Half Marathon Training for the complete novice

Never set limits, go after your dreams, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries. And laugh a lot – it’s good for you!

Paula Radcliffe

When one of my friends asked me to train with her for a half marathon, I have to be honest, my face and voice said… I’d be delighted to help out, my brain screamed… NOOOOOOO!! If you’ve followed my blog, you know I LOVE running, 10k is my preferred distance although I have run a few halves in the past, hence the NOOOOO! Most training plans for a half are fussy, complicated and to be honest boring, the good news here though is my friend, knowing I was a reasonable runner only wanted to do the long runs with her – phew!!

When I’d run halves in the past, I’d followed a training plan that had been recommended to me by a guy called Hal Higdon who is a bit of a running Guru in the US, I talked to my friend and we decided this was where we needed to start!

The Hal Higdon Novice program is designed for beginning runners who want to prepare for their first 13.1-mile race. First-timer? This is the program for you. In choosing the half marathon, you are choosing the most popular race distance in the world. According to Running USA, 2 million runners did a half marathon in 2019. That is four times the number of the half million who ran full marathons! If your long-range goal is 26.2 miles, a 13.1 mile race offers a good starting point. Or if 13.1 is more than enough race mileage with no desires to go 26.2 (at least for now), this particular Novice program is one the most gentle training programs. If you can handle the 3-to-4-mile runs prescribed in Week 1, this particular program will get you ready to run 13.1 week at the end of 12 weeks.

Before starting to train for a half marathon, you need to possess a basic fitness level. But assuming no major problems, most healthy people can train themselves to complete a 13.1-mile race in 12 weeks.

The following schedule assumes you have the ability to run 3 miles, three to four times a week. If that seems difficult, consider a shorter distance for your first race, maybe a 10k.

Things to consider;

Pace: Don’t worry about how fast you run your regular workouts. Run at a comfortable pace, a conversational pace. If you can’t do that, you’re running too fast. (If you wear a heart rate monitor or fitness watches, your target zone should be between 65 and 75 percent of your maximum pulse rate.)

Distance: The training schedule dictates workouts at distances, from 3 to 10 miles. Don’t worry about running precisely those distances, but you should come close. Pick a course through the local area, or in some scenic area. In deciding where to train, talk to other runners. GPS watches make measuring courses easy; I use a Garmin and it’s brilliant!

Rest: Rest is as important a part of your training as the runs! You will be able to run the long runs on the weekend better if you rest before, and rest after.

Long Runs: The key to half marathon training is the long run, progressively increasing in distance each weekend. Over a period of 12 weeks, your longest run will increase from 3 to 10 miles. Then, after a brief taper, you jump to 13.1.

Cross-Train: On the Hal Higdon schedule below, this is identified simply as “cross.” What form of cross-training? Aerobic exercises work best. It could be swimming, cycling, walking, cross-country skiing, or even some combination that could include some strength training, see earlier posts. Cross train on Wednesdays and/or Saturdays. Cross-training days should be considered easy days that allow you to recover from the running you do the rest of the week, key here is, don’t overdo it!

Strength Training: Strength Training is a key element of any Half training, never done any before, check out my post here

Races: Don’t underestimate the power of the race bump, the buzz you get when you’re lining up with your fellow competitors. Honestly, it’s something you have to live to understand the importance, Hal Higdon recommends throwing a few in just to help you get a sense of the feeling and the adrenalin, I’ve not seen many training plans that advocate this however, personally couldn’t agree more with their inclusion! Don’t think you’re competitive, try a couple of 5 of 10k races, you’ll be discussing PBs like a pro in no time!

Let’s be honest here, running 13.1 miles is not easy. If it were easy, there would be little challenge to an event such as the half marathon. Whether you plan your half as a singular accomplishment or as a stepping stone to the even more challenging full marathon, crossing the finish line will give you a feeling of great accomplishment.