If you're looking to take your fitness to the next level, there's a lot to like about the beautiful distance of the 5K.
Taking on a new challenge is never easy, so kudos to you for signing up for this 5K plan. If this is your first 5K, we think you'll enjoy all the workouts leading up to your race. If you've done a 5K before, then you know just how rewarding the race distance can be.
Plus, you can rest assured knowing that you've made a good choice, not only for your overall health, but also in the race that you chose. A growing volume of research has shown that any type of running is good for your health, but the specific distance of 5 kilometers seems to have some advantages over other distances for both training and racing.
### **Why a 5K?**
For those just beginning their fitness journey, the 5K is a great "starter" race. For one, you can train for your first 5k without an enormous amount of time and effort. As you noticed when you signed up for this plan, most coaches have training plans that range from 8 to 14 weeks, with 3 to 4 workouts a week. You also won't be asked to run for more than a few miles during the course of your training. "New runners can work to build on their distance while increasing their stamina and endurance," says Jenny Harkins, an ACE-certified trainer and owner of Treadfit in Chicago. "A 5K builds confidence and encourages new runners to stick with running."
Once you commit yourself to the training, you're sure to glean a number of benefits from the workouts, beyond improved fitness. Running has all kinds of benefits, not only for your cardiovascular health but for other aspects of your life, as well.
For one, running is pretty clearly good for your heart. A [2014 study](
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109714027466) of more than 55,000 runners showed that running even 5 to 10 minutes each day improved cardiovascular health and reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The runners also had lower cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose and weight, as well as better metrics for a variety of other factors tied to heart health.
Regular running reduces the risk of other diseases, too. A [2015 review article](
https://synapse.koreamed.org/search.php?where=aview&id=10.3988/jcn.2015.11.3.212&code=0145JCN&vmode=FULL) of studies on running and other forms of exercise noted a protective benefit for both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Running has also shown significant benefits for reducing cancer risk. In particular, a [2014 study](
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.28740/full) of 272 runners and 714 walkers with breast cancer showed that the runners were more likely to survive the cancer than the walkers. The journal Cancer Prevention Research recently published an [editorial](
http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2014/11/21/1940-6207.CAPR-14-0320.full-text.pdf) emphasizing that fitness needs more attention for its overall role in cancer prevention.
### **Not Just for Beginners**
While the half-marathon and marathon have become the ultimate goals for many runners, research indicates that the more moderate mileage of a 5K training plan may be the right choice for a great number of people. Many runners are prone to greater injury risk at these higher mileages. Keeping things at a shorter distance allows you to push yourself for greater power and speed without these risks.
"The training load and workout stress is somewhat lower in shorter distance training than in the long distances," says Greg McMillan, exercise physiologist, champion runner and Olympic running coach. "Without the constant musculoskeletal stress of the really long runs, you feel fresher and more excited for the next run. Plus, the workouts are fun and exhilarating instead of the long, tedious workouts you find in the longer race plans."
In fact, many elite runners enjoy the challenge of a good 5K race. It allows them to really push themselves to their full abilities over a shorter distance. And it presents unique challenges that aren't found in the longer race distances.
### **Get Ready to Race**
Regardless of your skill level or speed, there's nothing quite like the exhilaration of lining up on race day, waiting for that gun to go off and giving it your all with a large group of like-minded people. Whether your goal is 24 minutes or 36 minutes, a 5K race can give you that boost to keep your fitness routine moving forward. "It's a good barometer of overall fitness," says McMillan. "It challenges the max in several key fitness zones, such as endurance, stamina and speed."
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