Half Marathon Training Plan

finlay287

Hi folks

Was looking to see if someone can point me in the right direction with regards to training.

Background info

Been running on & off for about 5 years with variation

for example 3 years ago I would run 30-60 miles a week, didn't really care about times just got distance in and would go quicker if I felt good.

Over the last 2 years Ive not been running as consistent going for long periods without running, but staying active doing Hit, fitness classes & weights, football etc & the odd occasional run.

4 months ago

I then filled in for someone who dropped out the half marathon, without running for 8-9 weeks since my last run and got a time of 1 hour 47 minutes. (Which I am happy with). This was my first ever event & I loved it would now like to start preparing for half marathon and take it more serious & get my time down to 1 hour 30 or under. there are so many training plans out there I seem to muddling myself up as they can conflict with each other so thought it would be best to ask here & other forums what you guys would recommend to my needs considering my current activity.

Needs/Activity
Run Half Marathon 1 hour 30 or lower
Keep up my weight lifting program which I do 4 times a week ( Mon,Tues,Thurs,Fri Morning 6 am
Play football on Thursday night 9.20pm - 10.20 pm
Body attack on Monday Night
Long run on Sunday
Rest days on Saturday & Monday (Daytime)
Can be a long training program 20weeks plus
I currently Weigh between 14 12- 15 stone (Would probably need to drop some weight? (6ft 3 In)

I know its a lot of information but any feedback would be appreciated.

Kind Regards,
Finlay

gdyment

Unless you're a genetic freak, you can't do all that. MAYBE 1 day of weights.

Run 5-6 days a week, 40-70 miles per week, maybe you'll go sub 1:30 in a year if you adapt quickly. When you get 16-12 weeks away from a race, do a dedicated plan - Hal Higdon, Pfitzinger, or Hansen maybe.

kristinegift

For starters, looking to drop 17 minutes from your HM time is quite ambitious. That's well over a minute/mile faster, from a pace that is already respectable. It can be done (I went from a 1:58 PR in fall of 2014 to a 1:43 PR in the fall of 2015) but not with the kind of load you're putting on yourself with weightlifting and extra sports so many times a week. What's your time frame for hitting this goal?

I wouldn't advise a Hal Higdon plan if your goal is to greatly increase speed. Pftizinger or Hanson is more likely to give you the speed gains you're looking for. But you're really only going to get that kind of big increase over time (probably a year, maybe 9 months?) if you are running 40 or 50 miles a week, or even more, without too many other stressors. You'd probably have to cut down to 1-2 days of weights and focus primarily on distance running for a while.