Half Marathon Training Plan

So I have not been running and this is the first time in four years that I am missing the Richmond Half Marathon. I am a little sad over this but I know I will be back out there next year. Plus there is frost outside today which means that it will probably be really cold again on Saturday. No tears here for missing out on the cold.

A friend of mine was asking for motivation advice on Facebook last night because she is training for her first half marathon which is in March. I offered the idea of a training plan, and she liked that so I came up with this. Now, I am not a running coach, but I have run 5 of these things and I have also taken other plans and modified them to work for me. So that's what I did with this one. Enjoy!

Week    M         Tu        W           Th       F            S               Su     Total
1            R     2m easy    R      2m pace   R     1.5m easy       3m     8.5 miles
2            R    2m easy     R      3m pace   R     2m easy          4m     11 miles
3            R    2m easy     R      2m p +H  R     2.5m easy       5m     11.5 miles 
4            R    3m easy     R      3m pace   R     2m easy          6m     14 miles
5            R    3m easy     R      4m pace   R     2m easy          7m     16 miles
6            R    3m easy     R      3m p+H   R     2.5m easy       8m     16.5 miles
7            R    4m easy     R      5m pace   R     3m easy          9m     21 miles
8            R    3m easy     R      3m p+H   R     3m easy          10m   19 miles
9            R    3m easy     R      2m p+H   R     3m easy          11m   19 miles
10          R    2m easy     R      3m pace   R     2m easy          12m   19 miles
11          R    2m easy     R      2m pace   R     2m easy          Race! 19.1 miles



Key:
m = miles
p = pace
+H = run those miles and then run hills*
R = rest

Sunday you can run at race pace or you can take it easy and just finish it. Choice is yours. All that matters is that you get the mileage in.

*Hill Repeats-find a hill (doesn't have to be super steep but you don't want it almost flat either) and run up the hill for 10 seconds as fast as you can, then walk back down and do it again. Repeat this 10 times. It works different muscles in your legs than the ones you use for running distance and it improves lunge function. I actually really enjoyed these. Do them either before you run for the day or take a short break after your run if you want to do them after. If you just can't fit them in one day, don't stress, just make sure you get your mileage in for the day.

You can modify this plan to work more for you but this is a pretty good place for beginners to start. I don't worry about all the intervals and things that most training plans include, my life just doesn't have time for it, so I simplify plans so that they are easier to understand and easier for my lifestyle. Like I said, the important thing is to get out there and run the mileage so that your body is prepared for it on race day.