Fewer shorter runs?

[WalterWexler]

Hi.
Managed to get round a 1/2 marathon in autumn 2023 (slowly - my longest training run before it was a 10k, as I had a complete failure of training 😩).

Next HM is in April, and want to do better than my previous time. Been looking at lots of training plans and wondered what people thought were better:

1. 5 shorter runs per week (like the Nike Run Club HM plan with lots of speed work) OR
2. 3-4 longer slower runs/week, with less technical work.

I followed a plan for the last HM like option 2, but illnesses and injury meant I lost out on quite a bit of training. All better now, just need to find a plan for this time round.

Goal for this HM is sub 2:30 (PB is sub 2:15, but a long time ago now), but ultimately just to enjoy the run.

What caused your training to fail before?

Time wise - what suits you better? In your busiest week, what realistically could you do?

Are all your runs solo, or do you also do group runs?

Plantar fasciitis and DD was hospitalised, so running had to take a back seat for a while. I did try to keep up with some bike work, but wasn't quite the same.

Realistically, I work 3 days/week, so could run on days off without too much drama. All runs are solo. Definitely me time.

Ideally mix shorter faster runs ( or hilly ones ) with one distance run a week

A bit of strectching and strength ( yoga) can also help prevent injuries

If you're getting injured I would probably go for three times a week. One long/easy, one tempo and one intervals and do cross training, once or twice a week , and pilates or yoga once a week.

Ultimately, the more you run, the greater the injury risk. Five times a week is great if you're trying to shave a few seconds off a PB but not really necessary if you just want to get around feeling comfortable, ime. Plus 5x a week is a hell of a commitment unless you really want to do it, and run most days anyway...

I agree with PP - go for a three times a week training plan, with some cross training/strength and conditioning.

One run should be speed work, one 3/4 miles, and then one your long run.

If you’ve got weights at home, great, if not plenty of body weight exercises you can do.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy it!

Taking it all on board.

The reason I'm asking is because in first week of NRC half training the runs are something like:

15mins easy
21 mins intervals
25mins easy
20 speed
5k

Compared to the plan I used for last half, the runs in the first week are

30 easy
30 tempo
30 easy
5k

If I can get the same benefits with more frequent shorter runs, I wonder if i would be less likely to miss/skip a run as it would be "oh, it's just 20mins rather than 30" IYSWIM.

Though writing it all down, might be a bit of a moot point as I only meant to go for 30mins yesterday, but ended up out for 50mins as I was enjoying the run too much!

This is a good point - you definitely want a plan you’re more likely to stick to.

However, only one run should be a long run, and the NRC subsequent weeks quickly move to multiple longer runs of 30/40 min (IIRC).

I’d stick to a three runs plus one strength (more strength if you can!) and try and do the long run easy, but always with one mile at effort.

Good luck!

I’m HM training at the moment (mine’s in March). I do two shorter runs a week (5-8km) and then one long one. Every week I increase the long one by 1km. I also do a couple of weights workouts a week.