So I’m posting this a little late but I’ve been training for a half-marathon for the past few weeks. I started around the 10 week mark and have been trying to increase my distances a little every week, while also doing other work outs. I’m around 8 weeks out now and can run around 5 miles no problem, but I would like to get up to 10 miles before my race, which is on April 27th. I ran the same half-marathon last April and finished with a time of 2 hrs and 38 minutes. My goal this year is to get under 2 hrs and 30 minutes, so here is my current training schedule.
Don’t let the large color blocks scare you!
Yellow: This is what you really want to pay attention to! I planned this out where I will be running a long distance and a short distance every week. Every week it will increase a little to get to at least 10 miles before the race, but not too close to the actual race day.
Orange: I’m calling it a 2 mile HIIT work out, but it’s basically just Orange Theory. I still have to get my 8 classes in a month, and I think that those classes help me stay in shape. I average around 1-2 miles during these classes and also do rowing and strength training which helps my body stay healthy. I wasn’t doing Orange Theory last year before my first half-marathon, so I guess it’s not totally necessary, but I wanted to be accurate in how I’m training this time.
Green: This is more chill kind of “rest” day. This isn’t super crucial to training but I think its important to stay active even on days you’re not running or working out. Plus I have a very needy dog that has started barking at me when she gets bored and wants to go for a walk.
Blue: It just so happens I have “Zen Monday” at my work every week. A yoga instructor comes in and helps us go through different flows and stretches. It’s fabulous and really helps me stretch after those super long runs I try to do on Sundays.
White: Rest Day! And odds are I’ll have more of these on my calendar than what you’re seeing. Give your body time to rest and relax. Stretch a lot! I am technically counting the blue and green days as rest days too, but some days you just need to chill out and relax.
One quick piece of advice I want to give is to just listen to your body! Obviously if you’re is sore or aching, don’t over do it! But on the same note, you should be pushing yourself and trying to build stamina during the next few weeks. It won’t be easy but it’s not supposed to be! If it was easy, everyone would do it!
Have you ever run a half marathon before? Any advice you want to share? Comment below!