3 Surprising Ways Training for a Half Marathon Can Improve Your Overall Running Fitness (and specific workouts to help you crush it)

The half marathon is one of the most underrated distances you can train for and race. 

Not only is it a good stepping stone in volume for newer runners, but it’s a great way to mix up training for more advanced runners.

In today’s episode, Coach Ruiari and Coach Dylan are going to talk about…

• Why moving up or down to the half marathon distance can help you combine speed and strength training. 
• Why training for several months consistently is necessary for success in longer races. 
• The importance of building your lactate threshold during training, especially for a half marathon
• And specific workouts you can use to crush your next Half Marathon

If you’ve got an upcoming Half Marathon or are thinking about what to do for your next race, this is a great listen.

Here are some of the sample workouts discussed…

Fartlek (short variation):

Option 1: 15 x 1’ at LT, 1’ min at MP + 20-40s

Option 2: 2 x 10 x 1’ at LT, 1’ min at MP + 20-40s ( 4 min between sets)

Option 3: 15 x 1’ at LT, 1’ min at MP + 20-40s, 4 min rest, 10 x 1’ at T, 1’ min at MP + 20-40s, 4 min rest, 5 x 1’ at LT, 1’ min at MP + 20-40

Fartlek (long variation):

Option 1: After a warmup do, 6 miles of 400m at 10k pace, 1200m at MP

Option 2: After a warmup do, 6 - 7 miles of 800m at T to HM pace, 800m at MP

Option 3: After a warmup do, 6 - 8 Miles of 1 mile at T to HM pace, 1 mile at MP

Threshold Intervals: 

Option 1: After a warmup, 4 x 1 mile at lactate threshold pace with 60 second continuous jog recoveries

Option 2: After a warmup, 10 x 800 meters at lactate threshold pace with 60 seconds continuous jog recoveries

Option 3: After a warmup, 3 x 2 miles at lactate threshold pace with 2-3 minute continuous jog recoveries

Cutdown Session: 

8 miles at Marathon Pace plus 40 - 50s, cutting down 10 seconds per mile

Example: 2 mile warmup, Miles 2-10 (8:00, 7:50, 7:40, 7:30, 7:20, 7:10, 7:00, 6:50, 6:40, 6:30), 2 mile cool down 

HM Pace Specific Sessions: 

6 x 1 mile at  goal HM pace (60s jog recoveries)

4 x 2 Miles at goal HM pace (3 min jog recoveries)

6-8 miles at goal HM pace (continuous after warmup miles)

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