Half Marathon Training Document
Reading the chart:
Each number listed represents the number of miles you should strive for on that particular day. On the "0-2" days, running, walking, biking, weight training, swimming or other activities are sufficient and a nice way to incorporate some cross-training. The point on those days is to listen to your body, but still be active.
The lower mileages (under 4 miles) can be done as fast or as slow as you feel comfortable doing them. However, the longer runs are meant to be done without concern for your pace or time. The goal is to gradually increase your runs to meet that longer distance.
Write down the times you run to keep track of your fitness progress. Over the course of your program, your times for your shorter runs should naturally be faster. However, you do not need to strain to run faster each time. Let the overall time take care of itself. Remember to maintain your hydration with water during runs that are less than 60 minutes, especially on hot days. For runs longer than 60 minutes, consider using a sports drink with electrolytes. Run well, run often, run smart!
Before each run:
Do a 5 minute warm-up of any activity that gets your heart rate up gradually. This can include walking, push-ups, jump rope or other dynamic warm-up activity.
After the run:
Conduct slow, sustained and isolated stretching of the hamstrings, hip flexors, calves, quadriceps, gluteals, and trunk muscles (see diagrams).
