Is 7 weeks long enough to train for a half marathon?

swaymyway
swaymyway Posts: 428 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I thought it would not be as most training plans I have seen require at least 12 weeks - but having now actually looked at a few in detail I feel like I could pick them up with 7 weeks to go and maybe be OK.

I have already run a few 10ks and run 3 - 6 miles 3 or 4 times a week so I am not starting from nothing.

Does any one in a similar situation have a specific training plan that they followed? I was thinking of trying this one and just starting at week 5.

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    If you're in reasonable shape and already running several times a week, then I think you'd be OK. Hal Higdon's programmes are well regarded.

    Good luck with your race!
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    Yes, specially if your allready running 3-6 miles on a regular basis.
  • bwright9752
    bwright9752 Posts: 125 Member
    If you are running up to 6 miles 3 or 4 times a week you could probably pull off a half marathon right now. At this point I would guess your leg muscles would be your weak spot not your cardio.
    I was running 4 miles a day 4 days a week and 45 mins of spinning 2x week when I decided to train for a half marathon. I scheduled a long run on a Sunday and just turned on my music and didn't look at a clock or gps and just ran till I felt I couldnt run any more, turned out i ran 10 miles that day. 2 weeks later I bumped it to 13.1 and have run 13.1 every other sunday since then (2 more times). On the off sundays I run for about an hour working on picking up my pace.
    Because of the spinning (and a lot of p90x2 before i started training for the 1/2) my legs were plenty strong to handle the stress and my cardio was good. Honestly, my weakest link in those first couple of long runs was blisters/chafing. I have now found anti-chaffing cream and built enough callouses on my feet that those are no longer an issue.
    Good luck.

    BTW - I have been using a plan from ADIDAS miCoach that runs on my android. I've pushed the long runs a lot farther than they suggest but the speed work has been good for my pace. It's nice because you give it a target date of your race and how many days a week you want to train and it will back into the plan. This allows you to customize exactly for your timeframe.
  • swaymyway
    swaymyway Posts: 428 Member
    Thank you. I think what I will do is pick up the plan at week five and follow it for a week or two - then decide if I think it is doable and sign up to the race if I think it seems like a good idea.

    Looking at it again I think I will actually be running considerably less than I am now and other than the one long run a week the runs are all between 3-5 miles, so as long as I can push through those long runs that I am not used to (longest ever run was 7 miles) I should be OK.

    Will also look into MiCoach, ta.
  • ibleedunionblue
    ibleedunionblue Posts: 324 Member
    I've ran over 25 halfs, and 4 fulls. Here is my take... the important aspects are base & long runs.

    You have a decent base of running 3-4 times a week. And it appears you have ran 7.

    Hal's training programs are great. Continue your base, and stretch your long runs. I would recommend getting in at a minimum a 9 and an 11 miler. A 12 miler would be even better.

    Take a rest day after your long run day.

    And finally - you dont have to have a good time, to have a great time. In other words, dont worry about the clock. Half marathons are fun. Enjoy it.

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