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Below,
you will find half marathon training plans from experts, not only in
coaching, but also veteran runners themselves. The approach
may be different, but the final goal is the same, to help you achieve
your goals.
Half
Marathon Training Plan #1 – Hal Higdon
This
is a 12
week plan,
and my favorite, from the renowned coach Hal Higdon, a veteran of
100+ marathons himself, winner at several masters events, and a
prolific sports writer as well.
The
basic principle behind this half marathon training plan is to
gradually increase the distance, and involves running 5
to 6 days a
week. Some weeks are cut-down weeks, where the mileage actually drops
a bit to help the body recover. The weekday runs are smaller, usually
in the range of 5-8KM, while the weekend runs may go from 12-18KM.
There are also various variations of the training plan, including
those for beginners, intermediate runners, and advanced runners.
Intermediate / advanced runners may also be required to do
hill-repeats, intervals, and tempo runs.
Check
out Hal Higdon’s very popular book Marathon: The Ultimate
Training Guide
which
has all the above training plans and a complete guide to train for a
half marathon.
which
has all the above training plans and a complete guide to train for a
half marathon.
Read
more about the Hal Higdon half marathon training plan.
Half
Marathon Training Plan #2 – Jeff Galloway
Galloway’s
half marathon training plan is a 17
weeks plan and
is significantly different from the Higdon plan presented above.
Galloway is a renowned coach, known for his
trademark Run-Walk-Run method,
where you mix running and walking to achieve optimal performance.
The
training plan here is spread across just 3
days of
the week, so, ideally more suitable for those of us who cannot manage
more days of running a week, but the entire duration of the
planis longer, 17 weeks. The focus here is more on running a
specified time (say 30 mins or 45 mins) than running a specified
distance. Two runs on weekdays (timed), and one long run on the
weekend (distance goal).
Check
out Galloway’s book Marathon: You Can Do It! for more on
his Run-Walk-Run training
strategy.
Half
Marathon Training Plan #3 – Furman Institute FIRST training
Furman
Institute pioneered this plan after a lot of scientific
research. The essence if this half marathon training plan is to do
less, in terms of time and distance, but do that at a higher
quality. So,
there are just 3
runs in a week of
this 18
weeks plan,
and all the runs have specific “pace” goals as per
the target times
for the runner. This plan includes interval training, a short weekday
run, and a longer weekend run. A key aspect of this training plan is
that it has to be supplemented with some cross
training activity
as well, like cycling or swimming.
This
plan seems directed for advanced runners who can manage
their long runs at a pace very close to their predicted race day
pace, or for beginners too, for whom the race day pace will not be
too different from their regular training pace.
Check
out the book Runner’s World Run Less, Run Faster: Become a
Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary FIRST Training
Program for more details on these plans.
Half
Marathon Training Plan #4 - Runners World Ultimate Plan
A
very popular set of plans from Runner’s World magazine, the
leading runners magazine
in the world. This half marathon training plans cater to beginners,
intermediate and advanced runnersand are just 9 weeks long.
The
plan is essentially 5-6 running days a week, and expects you to
be having a fitness base before you start with the plan. There’s
interval training to be done, which increases in volume depending on
the toughness of the plan. Runs at Pace Intervals, Cruise
Intervals, Speed Intervals, and even one Fatigue Fighter Intervals as
you go for the advanced plans. And of course the weekend long run is
an essential component of all plans.
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