10k To Half Marathon Training Plan
Finishing a 10k race is a big accomplishment. Completing 6.2 miles without stopping is an incredible display of stamina, calling for dedication to a practice routine and the drive as well as attention to keep going despite the fatigue of body and mind.
After finishing a 10k race (or multiple runs) you might decide that running a half marathon would be a more remarkable and difficult test of endurance.
Many people who are just starting to run or those who have been doing it for a while consider running a half marathon (13.1 miles) to be a goal they want to achieve in their lifetime.
Taking on a half marathon can seem intimidating, and if you’re used to running shorter distances, a half marathon program can appear to require an abundance of time.
Even if you have already completed a 10k race, it is achievable to take on a plan to train for a half marathon if you have the dedication and ambition to do so.
Several runners can accomplish a 10k race with limited preparation. The length is attainable if you have spent time practising for a 5k race or have been casually running for some time. If you don’t train for a half marathon and just try it, you will experience much discomfort and have a high chance of injury.
Days Per Week
A 10k preparation plan intended to have you finish the race in less than an hour would involve you running four times each week with a maximum range of 6-7 miles each session, totalling as much as 20-25 miles in a week. A 10K plan for beginners could be completed with only three runs each week!
A typical plan for training for a half marathon will usually involve running 4-5 times per week, with runs lasting from 12 to 15 miles each and the longest ones being approximately 40 to 50 miles every 7 days.
Initial half marathon participants don’t need to run distances exceeding 10 miles.
Every jogger is varied, but it is typically expected that you should be upping your total weekly mileage to assist you on the day of the race to possess both speed and strength to accomplish what you have set out to do.
Differences in Training Plans
Most 10K training plans include speed workouts, however, when doing a half marathon plan, those intervals become longer or you would try out tempo runs, progression runs and goal pace miles.
In addition to the increase in mileage, you must incorporate smooth and enjoyable jogs into your routine. Low Heart Rate training can be beneficial for beginner runners to gain an understanding of what it feels like to go at an easy pace.
Cross Training
When training for a half marathon, you must be more careful with exercises that increase glute strength, and hip stretching, and allow you to do a full body workout. Having a more powerful physique will not only help you manage long-distance runs but will also enhance your stamina and velocity.
The training plan for the half marathon includes incorporating all of these components throughout the week. Which makes the next section crucial! Embrace the healing process and begin to care for yourself as if you were an athlete.
Mobility and Recovery Become Even More Important
If you don’t take precautions such as having enough rest days between workouts, taking it easy on the intensity of your training, and monitoring the mileage you’re running, then you may be at risk of injuries during your half marathon training.
Routine training needs to include both days of intense work and days of rest to be effective. Your body needs them! You are not the only one who can bypass these.
No matter who has put it to the test, the outcomes remain the same; discomfort in the knees, IT Band challenges, and exhaustion. Taking a break from activity allows muscles to mend and helps guard against harm. If you can’t accept the idea of not exercising for a day, then select an active method of breaking.
As the length of your journey increases, your muscles will need to become accustomed to working for longer to keep up with the speed you desire. You ought to change the way you consider your instruction.
- Don’t put intense days back to back
- Don’t do more than the training plan recommends
- Embrace rest days so you can go hard on speed workout days
- Embrace the idea of easy running as a means to increase your endurance
- Spend more time walking, in general, to add time to feet
- Practice fueling and hydrating more on long runs
- Learn how to fuel for race day vs training
Injury Proof Your Body
As mentioned before, an important aspect of preparing for a half marathon is incorporating moments dedicated to strength, flexibility, and movement. You can incorporate a lot of these exercises into your pre-workout routine, into your strength routine for the day, or even do them in the evening when you’re getting ready for bed.
5 minutes daily will net you BIG results. Being able to train without interruption leads to success during races!
- Resistance Band Workout For Hip Strengthening And Glute Activation
- Hip Stretches to Undo Effects of Sitting
- Improve Core Stability for Endurance
- Improve Hip Extension and Mobility
- Hip Stability Exercises to Prevent ITBS and Runner’s’ Knee
Can You Base Your Goal Half Time On Your 10k Time
You can take a guess at what your probable half marathon time will be based on your most recent 10 km race result, but there are better ways to get an exact target.
A lot of components go into choosing a finish time:
- the current level of fitness
- injury history
- running history
- race course
- race goals
Setting a goal to finish in less than two hours may appear easy, however, it may be too vigorous for starters as you have not had the opportunity to practice a lot.
It may be more beneficial for you to strive for a time less than 1:45. The best way to figure out the speed you should be running a half marathon so that you don’t become too fatigued or are running too slow for your capabilities is to train and figure out what your normal running rate is.
- Pick a consistent route you can run every few weeks that is similar to your race course
- Keep the run easy and watch your HR
- As your fitness improves your pace should drop while your HR remains the same
- A few months in you’ll have a solid base and can start to add in speed work
- Try adding in 1 mile at your goal race pace to a longer run each week
- If it’s a reasonable goal pace, you should be able to continue building those miles at the goal pace
Tips For Bumping Up From The 10k To Half Marathon
It takes multiple components to prepare for a half marathon.
Although when attempting to complete a half marathon, most of your training will focus on endurance rather than speed, running is not the only part of the preparation you will need to do.
Here are a few tips for bumping up from the 10k to half marathon distance:
1. Do the Cross-Training Workouts
Cross-training workouts are one of the most influential elements of training plans for 10k to half marathon runs.
Cross-training entails exercising other than running and, for this particular 10k to half marathon workout plan, it is best to concentrate on low-impact forms of cross-training like spinning, swimming, aqua running, or utilizing the elliptical trainer.
The goal of cross-training is to boost your aerobic health while lessening the pressure on your bones, muscles, joints, and ligaments in comparison to running.
If you are not careful with running, injuries may occur. Moving too quickly and increasing running distance too rapidly increases the possibility of injury.
Your musculoskeletal system will take a greater amount of time to become accustomed to the requirements of running than your cardiovascular system.
Consequently, even though you might experience the running process as easier from the point of view of your inhaling and heartbeat, your body parts, including bones, connective tissues, and muscles, have taken an impact and are not developing and mending as swiftly as your heart, lungs, and vessels of blood.
Although you may feel the urge to run daily or increase your running distance earlier in your 10K to half marathon training, it’s important to follow the prescribed rest days and not run longer than the time or distance stated in the schedule. This helps to prevent putting too much strain on your body.
The main goal of cross-training exercises is to help you improve your aerobic stamina without straining your legs too much. This is why choosing low-impact activities is important.
The intensity of the cross-training workouts is less important.
Allow your body to inform you about your emotions. Basically, if you’re feeling exhausted and worn out due to a recent run or another exercise, do some cross-training at a low intensity, continuously easily moving your body.
Try to stay in the “moderate-intensity” aerobic exercise zone.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that during moderate-intensity physical activity, your heart rate should be approximately 64-76% of your maximum heart rate.
Using a heart rate monitor while working out can be beneficial as it provides a precise way to measure how hard you are exercising. Nevertheless, if you have no way to access this gear, let your intensity of effort be your guide, and for an estimate of perceived toil coming in at 6 to 8 on a scale of 1-10.
2. Take the Rest Days
It was pointed out that taking rest days is just as significant as the workouts themselves; this is because the body needs to have a break between strenuous activities to avert overexertion and potential injuries so that the physical and mental progress made from the exercise can persist.
Even though you could be enthusiastic to perform some exercise on your days off, it is absolutely essential to honour what your body needs and make sure you actually rest.
If you’re having a successful training session with no signs of aches or exhaustion, you can go for strolls and be active on these days, but it’s better to not do any heavy exercise.
3. Add Strength Training Workouts
Resistance training offers a multitude of advantages, such as strengthening bones, reducing blood pressure, raising the amount of energy being used, improving one’s feeling of well-being, and cutting down tension levels–and that is only the start.
Strength training can help you stay injury-free when running by fixing discrepancies in muscles, boosting psychomotor coordination and performance, and reinforcing your muscles, joints, and ligaments.
This will assist you in maintaining a routinely stringent training program and doing more exercises without hurting yourself.
4. Walk If You Need To
Completing your initial half marathon can be a tough task to achieve. If you are just beginning to run, it is often unexpectedly hard to go for even a minute or two at a time without having to take a break.
Additionally, regardless of how inactive you have been, as long as you are willing to intersperse walking intervals during the race, you should still be able to prepare yourself sufficiently to complete your first half marathon even if you don’t have the means to add more to your weekly workout routine.
If you’ve been dreaming of running a half marathon but have been scared or uncertain about being able to do it, have faith in yourself and try it out with this easy-to-follow plan for training from 10K to a half marathon.
Side notes
The half marathon is my favourite distance.
It is still demanding enough to necessitate consistent, lengthy workouts and careful planning with your workouts, but does not necessitate the same level of devotion and physical strain as a complete marathon.
You may run several events in the course of a year for either recreational enjoyment or with rigorous preparation to try and get a personal best time.
This training plan is designed to help runners safely increase their mileage and build their strength so that they can confidently complete the half marathon race. This plan is not about pushing yourself too hard, rather it concentrates on relishing the entire experience of running!
