There’s no better feeling than to accomplish one of those items on your personal wish list. Running a half marathon is one of the most common things that people want to do, but often never ‘get round to’. Think about it, though: completing a half marathon serves so many purposes. It provides:
With the Brisbane Marathon Festival still several weeks away – and a whole range of distances available to run on the day – you’ve still got time to put together a training regime that will see you achieve a goal that so many others will never manage.
Train for success
Here at Onfit training we’ve developed a running plan that will ensure you’ll be ready and raring to take on that half marathon….
Your half-marathon running plan
Remember the five Ps: proper planning prevents poor performance. The following running plan will ensure you reach the start line in top condition for the challenge ahead:
The first three weeks consist of alternating running days with rest days and cross training sessions. Work on a seven day rota throughout your training program that will help you to add strength and stamina:
Day 1: Run/Walk
Day 2: Cross train
Day 3: Run/Walk
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Run/Walk
Day 6: Walk
Day 7: Rest
During these first three weeks, begin with a run/walk of 5 kilometres, and increase to around 7 kilometres by week three. On this third week, add in a strength training session after the 7km walk/run on day 1.
On week four, replace the 7km run/walk with a 3km easy run, and on each ‘running day’ add a km to your distance. By the end of this week, you’ll be completing an easy run of 8km.
By week five, you’ll be ready to increase your distances a little further, and add another ten minutes to your 30-minute cross training sessions. Week five should consist of a 7km easy run on days one and three, an easy run/walk of 10km on day five, and an easy run of 7km on day six. You might feel your body needs a rest on day 6, instead – listen to your body and let yourself recover if you do.
Week six is the week in which you cement your progress to date, repeating week five with the addition of an extra 1-2km to your day-five easy run (now a 12km run).
During weeks seven and eight, add 1-2km to the easy runs of the first and third days (making each run total ~8km). Add 1-2km each week to the final run of the week (week seven equals 13-14, week eight equals 14-15km).
The same stretching of distance should take place on weeks nine and ten – reaching the maximum distance at 17km. On race day, the adrenaline will carry you the distance, so you never need to work a full 21km into your training.
After long-distance training days, be sure to include a rest day.
The week before your target run, alternate run days with rest days. This helps your final toning and conserves energy for the big day. Make sure to get plenty of rest and recovery in the week leading up to your half marathon and do no more than three easy runs.
One final thing: don’t forget to properly warm up before and warm down including a stretch after every session, and stay focused for success – stick with your program even without your PT.
