Half Marathon Training Plan & Nutrition

Greetings from Florida! I am here this week for work (and maybe a little play as well 🙂 ). August has definitely been a busy travel month so far!

So…I have gotten some questions regarding how I’m training and fueling for the half marathon I’m doing in October (you can read about why I decided to do a half here). Honestly, things haven’t changed that much from what I usually do day to day. The exception is how I fuel for my long runs. More on that in a minute. So, how am I training? I’ll give you a hint: less is more.

Some of you have heard about my cardio-queen days, so for this race, my goals are as follows:

1. Hold onto as much muscle as possible
2. Run the half faster than when I considered myself a “runner”
3. Run only three days per week
4. FEEL GOOD!

Yep, three days a week of running – that’s it! Here is what a typical week looks like currently:

Monday: 20-30 minute jump rope/plyo circuit or stepmill intervals; lift chest/tris/shoulders with Jill

Tuesday: 30-45 minute hill sprint workout; lift legs/core

Wednesday: off or 30 min incline walk

Thursday: track sprint workout / light legs with Jill

Friday: 20 min plyo/core circuit; lift back, bis, shoulders with Jill

Saturday: Long run – 60 to 90 minutes; core if I feel like it

Sunday: off

So, things haven’t changed that much with training, other than the addition of the long run once per week. I’m finding that I am a lot faster now, and recover so much more quickly than I used to. Quality, not quantity is the name of the game.

Speaking of nutrition, the video below gives a little insight into how I fuel for my long, intense runs. Of course, you must find your own formula and what works for you, but this is what’s working really well for me :-).

As far as holding onto muscle goes, I took these pics this weekend…I think I’m doing ok so far! I’m feeling good, recovering quickly and never feel completely ravenous – those are the things that are most important to me. I have about 6 weeks to go before the race; I’m excited to see how things go!

No silly extremes, just good nutrition and smart training

In summary, for me, it comes down to this: no silly extremes, just good nutrition and smart training. Better results in less time? Yes, please!

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me a note: Tara@PrimeLifeFit.com

xoxo

Tara