Half marathon training plans?

prattiger65

I will be trying a half in March of 2014. Some of you have done this, can you recommend a good training plan?

Booksandbeaches

I like this plan for half marathon. It breaks the training regimen down so well.

http://running.competitor.com/2013/08/training/the-beginners-guide-to-the-half-marathon_52399

Check out the two part .pdf training plans on the website. That's what I use.

ThickMcRunFast

There are many plans out there. What are you currently running now? Do you just want to finish, or do you have a time goal in mind?

heybales

And how much time do you have to give to the running, not that more is always better of course, but gives options.

Need at least 3 runs a week usually
Long run slow pace.
1 hr run aerobic HR zone, below race pace.
30-40 hill sprints or intervals.

What else you could fit in there and where and what type of workout just depends on where those go.

Just allow time for rest and the recovery from a good work, or you risk injury and not getting max benefit from the workouts.

prattiger65

Currently I run 3 times per week or more. Usually @ 3-4 miles. Last 5K time was @ 27 minutes, so I'm not very fast. I have run 6 miles a couple of times, @ 60 minutes. My goal is to just finish with as little walking as possible. As far as training is concerned, I can run in the evenings and I can go to the gym during my lunch break, weekends are pretty free this time of year. Thanks for the advice!

heybales

3 runs a week is just fine actually still building base mileage.. Then another cross training session, spin bike perhaps, or just lifting for upper body is great too. Cut down on the pounding, which does take recovery time.

Keep the weekday runs the same time, not distance. As you get faster you'll get more distance in, just a tad more usually, that's fine.

The weekend run is where you increase by 10% of your weekly mileage.

So at current pace probably expecting 10 min/mile. Nice even number. But that's race pace, should back off for longer runs. But perhaps the training will have room to make that your training pace, and race pace can be even faster.

Sat or Sun - Long run for distance, start at 1 hr whatever distance is reached. Aerobic HR zone max. You want to train your fat-burning aerobic system for endurance. Sounds like 6 miles right now or tad less.
Each week increase this distance by 10% of your total weekly mileage.

1-2 days later (you'll want that recovery time as distance increases) - 1 hr run at Aerobic HR zone max again. Warm-up and cool-down walk is outside that time if available. Always useful. This distance probably won't increase much, sounds like 6 miles right now. But it will be great way to see how much better you are getting. Same general route, same time, same HR, and as distance goes up you know you are improving.

1-2 days later (but 2 days prior to long run) - 1 hr sprints either hill or intervals, time includes longer warm-up and cool-down time, so perhaps only 40-45 min running.
The all-out hard part should be 15-45 seconds only, recovery should be 3 x as long so 45-135 sec.
So hill sprints are great, but always uphill, walk down, jog in the valley prior to sprinting again. Track is good for exact timing. Probably have time for 8-10 intervals in there, some jogging prior and after. Probably hit 4 miles.
This will train your lactate threshold higher, giving a bigger aerobic range, also helps body deal with lactate acid better meaning your race pace can go up while the endurance effort feels the same.
Never doing anything intense with legs day before or after this day, get the most out of it by having fresh legs and allowing complete repair, it's like lifting for lower body. Upper body lifting is just fine day before or after.

So starting at 6+6+4=16 miles so far, hopefully not too much an increase to where you are at now. If it is over 10%, shorten the long run for now. Or use other 2 week endurance training below.

With that distance, that means you could increase that long run by say 1.5 miles weekly for 2 weeks, then 2 miles. Just get up to 14 miles though, unless longer makes you feel more comfortable.

Suggestion for 2 weeks at start, that can really kick-start your endurance ability, since you have a good base. It may seem not enough, but really, unless you are at top end of performance, it will help. Keep track of distance and avgHR and see improvements by last workout. Stats are interesting.
http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/HIIT.html

2 weeks, total of 6 workouts, so 3 weekly. Shouldn't add any other runs during these 2 weeks. Perhaps this will get your mileage up above current amount.

5 min warm-up walk, 5 min warm-up slow jog.
30 sec all-out sprint (not treadmill, like intervals above, gotta be outside).
4 min recovery, walk first till HR drops to Recovery HR zone, then jog slow rest of the time in same HR zone.
Repeat 7 times.
5 min cool-down slow jog, 5 min cool-down walk.

Do you have HRM for doing these HR zones? Fat-burning HR zone has been called for much longer and more correctly the Active Recovery HR zone.
http://www.calculatenow.biz/sport/heart.php?

If not need to pay attention to the talk tests for at least a rough guide.
Active Recovery HR zone - could carry on extended talking easy enough, no impact to required oxygen for exercise. Could sing poorly but get out of breath.
Aerobic - talk in short sentences with many breaks, if you tried to keep talking you'd be slowing down or breathless. No singing sounds good.
Tempo - Few words and breathless, gotta wait a bit for few more words. Not good for training, just racing.
Anaerobic - better not be able to talk, unless your wheezing sounds like words.

That is a common training guide using what many think is a reasonable amount of running per week.

If you want to add 1 more run, it would be for one day, before one of the weekday runs, morning run, fasted, no snack prior.
30 min total, Recovery HR zone. Trains the body to go to best fat burning ratio as soon as possible.

Normally it takes about 30 min for system to slip in to the final average fat:carb burning ratio it'll keep using for longer runs. This short run trains body to go there faster, since it should see shortage of glucose is liver/blood sugar levels. Only do if safe for you. Again useful for endurance as it trains your body to spare the limited glucose stores. Meaning during race you can go faster for farther.

ibleedunionblue

Higdon has some plans.

But for simplicity sake - build a base, then start building up your weekly long runs.

MisterCharisma

6 miles in 60 minutes? I aspire to do that. thats 6 -10 minute miles lady. great work if your goin for better. You just inspired me to get on my grind today. I also want to run a half a marathon along with a full one and a triathalon in 2015 ive done a couple of mud runs and i plan to do more this spring and summer. be well

prattiger65

6 miles in 60 minutes? I aspire to do that. thats 6 -10 minute miles lady. great work if your goin for better. You just inspired me to get on my grind today. I also want to run a half a marathon along with a full one and a triathalon in 2015 ive done a couple of mud runs and i plan to do more this spring and summer. be well

Gotta change my profile pic....... I keep getting called a girl....my wife is a pretty good runner though.

ElliottTN

There is a small locally owned shop in my town (memphis) called breakaway running. We have a huge st. Jude half and full marathon every December and they do free group training for it as well as post the plans online. I personally know tons of people who had success following their program who never though they could run one. Here is a document link to their training plan for the half, you'll just have to adjust the dates.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5Hkrfu8RXmbbDN2UzRCT0FCQmM/preview?pli=1

TX_Mike

I've used Hal Higdon's training plans for both half and full marathons.

http://halhigdon.com/

prattiger65

Thanks for the replies everyone. Since this is my first, I decided that simple is better so I am gonna use the Hal Higdon novice 2 plan. Downloaded the app to my iphone, training starts December 22.

TX_Mike

Thanks for the replies everyone. Since this is my first, I decided that simple is better so I am gonna use the Hal Higdon novice 2 plan. Downloaded the app to my iphone, training starts December 22.

Yay! I feel helpful now. Even though I may not have helped much :P

Good luck with the training. Hope you post your progress.