Half marathon is the perfect stepping stone between a 10k event and a full marathon.
Don't be fooled, this will be a real test of fi tness, but not so much that you will have to commit to it every minute of every day. Tempo sessions will be essential within this plan to maximise your sustainable speed alongside interval sessions in order to raise your lactate threshold. Long runs will develop your endurance, however do not fear - not every run will be long winded as a combination of short runs will flush out lactic acid from your legs.
The plan will build on a solid base slowly increasing on distance and intensity, working its way close to full distance and taper down towards the event, leaving you fresh and ready for the big race day.
| Wk | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 minutes at level 7 | Rest | 4km fartlek, levels 5-9 | Rest | 4km at level 4 | 8km | Rest |
| 2 | 20 minutes at level 7 | Rest | 4km fartlek, levels 5-9 | Rest | 5km at level 4 | 10km | Rest |
| 3 | 25 minutes at level 7 | Rest | 5km fartlek, levels 5-9 | Rest | 6km at level 4 | 12km | Rest |
| 4 | 25 minutes at level 7 | Rest | 5km fartlek, levels 5-9 | Rest | 4km at level 4 | 10km | Rest |
| 5 | 30 minutes at level 7 | Rest | Interval session: 2k at level 6, 5 x 1 minutes at level 8-9, recovering for 3 minutes between intervals. 2k at level 6 | 17km | 6km at level 5 | 14km | Rest |
| 6 | 30 minutes at level 7 | Rest | 6km at level 4 | 20km | Rest | 10k Race | Rest |
| 7 | 35 minutes at level 7 | Rest | Interval session: 2km at level 6, 5 x 1 minute at level 8-9, recovering for 3 mintues between intervals. 2km at level 6 | 14km | 6km at level 4 | 14km | Rest |
| 8 | 35 minutes at level 7 | Rest | Interval session: 2km at level 6, 5 x 2 minutes at level 8-9 recovering for 3 minutes between intervals. 2km at level 6 | 8km | 6km at level 4 | 17km | Rest |
| 9 | 40 minutes at level 7 | Rest | Interval session: 2km at level 6, 5 x 2 minutes at level 8-9 recovering for 3 minutes between intervals. 2km at level 6 | Rest | 6km at level 4 | 20km | Rest |
| 10 | 40 minutes at level 7 | Rest | Interval session: 2km at level 6, 5 x 1 minutes at level 8-9 recovering for 3 minutes between intervals. 2km at level 6 | Rest | 5km at level 4 | 14km | Rest |
| 11 | 30 minutes at level 7 | Rest | 4km fartlek, levels 5-9 | Rest | 4km at level 4 | 8km | Rest |
| 12 | 20 minutes at level 7 | Rest | Rest | 4km at level 4 | Rest | Rest | Half Marathon |
Top 5 Training Tips
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Never set out on an empty stomach
Starting a training session on an empty stomach can increade the chances of early fatigue. If you are a morning runner and find it hard to stomach food prior to leaving the house then why not try a Viper Active gel. Each 70g gel contains 25g of easy to digest carbohydrates ideal for topping up energy stores and breaking overnight fast. The added electrolytes also help to enhance hydration status especially useful when setting out for a long training session.
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Reduce sturated fat in diet
High amounts of fat in the diet can result in unhealthy weight gain as well as stomach upsets during training. Try to avoid foods containing more than 5g of fat even on rest days.
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Meeting carbohydrate requirements to compliment training needs
Carbohydrates are the bodies preferred energy source it is important that you are consuming sufficient amounts of carbohydrate on a daily basis when training. Aim to consume 6g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight each day. Example: 70kg x 6g = 420g per day.
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Rehydrate during exercise
During exercise you should aim to match your fluid intake as closely as possible to your losses. When fluid loss is significantly higher, such as in hot climates electrolyte formulas, such as Viper Active are necessary to replace minerals lost though sweat. Mix 30-40g of Viper Active in 500ml of water and sip throughout your exercise.
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Rehydrate and recover after exercise
After exercise a higher concentration of carbohydrates is required to sufficiently replenish glycogen stores and aid recovery, aim to consume 1g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight. Viper Active can be used in a higher concentration after exercise, but ideally you should aim to consume a specific recovery formula such as Recovermax to accelerate recovery and sufficiently refuel your muscle glycogen storage. Mix 75g of Recovermax with 400-500ml of water and drink within half an hour of finishing.
Training plan - Glossary
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise that intends to improve the oxygen system. Aerobic means “with oxygen”, and refers to the use of oxygen in the body's metabolic or energy-generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time.
Anaerobic exercise is exercise intense enough to trigger anaerobic metabolism. It is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength; speed and power to build muscle mass. Muscles trained using anaerobic exercise, develop differently compared to aerobic exercise, leading to greater performance in short duration, high intensity activities, which last from mere seconds up to about 2 minutes.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), also called muscle fever, is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise.
Fartlek is a form of interval training, which puts stress on the whole aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. It differs from traditional interval training in that it is unstructured; intensity and/or speed can be varied whenever the athlete wishes.
Interval training is a type of physical training that involves bursts of high intensity work. This high intensity work is alternated with periods of rest or low activity. Lactate threshold is a useful measure for deciding exercise intensity for training and racing in endurance sports (e.g. long distance running, cycling, rowing, swimming and cross country skiing), but varies between individuals and can be increased with training.
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity.
Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance.
Tempo running is one of the most effective ways of improving your ability to cover distance at speed. Tempo pace is usually run at what is called the individual's lactate threshold, which has been determined in laboratory and other tests to be the optimal metabolic rate at which an individual can train. Lactate threshold usually occurs between 85% and 90% of Maximum heart rate. At this pace, the body is removing lactic acid as fast as it is being produced, any faster and lactic acid will build up in the individual's system, any slower and optimal training does not result.
Warm down is the term used to describe an easy exercise that will allow the body to gradually transition from an exertional state to a resting or near-resting state. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, cooling down can involve a slow jog or walk, or with lower intensities, stretching can be used. Cooling down helps remove lactic acid, which can cause cramps and stiffness and allows the heart rate to return to its resting rate.
Warm up generally consists of a gradual increase in intensity in physical activity (pulse raiser), a joint mobility exercise, stretching and a sport related activity.
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