Hal Higdon PLUS: 1/2 Marathon--Intermediate

Author: Hal Higdon

12 weeks - $29.95
Total Miles: 279
Total Hours: 42
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PLUS: Hal Higdon's 1/2 Marathon: Intermediate: The Intermediate Half Marathon Training Program is for experienced runners: individuals who have left their Novice roots behind and who want to improve their performances. Each day I will send you an email message telling you what to run and offering a tip about training. For more information, visit my website: halhigdon.com.

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Sample workouts:

Workout #1 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
One advantage of a half marathon over a full marathon is that you won't need to spend as much time on course. Most reasonably fit individuals should be able to run 13.1 miles in around two to three hours. Doing so is fun.
Workout #2 : Day Off
Custom
Planned Time: 0:00:00
Welcome to my premium Intermediate training program for the Half Marathon. The countdown begins. There are 12 weeks between now and your planned half marathon. In this Intermediate program, Monday is always a day of rest, but I recommend that you consider using this day to do some stretching and strength training. If you want to make Monday a day of complete rest (not entirely a bad idea), you can stretch and strengthen after Tuesday's run. The main purpose of this rest day is to help your body recuperate from weekend workouts, which will increase in difficulty as our 12-week countdown continues.
Workout #3 : Run

Planned Time: 0:27:00
Three miles at a comfortable pace. On Tuesdays, always run at a pace easy enough so that you can hold a conversation with a friend. You simply want to cover the distance, not cover it fast. And if you chose not to do your stretching and strengthening yesterday, do it today. It always works best to do these exercises after your run, rather than before. That's because your muscles will be looser after they're warmed up. Also, too heavy lifting before can actually tighten your muscles and make running more difficult.
Workout #4 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
As the program continues, the length of these Tuesday runs will increase from 3 to 5 miles. Please note that I have posted the duration of your workout to assume that you run at a 9:00 mile pace, thus you would run 3 miles in 27:00.
Workout #5 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Before starting to train for an event 13 miles long, assess your fitness level. Realistically: can you do it? My Intermediate Half Marathon Program assumes you currently have the ability to run five days a week with one day of speedwork and with long run distances going from 3 to 10 miles. If that seems difficult, consider going a shorter distance--or take more time to develop an endurance base. And if you are over age 35, you probably should see your doctor for a physical examination.
Workout #6 : Run

Planned Time: 0:45:00
Head to the track: 5 x 400 meters at 5-K pace, walking and/or jogging 200-400 meters between. If you have any questions as to how to do this workout, check the paragraph on Speedwork in the Introduction for the Intermediate Program, available on the TrainingPeaks program description page, or on my website: halhigdon.com. Be sure to warm up and cool down before this workout, and that means doing some stretching as well.
Workout #7 : Run

Planned Time: 0:27:00
Run 3 miles at the same comfortable pace you ran on Tuesday. Speed doesn't matter; distance does. You will burn approximately 300 calories covering 3 miles. Over a period of 12 weeks--if you kept the distance the same--you would burn 3,600 calories on Thursdays. Theoretically, this would allow you to lose one pound of weight from your Thursday workouts alone. After your run, do some stretching and strength training, similar to what I suggested for Monday or Tuesday.
Workout #8 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
When I suggest that you run at a pace where you can comfortably converse with a friend, I'm not certain I want to include using a cellular phone.
Workout #9 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
How can something labeled Day Off be considered a workout? Because rest is necessary to build fitness. If you trained day after day, soon your muscles would fatigue, and you might even lose fitness. Rest allows the muscle fibers to regenerate themselves and grow stronger.