EDF ENERGY birmingham half marathon
Advanced Schedules - Twelve Weeks
With a full three months till the race, you have the opportunity to get a lot of training in and develop a real routine that works for you. You don’t therefore have to stick rigidly to the training, but remember just how far 13 miles can be and how fast you want to get round it – 1h 30 mins for a half marathon is almost exactly 7 minutes per mile! That pace for a half marathon is real running and for a long time too – so don’t skip the long runs; they are by far the most important element to your schedule.
| TARGET TIME: Sub 1 hr 30 mins | ||
| WEEK | SESSION | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
WEEK 1 |
Advice: sticking to a routine is vital even this far out - but enjoy the work! |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
WED |
8 miles steady |
8 miles |
THU |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
FRI |
|
|
SAT |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
SUN |
10 miles steady |
10 miles |
|
Total = |
38 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 2 |
Advice: blend of hard & easy days is important - so make sure they are just that! |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
WED |
15 mins WU - 5 x (2mins hard / 3 mins jog) - 15 mins WD |
8 miles |
THU |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
SUN |
12 miles steady |
12 miles |
|
Total = |
40 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 3 |
Advice: your long runs are very important so don't skip those or cut them short. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
WED |
60 mins - 20mins easy, 20 mins steady, 10 mins faster, 10 mins easy |
9 miles |
THU |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
6 miles inc 8-10 x (15-20 secs strides / 1 min jog) |
6 miles |
SUN |
12 miles at a healthy pace - but finish feeling you could do more. |
12 miles |
|
Total = |
40 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 4 |
Advice: Eight weeks to go - this middle period of your build-up is critical. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
WED |
60 mins inc 4-5 x (4mins harder pace / 3 mins jog) |
9 miles |
THU |
8 miles easy |
8 miles |
FRI |
|
|
SAT |
6 miles incl 8-10 x (60 secs hard / 2 mins jog) |
6 miles |
SUN |
13 miles easy |
13 miles |
|
Total = |
43 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 5 |
Advice: lots of sleep & good food (plenty of carbohydrates) extra important now. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
8 miles easy |
8 miles |
WED |
60 mins - 15 mins easy, 30 mins 1/2 Mar pace, 15 mins easy |
9 miles |
THU |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
6 miles incl 10-12 x (15-20 sec strides / 1 min jog) |
6 miles |
SUN |
14 miles easy |
14 miles |
|
Total = |
44 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 6 |
Advice: really apply yourself on Wednesday - these efforts can make you race! |
|
MON |
Easy |
|
TUE |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
WED |
60 mins inc 5 x (5 mins hard / 3 mins jog) |
9 miles |
THU |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
7 miles easy inc 10-12 x (60 secs hard / 2 mins jog) |
7 miles |
SUN |
14 miles easy |
14 miles |
|
Total = |
44 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 7 |
Advice: slightly lighter but faster week than last - so enjoy the speed! |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
5 miles easy |
5 miles |
WED |
10 mins WU - 4 mile Time Trial (or midweek race) - 15 mins WD |
8 miles |
THU |
7 miles easy |
7 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
6 miles inc 8-10 x (15-20 secs strides / 1 min jog) |
6 miles |
SUN |
12 miles - starting slow but building to a steady pace |
12 miles |
|
Total = |
38 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 8 |
Advice: If you can find a training partner, it helps a lot - even just for WU & WD. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
8 miles steady |
8 miles |
WED |
15 mins WU - 5 x (1200m hard / 3 mins jog) - 15 mins WD |
9 miles |
THU |
8 miles easy |
8 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
7 miles incl 3 x (30 secs, 1 min, 90 secs / same time of jog after each) |
7 miles |
SUN |
13 miles easy |
13 miles |
|
Total = |
45 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 9 |
Advice: easier week so you can race fresh on Sunday. Loads of sleep this week. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
WED |
7 miles incl 5 x (2 mins hard / 2 mins jog) |
7 miles |
THU |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
3 miles inc 6 x 15 secs strides |
3 miles |
SUN |
10 km race inc 15 mins WU & 15 mins WD |
10 miles |
|
Total = |
32 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 10 |
Advice: your last hard week; don't overdo it though. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
7 miles steady |
7 miles |
WED |
75 mins (15 mins WU, 45 mins 1/2 Mar pace, 15 mins WD) |
10 miles |
THU |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
7 miles incl 6-8 x (1 min hard / 2 mins jog) |
7 miles |
SUN |
14 miles easy |
14 miles |
|
Total = |
44 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 11 |
Advice: Wednesday is your last hard day; storing up sleep this week is vital. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
7 miles steady |
7 miles |
WED |
15 min WU - 3 x (1mile hard / 3 mins jog) - 15 min WD |
8 miles |
THU |
6 miles steady |
6 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
6 miles easy incl 6-8 x 30 secs strides |
6 miles |
SUN |
10 miles easy |
10 miles |
|
Total = |
37 miles |
|
|
|
WEEK 12 |
Advice: you can only mess things up this week, so don't try to make up time. |
|
MON |
Rest |
|
TUE |
6 miles easy |
6 miles |
WED |
5 miles steady |
5 miles |
THU |
5 miles inc 8-10 x 15 secs strides |
5 miles |
FRI |
Rest |
|
SAT |
3 miles easy jog |
3 miles |
SUN |
Race Day! |
15 miles |
|
Total = |
34 miles |
