The Half-Marathon in 18 Weeks
Written by Gord Hobbins   
Friday, 24 October 2008 13:59
Over the years of providing runners training schedules from the ten-kilometres up to the ultra distances, the most popular schedules have always been the ones that are easy to follow and adaptable to busy lifestyles. If your goal is to just finish or complete a realistic goal time, the schedule is designed to adapt to whatever your time commitment will allow. If you're able to run up to the five days or the minimum three days a week, feel free to shift the workout to a current exercise routine to complement what's working for you now.  Let your family and friends know your training schedule so they can plan their routine around your schedule.  They can also check up on your consistency with your progress (basically help keep you on track).  Lastly, have fun, because when you're having fun, it's a whole lot easier for you, those you run with, family, and friends who maybe inspired to join you because they see and hear you having so much fun!

Schedule Tips

  • Simple to follow.
  • Easy runs. Yes, easy runs and optional days are only if you feel you good and can truly run easy!
  • Long slow distance is also run at an easy (talking) pace. If you can talk comfortably when running, then you are running at an easy pace.
  • Hilly runs and hill repeats make you stronger and help prepare you for speed work. For hill repeats, look for lengths of 400 to 1,000 metres and a gentle slope while maintaining a nice upright running form. The uphill portion is the workout and the downhill is the rest period.
  • Intervals should be run at your half-marathon pace (based on most recent finish time) or your goal time.* The goal is to maintain this pace as closely as possible until you're able to complete the speed-work session at the desired pace.
  • Hill repeats and interval runs should be preceded and followed up with a ten- to fifteen-minute warm-up, cool-down run, and then stretching.
  • Questions, if you have any more questions with your training program feel free to e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and I will do my best to help you cross the finish line.
*Goal time: if your time goal for the half-marathon is one hour, fifty-five minutes, then your goal time for the 800-metres would be doubled and converted to minutes and seconds. Example: 1:55 doubled is 3:50:00 then converted to three minutes and fifty seconds for 800 metres. For the 400-metre intervals, convert your time goal for the half-marathon from hours and minutes to minutes and seconds. Example: 1:55 would convert to one minute and fifty-five seconds for the 400-metres. Rest periods for the intervals should be no longer than two minutes. As your fitness improves, try to reduce the rest to one minute.

 

Training Schedule

 

WEEK    
Mon.
Tues Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.
#1 ½ HR ½ HR       
off ½ HR           

¾ to 1 HR
#2 optional   
½ to ¾ HR
 off ½ HR hilly run easy legs & stretch LSD ¾ to 1 ¼ HR
#3 optional ¾ HR
 off ½ to ¾ HR hilly run
¾ to 1 HR
#4 optional ¾ HR
 off ½ to ¾ HR hilly run easy legs & stretch LSD 1 to 1 ½ HR
#5 optional ½ HR hilly run  
off Hill repeats 4 x 2 min.
¾ to 1 HR or 5k/10k race
#6 optional ½ HR hilly run off Hill repeats 5 x 2 min. easy legs & stretch LSD 1 ¼  TO 1 ¾  HR
#7 optional ½ HR hilly run off Hill repeats 6 x 2 min. optional
¾ to 1 ¼ HR
#8 optional ½ HR hilly run   
off Hill repeats 6 x 2 min. optional    
easy legs & stretch     
LSD 1 ½  TO 2  HR
#9 optional ¾ HR off Fartlek ½ HR
optional
¾ to 1 ¼ HR or 5k/10k race
#10 optional ½ to ¾ HR off Fartlek ½ HR
optional easy legs & stretch LSD 1 ½  TO 2 ¼  HR
#11 optional ¾ HR off Fartlek ¾ HR
optional
¾ TO 1 ¼ HR
#12 optional    
½ to ¾ HR off Fartlek ¾ HR
optional easy legs & stretch LSD 1 ¾ TO 2 ½ HR
#13 optional ¾ HR off Intervals 4 x 800m @ *goal time optional
¾ TO 1 ¼ HR
#14 optional ½ to ¾ HR off Intervals 8 x 400m @ ½ *goal time
optional easy legs & stretch LSD 2 TO 2 ¾ HR
#15 optional ¾ HR off Intervals 5 x 800m @ *goal time optional
¾ to 1 ¼ HR
#16 optional ½ to ¾ HR off Intervals 10 x 400m @ ½ *goal time  
optional easy legs & stretch LSD 1 ¾ TO 2 ½ HR
#17 optional ¾ HR off Intervals 4 x 800m @ *goal time optional
¾ to 1 HR
#18 optional ½ to ¾ HR off easy  
¾ HR		 optional easy legs & stretch RACE DAY--HAVE FUN!

 

 
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 July 2009 14:27 )