Half Marathon Series | My Training Plan & Workout Routine

Hey y'all! So I am so happy with the responses that I got from y'all last week after the first episode, my Top 3 Tips, and we are continuing on this train with the next step in this half marathon series. I get so many questions about my workout routine or what training plan I’m doing, so that’s what I will be covering today!

I have used Hal Higdon training plans for almost every single race I have ever done, from my half marathons to 5K's to just helping me with cross country and track. He has SO many training plans for everything from 5k races to 10k races to marathons. I love using the Higdon training plans because he give you options. What I mean by that is that it is not just some standard half marathon training plan, like one size fits all. He has options based on what type of runner you are, how experienced you are, and what's realistic for your lifestyle. For this half marathon, I chose to do his novice 1 half marathon training plan. I have gotten so many questions about why I chose this one because this is my 9th half marathon. But for me this is my first one in 4 years and I wanted to make sure I was really prepared and felt okay to get back into the swing of running half marathon's again. There are significant differences in the amount of running between the novice 1 and the novice 2. I don't want to do that because I want to continue lifting weights and doing cross training while training for a half marathon. So, I chose a plan that had 3 days of running per week.

I take training very seriously and try to follow the training plan to a T. I am a person of routine and having a plan like this to follow really helps me. I am in no way using this training plan to increase my speed, I am using it for the distance purposes.

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I currently workout 5-6 days a week (Thursdays are my rest days, and then sometimes I'll take one other day off, most of the time Sundays after my long runs). Most of the time the outline for the workouts is the same, but the mileage and what I do for cross training will change. I will start with Sunday since that is the start of my week:

~Sunday: Rest (after long run)

~Monday: RUN DAY (goes anywhere from 3-5 miles, depending on where I am at in my training plan)

~Tuesday: 2-3 mile run or cross training (usually I will cycle followed by some leg or upper body exercises and abs)

~Wednesday: RUN DAY (goes anywhere from 3-5 miles, depending on where I am at in my training plan)

~Thursday: Rest

~Friday: Timed cross training (anywhere from 30-60 minutes, will most of the time do cycling, elliptical, or stair stepper followed by some weights)

~Saturday: LONG RUN (anywhere from 4-10 miles depending on where I am at in my training plan)

I am very diligent in my cross training and strength training because I really enjoy it but it also makes me feel stronger and I find that I am less prone to injuries. I am hoping that it will help me stay injury free during my training and on race day, and also maybe help increase my pace a little. I am finding that I am doing smaller exercises with less weight because I am strengthening muscles that aren't that big or that we don't tend to strengthen that often. As I continue to increase my mileage and get closer to race day, I am running into the usual injuries and difficulties that you sometimes run into when you get this far into training for a race of this distance.

Other runners out there – what training plans have you done and enjoyed?! Honestly I’ve ONLY ever done Hal Higdon programs because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and I’ve always had such good experiences with his! But let me know if you have other recommendations!

As always, thank y'all for stopping by and reading and watching! I will see y'all back here next time!

Love, Dani