12 Weeks until Steamboat Springs Half Marathon and Summer Running! Are you ready? Need a plan? We’ve got you covered!
This plan is adapted and morphed together from our favorite plans including Runner’s World Smartcoach, Run Less, Run Smarter, & Nike.com, Run Like a Mother, Jeff Galloway’s articles, and of course, our own experience.
Begin this training program with a good running base and make sure you are comfortable with a 7-8 mi long run. If you aren’t familiar with any kind of speed or tempo work, you will love it. Proceed mindfully and listen to your body. If you experience pain in any joints or low back, calves, hamstrings, feet- make sure you have your gait pattern checked by a reliable source, ideally PT or running coach. If you’re trying for a PR, speed and tempo work will make you fast but increase your distance and speeds with a gradual progression. As always, if you have medical concerns, consult with your physician for guidance.
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week 1
M: 2mi or XT
T: Warm up 1 mile, 2mi @race pace/tempo, 1 mile cool down
W: Rest
TH:1mi warm up, 4-6x 400m (this is one lap on track, or .25 mi, or 2minutes) zone 4 with 2min easy jog between. Cool down 1 mile
Fri: 2mi or XT
Sat: 8mi
Sun: Rest
week 2
M: 3mi or XT
T: Warm up 1 mile, 5×4 minutes @tempo with 2 minutes easy jog in between reps, 1 mile cool down
W: Rest
TH:1mi warm up, HILL repeats: Run a medium grade hill between 100-200m long in zone 5, jog down after sprint and repeat 6x. Cool down 1 mile
Fri: 2mi or XT
Sat: 9mi
Sun: Rest
week 3
M: 2mi or XT
T: Warm up 1 mile, 3x 1mile at tempo with 3 minutes easy or 1 lap on track in between, 1mi cool down
W: Rest
TH: 1mi warm up, 6x 1min in zone 5 with 1 min. easy jog between, cool down until you reach 5 mi.
Fri: 2mi or XT
Sat: 10mi
Sun: Rest
week 4
M: 2mi or XT
T: Warm up 1 mi, 3 mi @tempo, 1 mi cool down
W: Rest
TH: 1mi warm up, 4-5x 800’s (.5mi) zone3/4 building speed at half way point, jog 3 min easy between 800’s. Cool down 10 min.
Fri: 2mi or XT
Sat: 11mi
Sun: Rest
week 5
M: XT easy
T: Easy run 4 mi
W: Rest
TH: Warm up 1mi, tempo 4 mi, 1 mi cool down
Fri: 3mi or XT
Sat: 13mi strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 6
M: 3mi or XT
T: Warm up 1 mile, 6×4 min@tempo with 2 minutes easy jog between, cool down 1 mile
W: Rest
TH: 1mi warm up, 6-8x 400m (this is one lap on track, or .25 mi, or 2minutes) zone 4 with 2min easy jog between. Cool down 1 mile
Fri: 3mi or XT
Sat: 14mi strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 7
M: 3mi or XT
T: Warm up 1 mi, 4 x 1 mile @tempo pace with 3 minutes easy between, 1 mile cool down
W: Rest
TH: 1mi warm up, HILL repeats: Run a medium grade hill between 100-200m long in zone 5, jog down after sprint and repeat 8x. Cool down 1 mile
Fri: 3mi or XT
Sat: 10 strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 8
M: 3mi or XT
T: 1 mile warm up, 4 miles @ tempo, 1 mile cool down
W: Rest
TH: Warm up 1mi, 2xPYRAMID: 1 min, 2min, 3min, 4min, 3min, 2min, 1min in zone 4/5. Easy 2min jog between, 5min between pyramids. Cool down 1mi
Fri: 3mi or XT
Sat: 11 strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 9
M: 5 mi or XT
T: 1 mile warm up, 7x 4min@tempo with 2 min easy between, cool down 1 mile
W: Rest
TH: 1mi warm up, 5-6x 800’s (.5mi) zone3/4/5: run the first third of the 800 in zone3, 2nd third in zone4, last third in zone5. Jog 3 min easy between 800’s. Cool down 10 min.
Fri: 2mi or XT
Sat: 12 strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 10
M: 3mi or XT
T: 1 mile warm up, 5x 1mile@tempo with 3 min easy between, 1 mile cool down
W: Rest
TH: 1mi warm up, 8-10x 400m (this is one lap on track, or .25 mi, or 2minutes) zone 4 with 2min easy jog between. Cool down 1 mile
Fri: 4mi or XT
Sat: 10 strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 11
M: 3mi or XT
T: 1 mile warm up, 2 miles@tempo, cool down 1 mile
W: Rest
TH: Warm up 1mi, 2xPYRAMID: 1 min, 2min, 3min, 4min, 3min, 2min, 1min in zone 4/5 – let each hard effort get faster as you go. Easy 2min jog between, 5min between pyramids. Cool down 1mi. (Find a hill in the middle of the hard effort and practice running up and over the hill strong and fast.)
Fri: 3mi or XT
Sat: 8 strong last mile
Sun: Rest
week 12
Monday: 3mi or XT
Tuesday: 3mi with middle mile at race pace
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 3 miles with 5x 30 sec pick- ups/ striders at end
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Easy 20 min jog
Sunday: 13.1 RACE!
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TRAINING ZONES
My favorite descriptions of zones are by Dimity McDowell in her book, Train like a Mother.
• ZONE 1 60-70% Perceived effort: warm up, cool down, really easy run, can talk easily
• ZONE 2 65-75% Perceived effort: Easy, long runs, can still talk while running
• ZONE 3 75-85% Perceived effort: Tempo runs are in this zone- between half marathon and 10k race pace, can talk a little but not chat
• ZONE 4 90-95% Perceived effort: Intervals, hills, speedwork are in this zone- 5k race pace is in this zone, talking not possible, heavy breathing!
• ZONE 5 95-100% Perceived effort: Short pick ups/ sprints less than 60 sec. No talking possible, you are on fire
RACE AND TRAINING PACE CALCULATOR
http://www.mcmillanrunning.com