Our Half Marathon Plan

     Well, we finally made a decision, and signed up for the LEO Half Marathon, slated for November 16th, 2013.  We are excited about a local half being our first (and our " easy test run" for the Blues in January), so we did some researching and got an official half marathon plan together.  There are TONS out there, and if you plan on running a race I highly suggest you look around and find the one that works for you (some are free, and some races offer plans for a small fee) and try to stick to it as best you can.

plan and image courtesy halhigdon.com

      We tweaked this Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan (we just swapped days-- we run Monday,Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with strength training Tuesday and sometimes Thursday, with total rest at least 1 day, sometimes 2 if needed.  If you look at it, it does start out very reasonable, and it does build fairly slowly, so we are excited to get officially started on it!

      If a half marathon seems like a scary or impossible prospect, just remember that everyone started out where you are (and the Hare and I are right there with you!).  Some days I am pumped about it, and some days I feel more like this when it comes to our upcoming 2 half marathons (can't I just say we're running a marathon, with a 2.5 month break in between?)

from Active.com, 20 great spectator signs-- click for the rest of them, they are hilarious!

     Following a plan will both give you mini goals to work toward, and keep you on track safely so you don't injure yourself or overtrain.  Another plus, these plans are well tested and used widely (there's practically a cult following for the one we picked, folks swear by that one for newbies!) so you aren't left guessing as much.  Post it someplace obvious (ours is on the fridge, with a weekly calendar next to it with our run days and rough times) so you are always aware of it, and reminded that you are doing something great for yourself.

    Finding a fun, interesting race, and maybe finding ( or in my case, mercilessly begging and cajoling) a buddy or even a 4 person team (some races even offer relays, for those who don't feel quite ready to take the full 13.1 mile plunge) to offer added support and fun during your training.  The feeling of excitement is intensified when you have a group behind you and with you, literally every step of the way.  They will be there during the race too, when you can all commiserate feeling like this:

image courtesy of Nike

    So, if you've done some smaller, shorter races, and still have the bug to run-- congrats!  You're in the crazy "I pay people to make me run long ways" club!   So lace up, and look into a training plan, and find a race that interests you, either local or one you can make a short vacation around, and go to it!

What plan are you using to train?  Have you ever tried one that didn't work for you?  What are your favorite half marathons?  Tell me about it below!