If you’ve already completed our Couch to 5K plan, you may be gearing up to complete a longer race. Now, with greater challenges comes greater rewards…and greater risk of sports injuries. So, to help you meet your goals without the pain, check out this half-marathon training plan from Massapequa podiatrists Dr. Mark Gasparini and Dr. Novneet Chhabra.
Why You Need a Half-Marathon Training Plan
Half-marathons are popular yet risky races to complete. Studies show that about 24% of runners sustain an injury during half-marathon training. Given that high rate of injury, we want to help you train safely and effectively, so that you can run those 13.1 miles without pain or long-term complications.
The Key to Injury-Free Half-Marathon Training ![]()
Without a half-marathon training plan, runners are at risk for overuse injuries such as shin splints and plantar fasciitis or even stress fractures. The key to avoiding these injuries while properly preparing yourself to run 13.1 miles is to follow these three principles:
1. Train Intentionally
Instead of running as often, far and fast as you can, a safe half-marathon training plan will include rest days, cross-training and speed or distance work. (But not both at the same time.) To allow your body to gradually adjust to the demands of completing a half-marathon, aim to run three times each week, with two short runs and one longer run. As each week passes, that longer run can increase in distance by no more than 10%, until you are able to complete a run of about 10-12 miles distance. (You don’t actually have to complete a half-marathon in training in order to safely cross the finish line on race day.)
On rest days, focus on forms of movement that can help take a load off the muscles that support your runs. Yoga can have tremendous benefits, stretching out tight muscles and tendons and reducing your risk for running injuries related to overuse, such as plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinitis. Some days can involve complete rest for your body. And, on those days, be sure to focus on good nutrition and adequate hydration to give your body the fuel it needs to get back into training for your next session.
2. Don’t Ignore Strength Training
Strength and resistance training is also a critical component of our half-marathon training plan. When you’re running—especially for long distances, building muscle strength can help reduce stress on your tendons and joints. As a result, you’ll be able to run for longer distances, often at faster speeds, and without the discomfort.
Now, when you’re training for a half-marathon, strength training can’t just be about curls and presses. Instead, you focus on building up your glutes and core to support your runs. Stability training and single-leg exercises are also very effective for injury prevention, especially when it comes to reducing your risk for an ankle sprain or strain.
While there’s no magic number when it comes to how often you should strength train, we suggest getting in two or three sessions a week that focus on balance, stability and building up large muscles groups in your legs, core and glutes. No equipment? No problem! Simply using your body weight can go a long way toward strengthening the muscles that support your runs. Or, for an added boost, you can always use resistance bands like these ones.
3. Remember to Schedule Your Recoveries
How you recover is just as important for injury prevention as the training schedule you follow. When preparing for a half-marathon, take it easy for 2-3 days each week, engaging in low impact movement forms such as walking, yoga or an at-home stretching routine. (Pay careful attention to your calves and hamstrings to counteract the impact of running on your body.)
After several weeks following this half-marathon training plan, you should also build a ‘rest week’ into your schedule. While you will still follow your training plan of three non-consecutive runs—two short sessions and one with a longer distance goal—the key for this week is to dial back the resistance as compared to the previous week significantly. So, if you ran three times the previous week, logging two 3-mile runs and one 6-mile session, you’d cut those distances back to 1.5 and 3 miles respectively to get the most benefit from your rest week. The following week, you can return to your previous distance goals, increasing distances by no more than 10% in the weeks that follow.
Running Support in Nassau County
In addition to following this half-marathon training plan, there’s one more rule you’ll need to follow if you want to reduce your injury risk: always listen to your body. When you’re training for any kind of race, skipping a workout can feel like you’re failing. And that can make it tempting to push through pain when you need to log those miles. Unfortunately, doing so dramatically increases your risk for developing a running injury—and for getting sidelined on the day of your half-marathon.
So, what should you do instead? If you notice discomfort during or after a running session, take a rest from training and see how you feel. If the pain goes away within a day or so, the discomfort was likely a normal response to your increased activity levels. But if the pain persists, or if it starts to get worse, contact our office right away, by calling 516-804-9038 or by following this link to request an appointment. When you come in for a checkup, we can rule out or diagnose any injuries, helping you heal and return safely to your half-marathon training plan.