We'll be kicking off the October Half Marathon Group next week - so I hope you are all FEELING EXCITED about starting your new training plans! I know that some of you will not be starting next week, but I'm sure you'll be thinking about it anyway 😊😊😊
I've put up a picture of all the half marathon medals I have collected so far. I ran my first (Milton Keynes Winter Half) in December 2015. I'd been enjoyed running 10Ks around Brighton & Hove and one day I thought to myself hmmmm a half marathon is only two 10Ks and a bit, I reckon I could do that!
But I didn't actually get around to using a formal half marathon training plan (I have used marathon and ultra plans) until my fifth and most recent half at Hastings - and that was the plan I'd drawn up for the Spring Half Marathon Group 😄
I think I went through a similar process to many of you: C25K gave me the habit of running three times a week with at least a day of rest in between; as I went along I learned about the benefits of speed and hill training, and the long slow run; as the years passed I incorporated more cross-training into my routine, and eventually regular strength workouts too.
So basically I was able to figure out that, to get to that first half marathon, I needed to build up my long run week by week, include a speed/hill run, and maybe a little extra-curricular stuff like swimming and pilates 😊
I made a few mistakes along the way - the worst of which was starting out too fast and hard (circumstances had reduced the amount of training time I had) for my first half marathon and ending up with a classic case of runner's knee 😄
But apart from that, I think this is a perfectly valid way of tackling the half marathon, and I saw in recent comments that some of you are planning to freestyle your training too.
The thing is that the training has to work for YOU!! This is why I encourage you all to look through a few plans to give you some ideas, but then go back to your diary and your current fitness regime and see how you can fit half marathon training into your life. You should still push yourself, and you WILL have to make some sacrifices to reach your goal - but it's all good 😊😊😊 Many of the formal plans available will mention moving workout days to suit your schedule, and that's great! Do it 😄
NB if this is not your first half marathon you may well be thinking about how you can get a PB! Nothing wrong with that 😊 A formal plan is helpful for this, and there are plenty out there that will help you aim for a specific finishing time.
There is one very important thing I have learned in the past few months. Everybody is different of course, but the general pattern is that as we get older we take longer to recover from hard effort. This the reason why, being 16 weeks in length, my half marathon plan is a bit longer than many - it is basically a 12 week plan stretched out to incorporate more rest days!
I urge you all to consider this question:
"How many days after a hard run (be it long or fast) does it take for me to feel like I have completely recovered and can go out again and perform as well as (or better than!) I did during that hard run?"
I think that this is also an important question to ask if you are a relatively new runner.
Many of us are fine with greater running volume: more than three days per week, running consecutive days, going for longer distances - and that's great! But never discount the power of recovery, and if that means you run just two days a week, that's great too!
Recovery is just as important as the workout itself. It is the time to rebuild before you come out again even stronger than before 😊😊😊
Thanks Roseabi, I’m feeling quite excited and raring to go!😊 I’m not very impressed with the weather⛈🌧☔️at the moment but hopefully it’ll improve🤞
I’ve got my HM plan at home and work so I’ll always know what I supposed to be doing. I’ll rejoin the gym at work too so I can get some other exercises (Cross or Strength) done without too much faffing about🙂
I’ll be posting regularly on here, particularly if things aren’t going well!
Good luck everyone, take it slow and steady, listen to your body and keep hydrated😀
I am thinking about going up to 10 miles as a first step. I did a Pb 10k on Monday, and I know exactly what you mean about recovery. I really need 2 days recovery time after a long run now and I guess that will become more evident as the distance increases. Thanks for all the holiday reading matter. I have a long train journey on Friday and aim to have my 10 mile plan sorted before we arrive in Scilly. A first half marathon may be a step too far for a one year novice 67 year old runner, but I will review that if I get to 10 miles!! Happy running 😊😊
Excellent plan! 10 miles is a good chunk of the way through the half marathon distance, and there are quite a few 10 mile races around if you fancy trying that 😊😊😊 If you enjoy running 10 miles I see no reason why you shouldn't have a go at a half marathon xxx
A HM plan will get you to 10 miles - mine hits that distance at about halfway, and I expect others would be similar.
There are plenty of 10 mile plans around online - I did a quick Google and plans from Bupa and Hal Higdon came top of the list. Both have novice plans with 3 runs per week, perfectly fine, but they do start with a very low mileage - if you did one of them you'd probably want to start at about halfway through 😊 I didn't get any luck quickly trying a "10K to 10 mile training plan" search, but maybe if you spend a little more time you might find something.
Or, yes, freestyle it! The main thing is you need to build up your mileage each week, but cut it back every three weeks or so to give yourself a bit of extra rest and recovery time. Including some faster and/or hillier runs, and some cross training with strength work, will help increase your fitness and stamina further.
Thank you so much for your detailed reply and all the information 😊. I spent some time researching plans, all a bit confusing! I think I will try and make up my own based on your plan and others I have read. I will incorporate recovery weeks with only two short runs, every three weeks as you suggested. Thanks again for your advice 😊
I'm still plucking up the courage to float the idea of an October HM with Mr L-L (hope he's not on here using a disguised name). Not that he will be doing it, but he worries about me doing it and does not like my running training impacting other activities.
I have a previously used 12 week plan and have also looked at some 16 week plans. I have a 2 week holiday in the summer so am thinking either a 13 week or 17 week plan might be the answer (repeating the pre-holiday week, post-holiday)!
It's tricky! I hope you find a resolution xxx Great idea to fit a plan around the holiday. linda9389 and I both did that in the Spring group with our 'joker' days 😊😊😊 Linda didn't bother with repeating a week though, I think?
I know you're joking, but I don't think you necessarily did anything wrong. S*** happens! xx
I only took a couple of separate two-day breaks, but if it had been a week I wouldn't have repeated the previous week either. But of course there's no harm it doing it if you want to, L-L!
I have read page after page about stress fractures and all the dos and don'ts to avoid them. I honestly can't see any advice I've broken - I have proper shoes, they're not worn out, I took rest days, I increased mileage slowly, I had recovery weeks, I'm not particularly overweight. Just unlucky I guess.
Hiya Roseabi i'm very excited as always!!! My slightly unconventional plan is to do things backwards. So next week the plan is to do a 11k Monday ,Pilates Wednesday,21k Thursday. The Following week another 11k, Pilates Wednesday and then my First Official Half Marathon on the Sunday. After that i intend to get a bit more Conventional 11k Mon Pilates Wednesday 11k the first Friday, 12k the Second and so on. I anticipate Work/Life and Life/Life Balance won't be perfect either so i'm flexible. You are right about rest though although the Shorts are keen to get out again the other parts of me are needing at least 2 days and after a 21k run 3 or 4. So i should be properly ready to do another official half by the end. Looking forward to it all.
I'm definitely getting excited. Just got a call and booked an appt with a physio at the musculoskeletal clinic for Monday morning ( which is b4 the afternoon appt with the receptionist, so I just jumped part of the queue 😀). There's no way I'll be starting training next week, but I have my plan all set up ready to go, starting 27/6. Realistically I don't think that will happen either, but it's all there so I'll know where I need to get to when I can eventually start. It's pretty much your original 9 day plan as I did it last time, with distances tweaked a little to reflect your current version. I really can't wait to get started but in the meantime I'm volunteering at a 10k tomorrow to get a bit of race atmosphere, and I'll be cheering everyone on from the couch. Good luck everyone - have fun!
Ooooh those shiny things drew me in like a magnet 🧲. I’m so shallow ☺️☺️☺️ They are very lovely 🥰
Just as a plan is made it is unmade ☹️ I have just had a biopsy because of this skin thing, so now I have a stitch in my side. I have instructions not to do too much or get mucky. Got the big dog tomorrow 😳 Not to mention the pug 🤨. I have the stitch out in two weeks. After that it’s more vulnerable to opening up so I have to stick it with tape when I do my trail half marathon at the end of the month I told her I was doing it and she didn’t bat an eyelid. Yay
I’ll have a few days off i think, and not do any physical jerks like swinging from the monkey bars in the park 😁.
Oh dear! You're run of luck isn't really improving. Wonder just how scary you looked when you told her you were doing your trail marathon - does she know of your recent cow pat history?
I’m not sure if all the post are scaring the hell out of me or firing me up! Looking forward to Monday!! When mt daughter moves house and I have the delight of helping. I offered to have the 18 month old as it seemed less hard work! have a good weekend with a gentle run xx
Hello everyone, just back from a 16.5 km run/walk which has left me tired but in a good way. All my other runs in the week are much shorter (c: 5-8 km). I really struggle with sore feet as the run progresses and would love to know whether it is a case of just building up stamina/getting used to being on them for so long or if there is anything I can do. I am signed up for a beginners training session as part of the preparation for the Royal Parks HM which is both daunting and exciting. I tend to run alone and am not the least bothered by times etc. so the idea of being in a group and working with others is a bit terrifying, but I am going to attend even if I am secretly a scaredy-cat. Hope everyone is feeling well and running/walking as you like to do. Anna x
I'm sure you will love the training session - looking forward to hearing how you get on xxx
Regarding feet, it depends to a certain extent on what sort of pain it is, and where it is located. Could be that you would benefit from buying some more comfortable shoes. It is highly likely that some foot and lower leg strengthening exercises would help you (they help everyone really!). But yes, you will find that spending a long time on your feet may make them sore whatever you do. Give them some tlc afterwards - a nice soak in warm water, massage, rub in some moisturiser, be sure to keep your nails nice and short, all that sort of stuff xxx
Still following my "add 1k a week to the long run and do some others in-between" plan. I've also found a long route with a 330m total climb which I think matches the HM course.
Since I'm now 2k short of the race distance, I think I could consider the distance part done and start working on pace. I'm finding that I'm having to deploy my rain strategy far too often recently so I think this could be a good time to take a week's rest.
Thanks roseabi, I’m still recovering from the very hilly (for me) 10k last Sunday so I’m going to start gently as the top of my quads are still a little sore. Yesterday’s parkrun was my second fastest so I don’t think I can be so bad.
I’ve adapted your plan/spreadsheet to suit the first couple of weeks, and I’m going to gently tweak it as the weeks go by. I’ve looked at a few other plans but yours seems to suit me the most (particularly the Weds long runs and the Saturday parkruns) without a complete overhaul of my life!!! I’m getting some new, more cushioned, shoes sometime this week so I’m hoping they will help as the runs get longer.
Looking forward to some structure and chatting with others about it!
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