The Plan

Well, it’s time to commit… to a training program! Yay. I have 21 weeks until the race, so I set out looking for something which started out at an attainable base mileage (8-10) and progressed gradually (12+ weeks). Because I’m kind of injury prone, I wanted a training schedule which allowed for plenty of rest time and cross training. I am running for completion, not time, so I wanted to find a schedule which would prepare me without overwhelming me. For the month of May, I will be finishing up the last few weeks of coolrunning.com’s “Couch to 5k” program. I’ll be starting the half marathon training in June. Here are the training schedules I evaluated, in descending order of preference:

• http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/half_marathon.html

19 weeks (17 leading up to race, 2 after). Base of 8.5 miles plus “easy walk” of indeterminate length. Three rest days and an easy walk incorporated weekly. Runs during the week are about 3 miles each with a long run every other weekend. Longest run is 14 miles, tapers down to 5.
• http://www.fitsugar.com/half-marathon-training-schedule-beginners-2845222
12 weeks. Base of 9.5 miles, escalates up to 25, tapers to 14.5 before the race. Rest days vary, 2-3 (with or without cross training). Long run varies from 3-12 miles, tapers down to 5. Every week ends with an easy run.

• http://running.about.com/od/halfmarathonracetraining/a/runwalkhalfmarathon.htm

12 weeks. Base of 9.5 miles, escalates up to 23, tapers to 10.5 before the race. Includes 2 days for rest, one for cross training. Long runs are 3-12 miles, tapers down to 5. Week ends with recovery walk (2-3 miles).

• http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html

10 weeks. Base 13 miles, escalates up to 26, tapers to 22. 3 rest days per week. Long run from 4-12 miles, tapers to 8.

• http://www.halfmarathons.net/training_tips_schedule_beginner_runners.html

12 weeks. Base of 16 miles base, escalates up to 29, tapers down to 22. Two rest days. Long run varies from 4-12, tapers to 6.

 

So the final contestants are: Jeff Galloway and Fit Sugar. The upside of Jeff Galloway’s plan is that it perfectly fits my timeline (I will have 17 weeks from the conclusion of the Couch to 5k program till the race); the downside is that it can be really confusing with its long runs every other week. Another plus for the Galloway plan is that it allows for the most rest time and cross training, which will help keep me from getting even though I might intellectually prefer a more rigorous schedule. The schedule also incorporates Galloway’s “Magic Mile” (a pacing technique).

I appreciate Jeff Galloway’s contributions to Runner’s World, and I know he’s guided a lot of beginning/slow/injury prone runners to success. With that in mind, the winner is Jeff Galloway! (Yaaaay)

Feel free to leave me a comment about your experiences training for a half. I’d love the encouragement!