New Year’s Race 01.05.13
“ Los Angeles at Night”
½ Marathon Training Program – Advanced
So you're an experienced runner and you're hoping to take your half marathon
(13.1 miles) training to the next level. Use this 12-week training schedule (see
table below) to help you run a personal record (PR) in your next half marathon.
To start this plan, you should already be running about five days a week and can
run up to 8 miles comfortably. If you're not up to that, you may want to try the
Intermediate Half-Marathon Schedule.
Notes about the schedule:
Crossing-training (CT): Cross-training activities allow you to give your joints
and running muscles a break, while still working on your cardio. When the
schedule calls for CT, do a cardio activity other than running (biking, swimming,
elliptical trainer) at moderate effort for 45 to 60 minutes. You'll also benefit
from doing 15 minutes of strength-training 2x a week.
Tempo Run: Tempo runs help you develop your anaerobic threshold, which is
critical for faster racing. For a 40-minute tempo run, for example, start your run
with 5 to 10 minutes of easy running, then continue with 15 to 20 minutes of
running at about 10 seconds slower than your 10K pace. Finish with 5 to 10
minutes of cooling down. If you're not sure what your 10K pace is, run at a
pace that feels "comfortably hard."
Interval workouts (IW): After a warm-up, run 400 meters (one lap around
most tracks) hard, then recover by jogging or walking 400 meters. For example,
3 x 400 would be three hard 400s, with a 400 m recovery in between. For the
800 meter intervals, run 800 meters (two laps around most tracks) at your 5K
race pace and then recover for 800 meters in between intervals.
Rest: Rest is critical to your recovery and injury prevention efforts, so don't
ignore rest days. Your muscles actually build and repair themselves during your
rest days. Fridays are a good day for rest, as you'll have run on Thursday and
will have your longest run of the week on Saturday.
Saturday long runs: After you warm up, run at a comfortable pace for the
designated mileage. Make sure you cool down and stretch after your run. If
most of your runs are on the road, and you're not sure how far you run, you can
figure out the mileage by using resources such as MapMyRun.com. Or, you can
always drive your route in your car ahead of time and measure the mileage
using your car odometer.
Sundays: This is an active recovery day. Your run should be at an easy (EZ),
comfortable pace, which helps loosen up your muscles and get your body and
mind used to running on tired legs.
Tune-up Race: This schedule recommends a 10K tune-up race at Week 8 so
you can practice racing and get a sense of your fitness level. If you can't find a
10K race that weekend, you can do a shorter distance race, or do it during
Week 9 or 10.
Note: You can switch days to accommodate your schedule. If you're busy one
day, it's fine to swap a rest day for a run day.
Wee
k
1
Monda
y
CT
2
CT
3
CT
4
CT
5
CT
6
CT
7
CT
8
CT
9
CT
10
CT
11
CT
Tuesday
35 min
tempo
6 x 400
IW
35 min
tempo
4 x 800
IW
6 hill
repeats
7 hill
repeats
8 x 400
IW
5 x 800
IW
8 hill
repeats
7 x 400
IW
40 min
Wednesda
y
Rest
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
5 mi
Rest
7 mi
3 mi EZ
Rest or CT
35 min tempo
9 mi
3 mi EZ
Rest or CT
5 mi
Rest or
CT
Rest
10 mi
3 mi EZ
Rest or CT
40 min tempo
Rest
8 mi
3.5 mi EZ
CT
35 min tempo
Rest
9 mi
3.5 mi EZ
CT
40 mi tempo
run
40 min tempo
Rest
11 mi
3 miles EZ
Rest
4 mi EZ
Rest or CT
35 min tempo
run
45 min tempo
3 miles
EZ
Rest
13 mi (last 3
at race pace)
Rest
10 mi
4 mi EZ
Rest or CT
35 min tempo
Rest
4 mi EZ
Rest
4 mi race
Rest
14 mi (last 4
at race pace)
5 mi
Rest or CT
Rest or CT
10K race
3 mi EZ
12
Rest
tempo
4 mi
30 minutes
10K pace
pace
3 mi
Rest
20 minutes
Race Day!