family-friendly races available, whether with different themes (mud runs, bubble runs, superhero runs, etc.) or supporting a cause you care about.

The Children’s Health℠ Andrews Institute sports performance program, powered by EXOS, has developed a six-week running program for you and your family to prepare for a 5k. During your six-weeks of training, the experts at EXOS suggest that you work out three days a week, aiming for at least one full day of rest between each workout. Rest is just as important as working out because it allows your muscles time to repair.

Each training day of the week features a unique type of training, delivering different benefits toward your training goals:

Day 1 — Self-Paced Training

Before you begin the self-paced training on Day 1 of each week, make sure you perform a brief warmup. Try dynamic stretching such as skipping, walking lunges, side steps, high knees or glute kicks. The self-paced runs will include multiple short-distance runs and rest periods that increase weekly.

Day 2 — Intervals

Intervals are ten to fifteen second sprints performed at your max workout effort. Start a stopwatch to keep track of your intervals. Then rest and record the distance you ran or biked, trying to exceed your distance on each interval.

Day 3 — Run or Jog

Practice makes perfect. On Day 3 of each week, you and your family will perform a comfortable, 3-mile jog to build volume and complement recovery. Try to maintain a steady pace. It might feel slow, avoid speeding up. If you need to walk, alternate walking for one minute and jogging for three.

Check out the full, downloadable six-week training schedule

Good luck and happy running!

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Children’s Health Andrews Institute Sports Performance powered by EXOS helps young athletes reach their sports performance goals through performance assessments, custom training plans, sports nutrition and recovery strategies. Learn more about our sports performance training program.