This may be a bit premature as I’ve only completed a week and a half of the plan so far!
When I first looked at the plan in the NRC app, I dismissed it out of hand because it had 5 runs a week and that's definitely not for me and my injury prone body!!! But actually it’s very, very flexible, so I thought it may be worth sharing a few points. Several forum members have used / are using it at the moment, so it will be interesting to hear your views too.
★ How long is the plan?
14 weeks. Well, no more than 14 weeks! You Can join in week 13 (as I have) or even earlier - if you’re using the app it simply backwards calculates your start point based on the date you wish to run your HM!
★ How many runs a week?
This is usually my number one question when I’m looking for a plan!!! It has to fit around my life, my other activities and within my body’s tolerance for running!!! Ostensibly this plan has 5 runs a week, but in reality there are five runs each week for you to choose from - usually two easy/recovery runs, two ‘speed’ runs and one ‘long’ run - you simply choose which of those you want to do. A beginner level plan would generally only have three runs a week whereas an intermediate or advanced plan might have 4 or 5 runs per week. I will definitely be dropping at least one run a week. To start with I’ll drop one of the easy runs, but I like that, as the plan progresses, I can choose less runs and I can drop some of the more impactful ones if and when I feel I need to.
★ Do I need the NRC app?
I’m using the NRC app for the Half marathon plan. I happen to think the app is very good, but you don’t need to use it. You can download various Nike plans from the internet (including the very same HM plan) and follow the requirements for each run of each week from a simple PDF plan if you prefer. You find them all here nike.com/gb/running/trainin...
There are actually separate PDF plans online for several different distances which you can find here (whereas only the HM plan is currently available on the app):
If you do decide to use the app (which is completely free and available for both Apple and Android devices), you have the option of being able to take advantage of the Guided runs in the app; every run (so far at least) correlates with one of the existing guided runs and it is just a quick click to the right one from your plan! I particularly like these for the speed runs: I’m notorious for mucking up my watch or missing the beep/buzz during my Garmin workout and messing up my intervals, so to have someone in my ear telling me exactly when to speed up or slow down is very helpful! I suspect I will soon drop the guided runs for the recovery or long runs though - I don’t want ‘motivational speak’ on every run. Back off coach!!!
★ Extra information
I found the pace information in the PDFs really helpful. A PB in my next race would be nice (however big a mountain that seems right now) so it’s good to have some well defined target paces to aim for - something I usually struggle with. There is quite a lot of detail on the different pace definitions (and while these may differ from other definitions of the same terms, at least I feel I know what the Nike plan is asking for). The coaches on the guided runs give more detail too.
There’s also a section in the PDF’s describing the different types of run which are in the plan (again, the Nike definition - I think their idea of fartleks is a little different than most).
FInally, in the app, there are various linked articles which adds a bit more depth to the plan too.
★ Variety
It may be a bit soon for me to comment really (maybe veterans of the plans can comment more?), but so far this week I’ve enjoyed the variety and the different challenges. I’m hoping that the clearly defined speedwork will help bring my pace back closer to what it was a year ago. I guess I’ll know in around 12 weeks time!!!
★ Adaptability
I already think I may have to take a week’s break 🙄. I get the impression I can simply pause the clock and pick up where I left off, which is great for me as I have some contingency time built in. Maybe someone else can confirm if this is possible, or if the clock will march on to one week less to go ...
Of course, if none of this sounds like your cup of tea, there’s plenty more plans out there (you can find more detail on some of the most popular plans in this previous post Half Marathon training plans 😍 How to find a good plan for YOU!healthunlocked.com/marathon... )
If you’ve found a different plan that you think is a winner, maybe you could consider writing a quick review too.
Happy running everyone, whatever your goal!
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linda9389
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I’m really enjoying it too Linda. I’m no veteran of NRC - I started picking random guided runs recently to keep my interest up. Neither am I a veteran of HM plans. This is my first. the others I totally winged. But the adaptability of this plan appealed to me which is lucky as I’ve had to adapt from the start.
First off, I began with less than 14 weeks to go to my HM, so it started me on W3. No biggie, as I’d been doing plenty of running beforehand. Then I was sidelined for a week due to being away/having a stonking cold (not “it”, never fear!) so I skipped W4 and resumed with W5 (my W3) on Monday.
The runs are great and varied. It’s made me enjoy, and actually look forward to, intervals. I like the coaches and the chat. I’ve even ditched my music and quite enjoy the silence in between. I’ll rethink that when the runs get longer though. I’m also doing the full 5 runs per week whenever possible, but it’s good to know that if life gets in the way I can drop one or two if needs be.
So basically I’d wholeheartedly recommend NRC. I’m doing it to see if I can shave a little time off my PB. Who knows? 🤷♀️😀🏃♀️
That's fabulous. I only discovered the PFDFs by chance, having looked at the app after yourself and Miss W were such advocates of the plan. It would certainly be a shame if the 5 runs put beginners off, as there is so much useful stuff in there.
A great review! I have also been enjoying the variety of the plan but it is too intense for me. I'm mainly sticking to three runs per week, dropping the shorter recovery run and one of the speed runs.
I can confirm that you can pause and pick up as you wish when you use the app. At any point you can activate any given week and it stays 'active' until you move to a different week (by activating it!) so it won't just move you on - last week I only managed one run so I'm still where I was seven days ago! You can also overwrite a 'completed' run, all you have to do is go into it and start the run (again with the choice of guided or not, which I like). I will be repeating my recovery run so I was glad to see how easy it is.
I'm glad you're enjoying this plan, I'm a lot happier with this one than the Garmin one with all the watch buzzing and having to stick to certain cadences. On the other hand, I need to track distances with my Garmin because NRC would have me believe I'm a lot faster and fitter than I really am. It always comes up short on distance-based runs and my stats are a lot more impressive whatever the run than the numbers I get from mean Mr Garmin! 🤣
Oh yes, I forgot that bit - I assume it's a GPS discrepancy between my watch and phone that cuases the issue. Sometimes it's xlose, others it's out.Great to hear about the pausing and restarting. I started 3 weeks ahead of my booked HM as I have a 'maybe' event before hand. I should probably say had! It eould be better to save my weeks I think and aim to do the full plan using all the contingency. But I don't always choose the right course of action ... 🙈🙊🤦♀️
I love the NRC Half Marathon plan and the app in general. The coaching is first class and they even have a meditation expert (ex monk) plus a world class runner in Emily Infeld. I’ve just completed Week 4 and have actually completed all of the runs despite my body also being injury prone. I have an ongoing knee and groin issue but as you say, I don’t have to do all of the runs and will now take a 3 or 4 day break to let my body recover. What I really like about the training is that there is only one endurance run per week, along with recovery, speed intervals and fartlek runs. I find that doing the 5 days a week programme means that my asthmatic lungs can cope with the running better. Even if I feel wheezy and struggle on any given day, I can still feel the improvement in my fitness levels throughout the rest of my life.
That's great. I also like that the speed sessions both look different - one is more sgort-interval/fast based and the other is more of a tempo type run. I suspect I will have to alternate each week but would love to be able to do both.
The variety makes me look forward to the runs. I’m really having to fight with myself to NOT go running today as my groin is sore. I’ve NEVER been like this before!
Since I'm only doing one speed run per week I'm also aiming to alternate but so far I've only done the intervals / hills just because they're a lot of fun! 😆
That's really interesting that the five runs are helping you. I've avoided doing the whole plan because I thought it'd be too much for my foot (I have mild plantar fasciitis). Hmmm I might rethink my strategy 🤔
Probably not as relevant to you folks in this forum but I am doing the Get Started Training Plan on the NRC which is the only other one available at the moment as I have been struggling to commit to much beyond 30 minutes recently. Like your review linda9389 I really like the variety in types of runs, commentary and music choices. This one is definitely geared to a new runner, but like it as it explains the different types of runs. I feel a bit lost without a plan to follow so I am enjoying running again.
I'm enjoying it and like you, choosing 3 runs a week (as far as possible!) They're good fun and do help with motivation. I did my long run on Saturday last week as part of a different challenge so didn't use a guided one but will try one. They're helping me sort my pace a bit and not zoom off at the start and slow up so much!! I'll keep going with it I think. My legs feel satisfyingly tired after this mornings intervals!
Brilliant! I have used the Guided runs for long runs in the past and enjoyed them, but I think having that voice in my ear once or twice a week is enough for me - and it obviously makes most sense to have it for the intervals I think. But it's great to always have the choice!
Thanks for posting this linda9389 . I haven’t used any plans apart from C25k and juju’s magic plan, which I extended to reach 10 miles. Do you think the HM plan would work to get back to 10 miles? I must investigate the app.
Yes! I think it would work very well. You can either look at the app, or use the link to the PDF for the HM - that lays out the individual runs for each week so you can see how it would get you there.
I’ve done a recovery run and a speed run so far and it’s giving me an incentive to get out there. One problem today, I had to increase the volume to hear the coach talking but it was too loud when my music came back on. Maybe I need to go without music…..
That's frustrating. Can you turn the music level down in whatever you use for the music? Separately from the headphones themselves. I usually find it OK so long as there isn't traffic around, but traffic makes it tricky to hear.
I play both music and app on my phone with aftershokz. I think the breeze might have been the problem. It was the speed of w1 so he was probably chatting for more than normal.
What a coincidence? I’ve just started on this…don’t know how far I’ll get coz I’m not a fast runner and I’m not a distance runner but I feel like I need a plan right now to keep me focussed…I like the adaptability of the plan too, some weeks I can run 5 times, other weeks I’m just too busy…I’ll see how it pans out 😉
Distance is kind of unavoidable in a HM plan 🤔😍 but pace is whatever you want it to be. Take a look at the pace chart in the PDF link in the main post; pick a 5k time you're comfortable with and then look at the suggestions for the other paces the runs will refer to. You might be surprised at a how doable it all becomes. Good luck 👍💪
I’ve just started 11 weeks to go. I can only run twice a week so have been covering most of the runs over a 2 week period, choosing a longer and shorter run each week. I’m enjoying the coaching and the structure. I also like the fact that you can choose a ‘non-guided’ run when you just want a bit of peace 😊. The last long run was 10k and the next one is also 10k but they do jump up by 2 or more km per week so I may build in an intermediate week, or weeks, and add 1k to the long run, again making it a 2 or 3 week cycle and giving me time to complete more of the other runs. (If you press ‘view plan progress’ in the app it shows you the list of things to come as well as what you’ve done.)I’m only aiming for 10 miles at the moment and have no race planned so I can afford to take my time and just enjoy it. I’m getting to love those long slow runs, especially after a long, busy week at work. They help me to ‘decombust’ 😊
I’d definitely recommend to anyone who is looking to extend their distance 👍🏻
I've already reached that stage of needing some peace in my runs - I lnow exactly what you mean! I'm really happy to hear I can take a few days off and still keep going through each week's prescribed runs. I like the look of the next speed run but know I should take a break to let my hip settle.You might find those 2km increments, especially if they are every two weeks the way you are approaching the plan, are fine. As the distances become longer, 2km becomes a smaller proportion of each run, so is actually less of an increase than it seems (if that makes sense).
This has inspired me to train back to HM distance, started this morning at 11 weeks to go... It suggested a 15 min recovery run but I hadn't ran for couple days so turned it into a 5k at super easy pace, and ended up doing it in 28mins something 🤷🏼♂️. Barely had to change my breathing, very pleased 😁
That's really great! You can actually the 5 runs in any order you like - it doesn't have to be as they are listed. It still gets recorded as completed and you can go back to earlier runs listed for that week, right up until you decide to activate the next week of the plan. Great start, good luck!
Thanks Linda 😁 I'm actually looking forward to doing some Fartlek, I always SAY I'm gonna start doing it but never actually do it 😂😂 I like the idea of breaking my routine and changing up the runs each day, didn't even know the HM plan was on the NRC until I read these posts today, I usually just pick one at random for whatever distance/time I fancy. Be interesting to follow an actual plan.
I’m a fan of the app and it is great to have the plan integrated with the app. I was using the pdf plan in February and March, it was just a bit of a pain to remember to download the runs. I love the easy of this new in app version. I normally run 3 times a week selecting the longer recovery run, a speed run and the long run. At the moment I’m building up strength after a few months off running so not sure I will be able to keep to the plan as long runs get longer. I’m thinking about doing all 5 runs but over a week and a half rather than sticking to the in week schedule. Will see how it goes.
I’m following the HM plan and was enjoying the coached runs. For some reason they won’t download to my iPhone. Only the GIF downloads. It doesn’t load the session though. It’s as if the link has broken. I’ve tried several different ones and none work 🤷♀️☹️
So, this morning, I set off to do the next run in the plan My Bluetooth earbuds wouldn't connect so I ran music and app free. I had my Garmin watch on though. I ended up doing 21.12 km in the drizzle 🌧 I just kept running as i was enjoying myself 🙂🏃♀️
For what it's worth, I found this article which suggestsbyour data won't be lost (ans suggests a way of saving it first) reddit.com/r/nikerunclub/co... decided to be brave and delete mine (android though, not Apple) as I haven't built up much data to lose. I reinstalled and it asked for my height and weight so I was sure it had wiped my data. But lo and behold, my handful of activities are still there, as us my plan progress.
I still can't guarantee it would save all your data though ...
thanks Linda! I cleared some unused apps and photos etc off my phone this morning. Going to go through messages etc to see if it's a memory issue I need a better phone. I'll have to ask Santa 😀
I noted it suggested another download route for guided runs that won’t load, right at the bottom to “All Runs”. I reinstalled the app today after clearing my phone a bit to free up some space. The history was still there 🙏
Well done! That was incredibly brave - you must have so much history stored in the app (I only had about 4 runs to lose 🤣). Normal business can now resume!!!
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