Smutty Fitness: Half Marathon 14 week program

I have had a lot of emails lately from readers who looking to challenge themselves beyond the 10km distance and embark on a journey to a half marathon.  As the fall is a very easy time to find a half marathon in most cities, now is the perfect time to start training.  Here is a 14 week training program for those of you hoping to run your first half marathon this year.  Before starting this please make sure you are able to run 10km at a comfortable pace and if you have any health concerns see your doctor before beginning the program.  Also, add these warm up exercises before your run, these strength exercises on your cross training days (which is when you will work out for 1 hour, but not running; hiking, cycling, strength training and swimming are my favourites) and add these stretches after your runs.

Your tempo runs need to be at an intensity where if you were running with a friend you may be able to say a few words back and forth but a conversation is out of the question.  This run should not be used as a gossip session and if you are running with a friend you are to only there to keep each other company, not to chat.  If you are talking the entire run you are not running hard enough.  Your RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) on these runs should be a16 out of 20.

On your hill repeat days find a hill that is about a 10 minute jog (warm-up) away and is about a 6 percent grade.  Run at a pace slightly more intense than you would run your tempo run at, 17 out of 20, and allow yourself to recover on the way down.  Also, it is very important that you run to the top of the hill on each repeat and continue to run when the road becomes flat for 60 more seconds so you do not get in the habit of stopping or slowing down at the top of the hill.  The key to running a hill in a race is to push to the top and over it, not just to the top and then walk.

Your 800m intervals should be done on a track, not on a treadmill, so go find one in your neighbourhood.  Warm up first for about 10 minutes and run the intervals at the same RPE as you run your hill repeats.  Make sure you keep the same pace for both laps around the track (800m is equal to 2 laps).  This will help teach you pacing, which will be very important come race day.  You ALWAYS pace the first half of a race and race the second half.

The LSD (long, slow duration) runs are where you can run a bit slower, about 1 minute slower per mile then you plan to run on race day and you can even run these doing 10 and 1s (where you run for 10 minutes and walk for 1 minute).  If you are running with a friend this is the run day that you can use to catch up on everything that is going on in each other’s lives.  Your RPE should be a 13 or 14 out of 20.  Try to increase your pace in the latter portion of the run and as your runs become longer than 80 minutes you will need to carry fuel with you. Also, if you live in a hotter climate make sure you are prepared for the heat. Try and wake up at least 90 minutes before these long runs (if you are running them first thing in the morning) and eat a balanced breakfast.  I always opt for a bagel with peanut butter and a banana and afterwards it is usually an egg white omelette full of veggies or a protein smoothie to help my muscles recover.  And LOTS of water all through the day.

Attached - Jennifer Carpenter out for a run yesterday.