Best half marathon training plan?

[bigbutsrus1]

I have signed up for a local half marathon. My running has been a bit disrupted since the summer with house renovations and work. So....I have just over 3 months to train for this race. I have been looking at loads of plans online and apps, but lots are running for 6 days a week which isn't very easy for me. Hoping to find a good one that's 3-4 days a week. Maximum millage I have done easily is 6 miles! So I have my work cut out! Any ideas of a good plan?

everyone pretty much always emphasises the importance of the long run though I suppose it depends upon whether you have a specific result in mind or just happy to get round the course

am training with a friend who can only run 3x a week, sometimes only twice but as long as one of those runs is a slow one getting longer over time up to anything from 10-13 miles you should be ok, you have ages, you could increase the length of the other runs so your weekly mileage is roughly double the distance but I don't know how good a guide that is

ours is in a couple of weeks and the furthest my friend has run is about 8.5 miles so am panicking secretly but assuring her it will be FINE (it will be fine)

(I mean if you were desperate to improve on your time the other training runs could include all sorts of speed and hill work and shit but if not then ?)

BUPA has an intermediate one - hopefully Google will work if this link doesn't. www.bupa.co.uk/running/training/training-programmes/intermediate-half-marathon/

It's for 4 times a week so may be suitable?

Personally I've never followed plans that closely. With 3 months to go and the fact you're up to 6 miles already you're doing brilliantly. I would usually increase the long runs by a mile a week until I got to something manageable from a time perspective) like 9 miles then would stick at that for a few weeks, pushing it up Until I had done 13 or 14 a fortnight before the race and then allowing plateau time. I'd do two other runs a week, one concentrating on repeats up hills or Fartlek for speed (depending on your course or goals)?and have one easy run a week - steady for 30 or 40 minutes. If you have time maybe some cross training for your 4th session?

Good luck!

I will be doing my first half next spring and am planning on using the beginner plan on the Edinburgh marathon site, it does 3 or 4 runs per week and has a bit of variety which I like. I need a plan, tend to just drift otherwise! Good luck with your race

Thanks everyone I will get planning now!

Hi bigbutsrus did my first and only half marathon in march this year. I was only able to run once a week and the odd week twice a week def not 6 days ever. I added a mile per week onto my long run or in my case my only run. I also did two cross training classes a week. It is definitely possible on less than 6 days a week running. Just got a treadmill to do the same half marathon in march and starting my training this week. My plan is to do my long run at the weekends outdoors and as long as I get at least two other 30 minute runs in a week ill be happy and confident. Now I must say my time was 2hr 20 last year and I was never going to be setting any records running once a week.

Hi there - there are lots that you could look at - Bupa has already been mentioned, there is an Asics plan, there's Hal Higdon, Runners World etc. If you are looking for support you could do worse than follow the runmummyrun twitter feed or join the group on Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/runmummyrun/ - around 5000 running ladies with lots of tips to share.

I've run 5 half marathons - none with a strict plan and my longest run was 10 miles for each of them (except one, where I ran 13 miles in training, injured myself and then couldn't run more than 5 miles at a time in the last month) so sometimes less can be more :) It is entirely possible to run a good half marathon on 3 runs a week. If you can cycle or swim once a week on top, that's a great way of cross-training. If you have a local parkrun you can get to on a Saturday you can run 5k as your speed training.

Expert HM people, I need to ask some daft questions if thats ok?!

Fartlek - Sprint then jog/walk. but over what distance? I am running on country roads and have a great 6.5km loop, do I try and do the sprint jog for the entire distance?

Hill training - is this hill sprints - eg. 100 metres to the top and then walk down and repeat, or slow running up long hills?

Long slow run - I have just started this, it is ok for it to be really slow isn't it? My pace for my 6.5km loop is 5.30mins per km. My pace for a long slow 11km today came in at 7.30mins per km, but the run was comfortable, I felt like I could keep going and most importantly I really enjoyed it! But it took about 1hr20mins which if I add a mile a week means I will be out for ages on a Sunday morning! Have I got this right?

[[http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/first-half-marathon-training-plan?page=single look here]]
I used this plan for Brighton marathon 2 years ago. Its very do-able!

I ran a HM in Windsor and another HM in London, the first Parks HM as it went through some of the London Parks.

I followed a HM training plan written by Hal Higdon. Look it up on line. Although if the BUPA plan and the Runners World plans look doable then go for it. As long as you get a plan going for the HM you'll be good.

Well done and good luck !

actiongirl for fartlek I usually do a warm up of a mile then five or six fartlek bits then another mile or so to finish, so the hard work is in the middle.
Hill training can be different things, from sprinting up and jogging down, to Kenyan hills where you run up and down at a constant speed, or a hilly run ie a circuit with more than one hill.
My favorite is running hard up hill for about 90sec then jogging down for 45 then running back up, then jogging down to the beginning. Have managed to get up to 6 repeats, think I need to find a steeper hill!
My half marathon is at the end of May,when's yours?

Mines the end of April, same day as the VMLM!

Thanks for the fartlek tips. Trying really hard to get some in every week at least fartlek I can be done and dusted in 30 mins.

Will give your hill training a go, I have a lovely hill nearby that would be perfect.

I still can't see where my increase in speed comes from. I have been long running, interval and tempo running and my tempo is still the same speed as a month ago. Are my expectations too high? Am doing loads of weights and squats, lunges of every kind etc and also pilates. Must be a trick to getting faster!

aerobic endurance is the key (as far as I understand)

a lot of easy miles, consistently, over time - running faster and faster does nothing much to improve your endurance or your aerobic capacity, if anything it increases your risk of over training or injury. Not that you shouldn't do tempo work but it is your comfortable, long and slower runs that will do it. Allegedly!

eg aerobic base training

I ran a HM on 3 x runs per week for 8 weeks and did it in 2hr6.