Here’s the thing. While I’ve been fairly athletic most of my life,
running has always been super challenging for me.
I played basketball in middle and high school, I did yoga in college, and I was a spin instructor for a year and half. Despite all of this—not to mention now being a fitness Instagrammer—running has always felt like torture. But a switch flipped in me recently, and I decided to face this challenge head on.
It all started back in June, when I was invited by ONE Brands to do the Color Run. It was an amazing experience for more than just the running! Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I ran a 5-mile race through the streets of NYC. And ya know what?
Ever since that race, I’ve noticed an incredible shift both mentally and physically.
Not only did I complete the 5 miles—a distance that once scared the heck out of me—but I felt like I could have even kept going.
I am taking full advantage of this major improvement. My boyfriend and I have decided to challenge ourselves and do a half marathon! It’s happening on December 8th, which means we have about 8 weeks to transition from 3 miles to 13 miles. Today I’m sharing our training plan with you, so you can see how we’re moving up to longer and longer runs to get ready. I’ll be back in a few days with a second post that will give you a checklist of all the other stuff you will need to think about as you prepare.
Week 1
Monday: Rest day
Tuesday: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wednesday: 1-2 mile warmup, 2 miles at goal race pace (set your own goal!), 1-2 mile cool down
Thursday: 3-4 miles
Friday: cross-training (optional)
Saturday: 2-3 miles
Sunday: 6 miles
Week 2
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1-2 mile warmup, 60-second hills (find a hill that takes about 60 sec to run up at a comfortably hard pace and then jog back down, repeat 4-6 times), 1-2 mile cooldown
Thurs: 4-5 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training (optional)
Sat: 3-4 miles
Sun: 7 miles
Week 3
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1-2 mile warmup, 4 miles at goal race page, 1-2 mile cooldown
Thurs: 4-5 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training (optional)
Sat: 3-4 miles
Sun: 8 miles
Week 4
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1 mile warmup, 5 miles at goal race pace, 1 mile cooldown
Thurs: 4-6 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training (optional)
Sat: 3-4 miles
Sun: 9 miles
Week 5
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1 mile warmup, 4 mile cut-down run (after warmup mile, pick up the pace to 10-15 seconds per mile for each of the next 4 miles), 1 mile cooldown
Thurs: 4-6 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training (optional)
Sat: 3-4 miles
Sun: 10 miles
Week 6
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1 mile warmup, 6 miles at goal race pace, 1 mile cooldown
Thurs: 3-4 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training (optional)
Sat: 3-4 miles
Sun: 12 miles
Week 7
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1-2 mile warmup, 4 miles at goal pace, 1-2 mile cooldown
Thurs: 4-6 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training (optional)
Sat: 3-4 miles
Sun: 9 miles (this is your last long run so you can rest up for race day)
Week 8
Mon: Rest day
Tues: 30-45 min, cross-training
Wed: 1-2 mile warmup, 2 miles at goal pace, 1-2 mile cooldown
Thurs: 3-4 miles
Fri: 30-45 min, cross-training
Sat: 2-3 miles
Sun: RACE DAY! YAY!
And that’s how we’re getting ready to run a Half in just 8 weeks! Check back soon for more information about all the other stuff you need to think about as you train. If you’re in prep mode too, happy racing!
