Half Marathon Training Plan

As I mentioned in this post, I ran the Air Force Half Marathon this past September along with a friend. It was her first half-marathon (she ran in high school but not competitively since) and I have run a Marathon and Half Marathon before, and I ran in high school and in college. I ran 1:47 and she ran 1:53.

This is the plan I put together for us.

If you want an explanation for the terminology (SO run, fartlek, tempo run, etc.) you can visit my Training Plans page.

While this plan was tough, it is definitely doable for those of you out there with busy schedules. None of the weekday workouts are designed to last longer than 45 minutes. We did the majority of them over our lunch break in the office gym (a lot of treadmills have interval/hill workout options). Sometimes we opted to head to a local track or hit up some of the Georgetown hills after work for a change of scenery.

I also want to point out that I rarely do more than 4 days of running a week. It is important to listen to your body and know your limits. I am injury-prone so giving my legs a day off is imperative. By switching up the exercise your legs stay fresh and you have a different exercise to look forward to each day.

Finally, it is important to note that these workout days are interchangeable. Sometimes, when I knew I would be going out of town, I would do my longer run during the week knowing that I would only have time for shorter runs on the weekend. Or maybe I move the leg/arm days around depending on access to a gym (although there are great arm and leg workouts that you can do without any weights - post to come!).

I have helped other people come up with race plans for different distances/experience levels which I will post soon. DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified trainer, these are just recommendations on how I do things/have suggested friends do things. What me to help you put together a potential plan for an upcoming race? Just ask!

Hold yourself accountable but also remember to enjoy the process!!