What makes a good half marathon training plan? The basic components remain the same for any plan, a mix of easy, tempo, intervals, hills, and longer runs. In this article we will look at how to structure your training for this distance and give you some key pointers to help you to succeed in your goal!
WHY A HALF MARATHON?
Perhaps you have just completed the Couch to 5K and are setting your sights on a further challenge, or perhaps you are coming back to running after a break. It could be you are limited in your free time but cannot stand the thought of a lung busting 5k PB program! The half marathon is one of the most popular distances for runners. Unlike the marathon which requires a significant time sacrifice to get the long runs in, within a busy lifestyle, the half marathon can be the perfect solution.
Whatever your reason it’s important to know your why! That is the foundation for any training and will help you achieve the goal. The other part of goal setting is the target, which needs to be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. At a distance of 21.1km or 13.1miles, did you know the men’s world record stands at 57.31 by Jacob Kiploma and the women’s at 62.52 by Letesenbet Gidey? The average UK time is for a road half is 2hrs 2minutes, so that should put your goal into perspective!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET FIT FOR A HALF MARATHON
We recommend 16 weeks at least for a marathon training block, but for a half marathon, a regular runner, in just 12 weeks should see considerable gains in performance. The challenge remains the same as any training program, training hard enough to make gains, without overtraining leading to injury. All programs should be supplemented with strength and conditioning, cross training, and becoming attuned to your body to know when you need to back off, book a sports massage, or perhaps step up your training if you aren’t pushing hard enough. To improve your half marathon time (or increase your distance if this is your first push at 13.1), physiological changes need to occur, and yes sadly the adage is true, to run faster, you do at some point need to run faster!
HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD YOU TRAIN A WEEK?
The number of times a week you run does depend on where in your running journey you are starting. A half marathon still requires a solid endurance base so should not be underestimated. I recommend at least 1 rest day a week, and ideally at least 3 running days a week to really see improvements, but a plan has to fit around your life or you will never stick to it. The old rule of never increasing intensity/time/distance more than 10% a week can be somewhat ignored if you are just starting out and your mileage is very low. However, if you are already running 30+miles a week, big increases on this may well lead to injury.
HOW DO YOU SET A GOAL?
There are some basics to cover before you start a training plan. What is your goal? What time and energy are you realistically able to offer a training plan? Do you have all the right kit? One of my favourite things about running is the freedom you can achieve with relatively little outlay financially. If your goals mean a plan will include specific paced runs, or you are pushing for a punchy personal best (PB), the reality is you may want to think about kit/technology choices. Either way, your kit should be comfortable, weather appropriate, and not cause you injury.
WAYS TO HELP ENSURE YOU SUCCEED
If you struggle with motivation, then there are a few tricks you an employ to increase the likelihood of you following a plan:
1 – Accountability
Become accountable to someone. This can mean getting a running coach like at Run the Wild who you know will ask you how the session went. Tell people you are training for a half marathon, so again you anticipate being asked how its all going. Whilst this is pressure, there is a certain amount of pressure that is actually good for us psychologically.
2 – Run with others
Whether this be a running club, or with friends. When the weather isn’t being kind, the chance you will get out is far higher if you are running with someone else. There are some sessions where it really doesn’t matter in the slightest if you are very different paces, such as short speedwork sessions, but just having someone out on the same track as you really helps.
3 – Sign up to an event
This can be a race, but doesn’t have to be. Run the Wild have Half Marathon distance guided trail runs every spring an autumn.
4 – Have a good ‘WHY’
Understanding why we want to take on challenges is vital in the psyche of following a plan to achieve those challenges. This is your motivation to get out of bed in the morning and lace up. This is completely personal, and doesn’t have to be shared with anyone, so don’t worry however foolish it may seem. Take a bit of time before starting any program to really think about why you are doing it.
THE INGREDIENTS OF THE PLAN
So now we have the basics covered, what does a half marathon training plan look like? Plans have to be specific to the individual rather than generic to really reap the most benefits, but the format should have the same basic concepts:
Long Run
This is a weekly run that is typically slower than your HM target pace, and adapts your endurance levels.
Hill Work
Hill work is really speedwork in disguise and has the great benefit of being much kinder on the body. It promotes good running form (think driving your arms, really lifting your knees), and is a tough session. Hill work can vary from hill bounds (typically 10 strides) anything up to 5 minutes plus of sustained hill effort. Obviously, the effort level will in part be dependent on gradient.
Intervals
People often get confused with Intervals, tempo sessions and speed work. Intervals and speed work are largely the same thing, but many running coaches will simply define them by length. For me personally, I consider repetitions (reps) of anything less than 400m to be speed (basically flat out how fast can I go), and intervals can be anything from 400m up to 1mile (or possibly longer, but this is less likely to be beneficial for a half marathon program). The idea is usually that you run the rep as fast as you can to maintain that pace for the future reps/sets. This takes practise to understand how long you can sustain that uncomfortable feeling. Good half marathon interval sessions could include: 10 x 400m, 5 x 800m, 4 x 1km etc. Start with fewer reps, and a recovery that allows you to fully get your breathing back under control, to allow you to push with consistency on the next rep. Start with 100% recovery time (so you are recovering for the same time the rep took you), and aim to reduce this over time to somewhere near 50%.
Tempo Sessions
Tempo differs from intervals in that it is a consistently maintained pace for a longer effort. These sessions allow you to run faster for longer. We want to be able to run at a pace that is around the maximum while still clearing out the lactate build up. The more you run, the more efficient you become, and the faster you are able to go for longer periods of time. Effort level these feel something like 6-8/10 (10 is flat out sprinting). The longer the tempo, the lower the intensity is needed to be. A good half marathon tempo session would be 1.5km warm up, then 5km at 10km race pace, and then 1.5km cool down. You can also break a tempo down into almost interval like sessions, such as warm up, and then 5 x 5 minutes alternating recovery easy pace, with 10km race pace.
Easy runs
Not to be confused with junk miles. Easy runs can aid and speed up our body’s recovery from hard sessions, and the more we run the more efficient we become as runners, even at a steady pace. Easy runs can vary in length, but shouldn’t be run so hard as to have detrimental impact on the body.
PUTTING THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER
For someone running 3 times a week, I would suggest 1 long, 1 easy and 1 tempo/interval/speed/hill per week. If you have the capacity to run more than 3 times, typically I would suggest maintaining 1 long run, and increasing the number of tempo/speed/interval/hill sessions and easy sessions in equal proportions.
SUMMARY
Find your why, set a SMART goal which includes how much time you have available to train, be willing to get uncomfortable to get quicker, listen to your body, ensure you train the ingredients with the right balance. Finally, be patient, believe in the process and the outcome will follow! Good luck!
If you would like help in creating a bespoke half marathon training program, drop us an email at info@runthewild.co.uk or have a look at the website for details on our bespoke coaching packages. You will not only be given guidance on running sessions and strength and conditioning sessions, but also advice on technique, kit choices, and of course the all important accountability.
Written by Karin – Running Guide
