Forums >Racing>Preparation for HM in 12 weeks.
I have registered somewhat last minute for a half marathon on May 5th.
I would appreciate some advice on making the best use of the available twelve weeks between now and then.
My feeling is that I should use the rest of February mostly in easy running to build more base and extend my long run.
In March I would add some tempo runs, say a 5k and a 10 miler each week.
In April I would do some 400 or 800M intervals in place of the 5k tempo, then taper for 8-10 days.
Some background- I am planning to run my first marathon in October, and was gradually building up mileage for this (see my log.)
I feel I am in 1:45 shape now and would like to run 1:40-1:42, I have run a few halfs around 1:42, and a PB of 1:38.a few years back. (I will be 62 this month so can expect to slow down about a minute each year over this distance.)
February weather has made things difficult as I have no treadmill or gym membership.
Thanks for your help!
PBs since age 60: 5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.
10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.
you have a decent base, so 12 weeks should be plenty of time to get in racing shape. Have you thought about shaping a plan based on one of the standard sources? (pfitzinger, Hudson, higdon, running wizard, to name a few. Actually running wizard would be customized to your needs, the others are from books.)
my thoughts on your plan (and I am writing this on my phone while lying in bed with a cat on my head, so hopefully they make sense. And the usual disclaimer that I am mot a coach and this is all based on my own half marathoning experience.)
- 2 tempos a week seems like too much. One tempo per week seems like the right number. You could start small, say 20 min, and increase the time or distance weekly.
- if you want to do a second speedwork session during those weeks, I find 1000-1600m repeats at 10k pace helpful for the hm. There is a whole thread here titled, i think, 'interval purposes' that can give you more expert guidance on interval length and pacing. What I personally dislike is too many weeks in a row of fast intervals; I feel like 3-4 weeks should be enough.
have you considered hill work as a transition between base building and speedwork?
btw, I'm also training for a half on 5.5 using running wizard,which is based on lydiard's training principles. I recommend it! Let me know if you want more details.
12 weeks is last minute?
Your plan sounds relatively sound to me.
I don't see anything wrong with 2 tempos a week for HM training--one long one short. You could also substitute one of them for cruise intervals or long hills.
I don't see much point in 400 or 800m intervals at 5k pace for a HM, though it won't hurt you. Personally, I'd do something like 6 x 1000 at 10k pace with short (200m) recoveries and then finish the workout with 3 or 4 x 200 at mile pace instead.
And, as always, I'd recommend doing a set of strides once a week or more.
Runners run