Key Takeaways: How to Train for a Half Marathon

Описание: ✅ Divide your training into four main components: Long Runs, Tempo Runs, Intervals, and Strength Training. Each serves a specific purpose and should be trained with intention.

Long Runs
✅ Intensity: Low. You should feel like you could run all day and stay well clear of exhaustion. You should be able to hold a comfortable conversation throughout. If you feel fatigue starting to build, slow down, this run is about patience and self-control.
✅ Time: Build gradually toward 1–2 hours over time. This progression is key, do not start at the upper end. For reference, my first continuous “long run” was just 30 minutes.

Tempo Runs
✅ Intensity: “Comfortably uncomfortable.” This is the fastest pace you can sustain continuously without losing control. You’re hovering near the point where fatigue begins to accumulate but never letting it overwhelm you. On a scale of 1–10, this effort is around a 7. Conversation becomes difficult but not impossible.
✅ Time: Typically 20–40 minutes. This can be run continuously or broken into segments (for example, two 15–20 minute efforts).

Intervals
✅ Intensity: Hard. You should be out of breath and feel significant muscular burn. On a scale of 1–10, this is around a 9.
✅ Time: Total workout time is usually 20–40 minutes, alternating between hard efforts and recovery. An example would be 6 × 400 m (one lap around a standard track), sprinting one lap and walking one lap for recovery. Another option is 4 × 800 m with walking or light jogging between reps.

✅ Weekly Frequency: Long runs, tempo runs, and interval sessions should each be performed 1–2 times per week, depending on experience and recovery. If you’re training for a half marathon, prioritize the long run above all else.

✅ Strength training is an important complement to running. It helps reduce injury risk and can improve running efficiency and speed. Aim for full-body strength training 1–2 times per week, depending on your training phase. As race day approaches, you’ll likely reduce volume and maintain strength with one session per week.

✅ Training Awareness: Especially for recreational runners, avoid over-relying on your smartwatch. Use running as a form of mindfulness, tune into your body’s sensations, breathing, and effort level. With practice, you’ll develop a strong sense of when to push and when to back off, often more accurately than your data alone.

✅ Tapering: Don’t forget to taper during the final 1–2 weeks before race day. You won’t stop training completely, but you’ll significantly reduce volume to allow your body to recover and perform at its best.

✅ Running allows you to train across a wide range of intensities, giving you the physical and mental benefits that come from low, moderate, and high-intensity work.

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