My second ever half marathon is Saturday so I must keep focus and not overdo it this week while still keeping up with my training! I completed my first half marathon about two months ago (see earlier fitness post) and I closely followed a training plan. I like to use Hal Higdon’s plans that can be found online: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51130/Half-Marathon-Training-Guide
For this half I decided to just follow my feet and do what felt right! I also have gotten into more HIIT and circuit training the last two months to keep my body working but give my running muscles more of a rest. I basically ran three times a week, one long run increasing in mileage each week and two 3 mile runs. Most training plans have you running at least 4 times I week and usually the mileage will increase from 3 for short runs towards the end of the program. This is just what works for me because I like to incorporate so many other things into my daily workouts besides running. A typical week would look like this:
Mon- 3 miles, 30 minutes HIIT, 30 min abs/arms
Tues- 30 min Flip Fitness (full body workout) and 30 min Core Class
Wed- 3 miles, 30 minutes HIIT
Thurs- 30 miles HIIT, 30 minutes squats/lunges, jumping jacks, crunches, tricep dips, pushups
Fri- rest
Sat- long run (usually 1-2 hours of running)
Sun- rest
Obviously this would vary with my schedule for that week and also how my body was feeling. It’s key to listen to your body! If you need an extra rest day, take it! Don’t stress yourself out about it or force a work out when your body hasn’t fully recovered. I think this is a very commonly made mistake, so be careful!
It will be interesting to see if my time will be any different this weekend with doing more HIIT than running for my training for this half… It will definitely be colder which is a benefit to most runners, but I hate the cold… brrrr! Well… wish me luck!!
For this half I decided to just follow my feet and do what felt right! I also have gotten into more HIIT and circuit training the last two months to keep my body working but give my running muscles more of a rest. I basically ran three times a week, one long run increasing in mileage each week and two 3 mile runs. Most training plans have you running at least 4 times I week and usually the mileage will increase from 3 for short runs towards the end of the program. This is just what works for me because I like to incorporate so many other things into my daily workouts besides running. A typical week would look like this:
Mon- 3 miles, 30 minutes HIIT, 30 min abs/arms
Tues- 30 min Flip Fitness (full body workout) and 30 min Core Class
Wed- 3 miles, 30 minutes HIIT
Thurs- 30 miles HIIT, 30 minutes squats/lunges, jumping jacks, crunches, tricep dips, pushups
Fri- rest
Sat- long run (usually 1-2 hours of running)
Sun- rest
Obviously this would vary with my schedule for that week and also how my body was feeling. It’s key to listen to your body! If you need an extra rest day, take it! Don’t stress yourself out about it or force a work out when your body hasn’t fully recovered. I think this is a very commonly made mistake, so be careful!
It will be interesting to see if my time will be any different this weekend with doing more HIIT than running for my training for this half… It will definitely be colder which is a benefit to most runners, but I hate the cold… brrrr! Well… wish me luck!!