Umm…Is it summer yet…?
Beautiful as it is to look at, the cold weather, snow, and lack of sunlight started to take a toll on my workout motivation this Winter.
By mid-January, the holiday fun is over and the long winter looms like the holiday credit card bill that you know is going to arrive any day now. I drool over travel websites and Eric and I start wondering if we are too young to become Snow Birds for 6 months of the year.
Amazingly, I have been able to stay consistent with exercise, but I haven’t felt the excitement and passion for exercise that I often feel during the warmer months. I realized I need a challenging goal to carry me through the rest of the Winter season in positive spirits. I am a goal driven person and I had a feeling that if I set a fitness goal for myself, it would make all the difference.
To put it simply: I need a GAME PLAN.
I created this Half Marathon Training Plan that would carry me through the winter with an end goal of running my 4th half marathon in April 2011. I haven’t decided on what half marathon race I will be running yet (so the last couple weeks of training may change slightly), but I will eventually figure it out over the next month or two.
My plan is adapted from Hal Hidgon’s Intermediate Half Marathon training plan. I have been running about 15-20 miles a week and I have run 3 half marathons to date, so I decided the Intermediate plan was a good fit for me. You can follow along my training on my races page as I will be updating it daily.
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Week
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Mon strength | Tue Rest | Wed Speed | Thu Strength + run | Fri easy run | Sat Rest or Xtrain | Sun long run | Mileage |
| 1 (Jan 2-9) | Strength: Body Pump | 3 m run | 2 m run | Long run: 6.2 m/10k run | Rest | 30 min elliptical, 10 mins weights | 5 m run (50 mins, 6.0 mph, incline 2%) | 16 miles |
| 2 (Jan 10-16) | Rest | 15 min Booty Booster, 8 min abs + 3m run | Speed: 1m warm-up (6.0mph)+ 8 x 400m (7.5mph) | 5 m run (6.5 mph, 2% incline) + strength (12 mins legs) | 4 m run | Rest | Long Run: 6 m run, 10 mins abs | 21 miles |
| 3 (Jan 17-23) | Strength | Rest | 50 min tempo | 3 m run+ strength | 4 m run | X-train or Rest | Long run: 7m run | 19 miles |
| 4 (Jan 24-30) | Strength + 2 m run | Rest | Speed: 8 x 400m | 3 m run+ strength | 4m run | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 8m run | 19 miles |
| 5 (Jan 31-Feb 6) | Strength | Rest | 40 min tempo | 3 m run + strength | 4m run | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 9 m run | 20 miles |
| 6 (Feb 7-13) Fall Back Week | Strength | Rest | Speed: 9 x 400m | 3 m run + strength | 4m run | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 5 m run | 14 miles |
| 7 (Feb 14-20) | Strength + 2 m run | Rest | 30 min tempo | 3 m run + strength | 5 m run | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 9 m run | 22 miles |
| 8 (Feb 21-27) | Strength | Rest | Speed: 12 x 400m | 3 m run + strength | 5 m run | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 10 m run | 21 miles |
| 9 (Feb 28-March 6) | Strength + 2 m run | Rest | 30 min tempo | 3 m run + strength | X-Train | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 11 m run | 19 miles |
| 10 (Mar 7–Mar 13) Fall back week #2 | Rest or Strength | Rest | Speed: 12 x 400m | 3 m run + strength | 2 m run | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 5 m run | 13 miles |
| 11 (Mar 14-March 20) | Strength + 2 m run | Rest | 30 min tempo | 3 m run + strength | Rest | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 12 m run | 20 miles |
| 12 (Mar 21-March 27) | Rest | Rest | 50 min tempo | 3 m run + strength | Rest | X-train or Rest | Long Run: 13 m run | 21 miles |
| 13 (Mar 28- Apr 3) | Rest | Rest | Speed: 12 x 400m | 5 m run + strength | Rest | Long Run: 8 m run | Rest (Taper Begins!!) | 16 miles |
| 14 (Apr 4- Apr 10) taper week | Rest | Rest | 4 mile easy run | X-train | Rest | Rest | Half Marathon (TBD) | 4 miles + race |
Note: Bold text = Completed.
My training plan key is as follows:
Mondays: STRENGTH = Booty Camp Fitness DVD, Body Pump, OR 30 Day Shred DVD. I aim for at least 40 minutes of strength on Mondays.
Tuesdays: REST
Wednesdays: SPEED WORK = I do speed intervals of 400 metres (0.25 miles) with walking breaks in between for 0.05 miles. For example, I may run 400 metres at 7.5 mph, and then walk for recovery at 3.5 mph for 0.05 miles, then I keep repeating the intervals. If my training plan says, 12 x 400m, it means I will be doing 12 speed repeats, which is equal to 3 miles of speed work (plus recovery walking distance too). 1600 m = 1 mile.
Thursdays: STRENGTH + RUN = At least 15 mins. of strength training mixed with running
Fridays: EASY RUN = Running at an easy pace for myself (usually around 6.0 mph, incline 1%)
Saturdays: REST or X-TRAIN: Depending on how I feel I may take another rest day or I may do easy cross training (e.g., elliptical).
Sundays: LONG RUN = Each week I will be building 1 mile onto my long runs to prepare for a half marathon in April. The only time I will not be building mileage are my 2 fall back weeks.
Fall Back Week = A week that I decrease my running mileage to give my body a break. I have two fall back weeks during my 14 weeks of training. My last week is also a taper week before the race.
Rest Days = I will take 1-2 rest days per week, or more, depending on my training and how my body is feeling. The plan may change a bit from week to week based on how I feel. I may take more rest days as needed or I may switch things up a bit if my schedule changes.
Stretching/Yoga = I will be using Polly’s Yoga for Runners video for stretching after hard workouts!
This half marathon training is going to be a BIG challenge for me because I will be doing most of my training indoors on the treadmill, except for the times I can run outdoors safely (likely, mid-March and beyond). I have a rule of thumb when running indoors- I never put the incline below 1% and I often run at a 2% incline. This helps counteract that it is supposedly easier to run on a treadmill than on the outdoor terrain. Hopefully once I do hit the road, I won’t be horribly undertrained.
It won’t be easy, but I am confident that it can be done! I’m also including a lot of strength work like Body Pump and Booty Camp Fitness and weekly speed training too, which will help break it up and keep it exciting.
Racing is FUN…and the training…is so worth it. Sometimes, I just need to remind myself of this more during the Winter.
To.
Succeed.
With.
Goals.
We Must.
Visualize.
Success!
Hopefully, before I know it…April will be here and I will be running my 4th half marathon!
Since I started the training plan a couple weeks ago, I feel more motivated and excited about the training. Normally, I am not a training plan type of girl and I prefer to fly by the seat of my pants, but I think this will actually help my motivation this Winter. I am really looking forward to kicking off the running season with a challenging half marathon in April!
I’m not going to lie though, I may have to break down and get cable TV again so I have something to entertain my long indoor runs…
Do you use training plans for your workouts or do you prefer to just make it up as you go along? Are you training for anything right now?
I am definitely feeling the winter gloom as well and think it’s a good idea to have a game plan like that. I should probably do one up for the Ottawa race weekend in May.
I’m running my first half-marathon on May 1st, so excited :D. I’ve been doing a lot of treadmill running, but mixing in other stuff to keep it fun! Working out is helping me get through the winter without losing my sanity :)
I like having training plans. But I think it’d be hard to find races that aren’t running, and since I’m still off that… :S Definitely need to figure out another goal to have.
So excited for you, Angela! I have definitely been feeling a bit uninspired about my workouts, and I need to make a plan asap.
Oh, and my husband and I just cancelled our cable finally because we got Netflix. It’s the best decision we ever made because through Nextflix we can watch almost any TV series or movie. Also, there’s Hulu where you can do that as well. I’m sure you’ve thought of these options, but just wanted to mention them just in case!
I typically make it up as I go along. I find that will plans I either OVER-estimate my ability/free time/endurance or UNDER-estimate it. So I just set my mind to it that I will do my best each day that I can and have a general idea of what I want to accomplish. That’s just how it works for me.
that is usually what I do too!
I second Hannah’s comment. Summer in NZ- just a short 18hour flight away from Canada!
wheeeeee!
I find the treadmill easier myself, I like your suggestion of raising the incline to make it more like an outdoor run. Will start doing that more often!
Oh BRRRRR! It’s nearly 80 degrees F today in Southern California! It’s gorgeous and I would share it with you if I could. I’m doing my first half marathon in less than a month and I’m excited! Good luck with your training. :)
Hey Gorgeous! Yes, I feel the same way you do. Although we don’t have the snow in BC, we have wet mild temps that also puts me in a funk :|
I should get myself set up with a plan like yours to stay motivated and pumped up!
You may have just sparked something within me ;)
xxoo
Good luck with your training! I’ve never trained for a race before, but I’m definitely going to run my first race(s) this summer! I think I’ll just wing it for the 5K, since I normally run that distance anyway.
I am such a planner!!! I need a training program too to stay motivated :)
Looks like a great program you planned.
I am one to just go as I please, no planning for me or then it becomes a “Have to do” sorta thing. It Works for me. :)
I feel your pain! Thanks so much for posting this workout. I actually signed up for the St. Louis, MO 1/2 marathon, which is an early Apr 10 race. I’ve been wondering how in the world I’m going to get the mileage in since we’ll still have snow + ice until March. But…I see your plan is very similar to mine in that you plan to be dreadmill bound for a while and keep weekly mileage high, but daily mileage pretty low!
we can train together! ;)
I love your training plan because it seems so attainable! In the past, I’ve been overwhelmed with them and never bothered. Then I ran my first (and only) Half and messed up my ankle badly. I am planning to do one at the end of March and am determined to follow a plan this time! Thanks for providing a good example of one that “real” people can follow!
I’m in “unofficial” training for a marathon that I’ll run sometime this year..just not sure when. But since I *know* I’m running one, I might as well start training! I just don’t have a set-set schedule yet.
I am soo ready for warm weather too! I feel like thinking about it only makes me more impatient though. I have never had real training plans when I ran a race, although one might have been useful. I would love to run a half marathon one day. In November I ran a 10K and wanted to run a 10 miler in April but I haven’t been running nearly as much this winter and probably couldn’t even do a 10K right now. I just don’t feel that same motivation to run in the cold. I do other workouts but I just don’t run as much. Oh well I can always get back to it if I want to but right now I just don’t feel the drive to commit myself to that. Good luck with your training!
I am just starting out running, and I am finding that using a training plan is really essential for me. It’s helping me to know (and test) my limits and build toward longer runs. I also love the feeling of accomplishment as I check off each run.
I’m in Wisconsin, where it’s cold and snowy, so I am training on the treadmill for now, too. My new favorite motivator is downloading audiobooks onto my MP3 player and listening to a chapter or two for each run. I really look forward to hearing the next chapter, which also helps motivate me.
Great plan for staying motivated! Netflix has some great things to watch on-demand in lieu of cable.
I just started training for my 4th half in March – fun fun!!
Way to go with staying on track!!! You will absolutely be reaching those goals!