Half Marathon Training Schedule

         

          I have wanted to post my half-marathon schedule for a while now. I have received a lot of requests and questions regarding how I trained. Yet, I have been hesitant because each one of us has different body types.  We are all at different levels of fitness and what has worked for me, may not work for you. I have looked at other half-marathon training schedules and I see a few things in common. First, they all start around 3 or 4 miles.  I look at those training schedules and think, "What happened to miles 1 and 2?" 

           I think the hardest part for me was learning to run a mile. I was in high school and had chosen choir and theatre over sports.  I knew that if I wanted to stay healthy, I had to start working out.  So I did the only thing I knew I could do.... run.  Now, I had not ran since I was in 5th grade...and now I was a senior in high school.  So obviously it was not a pretty sight.  I think it took about 2-3 weeks of me training 5x a week to finally be able to run 1 mile without stopping.  But after that, it became easier. 

            So, I have decided to create two training schedules.  The first schedule is designed for an 8 week program.  This is the one I did.  The next schedule is a 16 week program.  This is for beginners who want to build up to that half marathon.  It is also a good schedule for those who have crazy lives and cannot dedicate 5 times a week of working out but rather 3 times a week. 

***Disclaimer:  I am NOT a health and wellness expert.  I have taken a few college classes regarding the subject but I am not certified or professional in this content area.

This schedule is just a friendly suggestion.***

 

Okay... Let me break down the schedule.  My long runs are on Saturday.  I can do it anytime during the day and I usually have nothing planned.  My rest days are usually Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.  If I do work out on these days, I am doing weights or cross fit.  I try and alternate between legs and arms.  I feel that weight lifting and cross fit are EXTREMELY important.  Cross Fit helps build endurance and weight lifting helps builds the muscles in your legs and prevents injury.  For a while, I did not do either of these programs.  My knees and ankles started hurting because I was running on them so much but not taking the time to build those muscles.  So make sure that you incorporate those programs into your training schedule! If you have any questions, let me know! Also, what are your suggestions for training for a half marathon???