Health and Fitness

You've been running for a while, and still enjoy it, but maybe it's getting just a little bit boring? What you need it a goal to work towards, like a half-marathon.

The half-marathon is a long enough race that it's important to go into it properly prepared. Without proper conditioning, your race experience may be a painful one, and that pain may last for days after the race. Consider, for the moment, that during a two-hour half-marathon, you are going to be taking over 40,000 steps. That's over 20,000 times that you're going to be lifting your right leg, driving it forward, and taking the next stride. It's a lot to ask from unconditioned hip flexors. Shoulders, core, and, of course, heart and lungs, all need to be trained for the upcoming event.

Training components

tempo runs - medium-distance, sustained-pace run. These workouts "improve your lactate threshold pace."

speed work

• short intervals - run 400m, then cool down by walking 2 minutes; repeat. Intervals "improve our anaerobic capacity", as well as promoting muscle development, and building speed.


• hills - find a hill, roughly 5% grade, and mark out a 400m length on the hill; starting at the bottom, run up at a pace you can barely maintain from bottom to top, then cool down by jogging slowly to the bottom; repeat. Hill training "improves leg-muscle strength, quickens your stride, expands stride length, develops your cardiovascular system, enhances your running economy and can even protect your leg muscles against soreness."


• Yasso 800 - run 800m, then cool down by jogging for the same number of minutes; repeat. Yasso 800s have the same benefits as shorter intervals, as well as improving the ability to buffer lactic acid.

relaxed run - medium-distance, relaxed-pace run. These are 'recovery' runs - they provide additional aerobic conditioning, and keep the muscles loose, without causing fatigue.

distance run - long distance, relaxed-place run. This is where you build your endurance.

Format each week

Monday - rest day

Tuesday - Tempo training

Wednesday - Rest day

Thursday - Speed work

Friday - Relaxed run

Saturday - Rest day

Sunday - Distance run

Training Schedule

Note: the speeds provided correspond to a 2 hour half-marathon finish. If you plan to finish faster, or slower, adjust your speed accordingly.

Week 1 - This is a 'getting started' week. 3km easy run on Tuesday, 5km easy run on Friday, 7km easy run on Sunday.

Weeks 2-7 -

Tempo runs - 3km, increase by 0.5km each week @ 5:30/km pace

Speed work - short intervals 400m in 2minutes, 2 minute recovery jog; repeat 4 times on week 2, 6 times on week 3, and so on up to 14 times on week 7.

Relaxed runs - 5km @ 6:30 - 7:00 /km pace

Distance runs - 7km, increase by 1km each week @ 7:30/km pace

Weeks 8-13

Tempo runs - 5km, increase by 0.5km each week @ 5:30/km pace

Speed work - hill repeats 400m in 2minutes, jog slowly back down; repeat 2 times on week 8, 4 times on week 9, and so on up to 12 times on week 13.

Relaxed runs - 5km @ 6:30 - 7:00 /km pace

Distance runs - 10km, increase by 2km each week @ 7:30/km

Weeks 14-19

Tempo runs - 7km, 8km, 9km, 10km, 10km @ 5:30/km

Speed work - Yasso 800s; 800 m in 3:40, recovery jog 3:40; repeat 5 times on week 14, 6 times on week 15, and so on up to 10 times on week 19.

Relaxed runs - 5km @ 6:30 - 7:00 /km

Distance runs - 12km, increase by 2km each week @ 7:30/km pace

Week 20 (Race week)

Monday - rest day

Tuesday - 3km @7:00/km

Wednesday - rest day

Thursday - 5km @ 7:00/km

Friday - rest day

Saturday or Sunday - RACE!!!

[quotes from RunnersWorld.com]

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