Half Marathon Training without running a lot

I like running, it is a time for me to just lace up my sneakers and listen to music, a podcast, or simply my thoughts.  I also like having fit friends… they somehow have the skill of turning a nice weekend getaway into running a half marathon.  My friend from California reached out to me this summer and said we should plan a trip to NYC since we had not seen each other in over a year.  Of course, I was in…. and then he said, “Oh we should run a half marathon while we are there.”  “Ummmmm, sure, let’s do it” is what I responded BUT in my head, I was trying to remember my longest run within the past year… I think I ran 8 miles one Sunday, because I got lost in what I thought was a circular path but ended up being an out and back, whoops!

Anyway, because I am a good friend, I signed up for the half marathon.  Then I needed to find a training plan.  Don’t get me wrong, I have done about 10-15 half marathons in my life and even one full marathon but I was literally running ALL THE TIME then sprinkled with some yoga and Pilates.  I decided to mix it up for this half marathon and focus more on cross training than running. 

My training plan consisted of 3 days of cross training which usually included strength training of some sort and then a quick 10-20 minute high intensity interval workout.  I did a run during the week of about 4-6 miles and then a long run on Sundays (usually 7-10 miles), so only 2 days of running per week. I also tried to get a yoga class in here and there. The result was great - it was not the fastest half marathon I have ever run, came in at a little over 2 hours, but it was fun and no injuries!

I have always stressed mixing up your workouts and I think if you have a decent baseline fitness, you can accomplish a lot!

Sooooo, when are you signing up for your next half marathon?