Thursday, May 30, 2013

Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Training Plan

As you may know, I signed up for my second half marathon: the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach!
The race takes place on Labor Day weekend, and I'm really excited about it!  They have rock bands along the course, and there's a post-race concert headlined by a popular band (not announced yet).  I'll also get to see some friends in the Virginia Beach area and watch the first Virginia Tech football game with them as well.  It's going to be a great weekend!

I've got about 14 weeks until the race.  I created this 16-week plan for my training based on a few other plans I found through various resources:
Sorry this goes off the page.   If I make it smaller, you can't read it!!
**Disclaimer: I am not a certified running coach or personal trainer.  I created this plan based on how my training went last time and my goals for this race.  Please consult a physician, personal trainer, or running coach for a running plan that is best for you.**

My plan officially started two weeks ago, but I gave myself a little bit of flexibility when it comes to starting the plan.  This week is my first official week of following the plan, as my long runs are now longer than my "usual" runs.

My goal for this race: PR in the half marathon by running it in 2:30 (or less).  Because of that, I am going to make speed work a priority in my training.  I'm also going to focus on my per-mile splits during the other runs.  On my Thursday runs, I'd like my splits to be sub-10:00 pace.  On my long runs, I'd like my splits to be sub-11:00 pace.  If I can do that, I should certainly reach my goal pace.

Another training goal of mine is to focus on stretching and foam rolling after every run.  I know the importance of stretching, so I need to actually reap the benefits of it during my training.  I'd also like to avoid the two injuries (heel and knee) I got last time, mainly due to lack of stretching.

I will, of course, keep y'all updated on how my training is going.  So far, I've gotten one 3-mile run in and stretched/foam rolled after returning home.  Doing well so far!

Question for you: Any races you are currently training for?  How do you decided how to train for a race?  If you aren't a runner, what current fitness goals do you have and what plan are you following to meet that goal?

 I should be back later today with a post with the usual content!  Have a great Thursday until then :)

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 30, 2013 at 7:16 AM

    Definitely be sure you do the stretching and foam-rolling! I just ran my first full marathon, then afterwards starting skipping all of my injury-prevention strategies. (Maybe I thought I was invincible??? I don't know...) Anyway, now I can't run because my IT band is so inflamed!

    Your plan looks great. I like to write my own, too. I might suggest moving your 3-milers up to 4- or 5-milers occassionally, especially when your long runs get to 8 miles or more. I've always been told that the miles you run during the week should roughly equal the length of your long run that weekend.

    Have fun!

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    1. AmyMay 30, 2013 at 6:37 PM

      Thanks so much for the advice! I will definitely up some of my 3-milers on longer run weeks. That'll especially happen if I do them on the treadmill--I seem to get in a groove on there occasionally and not want to stop!

      Delete
  2. Laurie @ Love, Laugh, LaurieMay 30, 2013 at 10:10 AM

    That race plan looks pretty similar to the one I did for my half and it worked great! Good luck!

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    1. AmyMay 30, 2013 at 6:52 PM

      Oh, good! Glad you had success with a similar plan. Hopefully it'll be good to me, then :)

      Delete

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