Training

Half Marathon Training Plan for Trail Runners

Are you looking to break your Trail Half Marathon PB?

International athlete & coach, Sarah McCormack, shares a half-marathon training plan for an intermediate-level trail runner who already has some experience of 8-10 mile trail runs and regular higher intensity training sessions.

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Here is a descriptive guide to the trail half marathon training plan;

How many runs each week?:

• If you run 4 times per week, do only the runs in green and rest on the other days.

• If you run 5 times per week, do only the runs in green & blue.

• If you run 6 times per week, do the runs in green, blue & red.

• If you run 5-6 times per week, but usually only do one harder run per week, do the runs in green and add in your remaining 1-2 easy runs as usual.

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Photo credit: Mountain Running FLICKR

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Pacing your training:

Judge your training paces by intensity/effort level, not by actual moving speed, which can be very subjective for off-road running.

• Aim not to make any significant changes to your mileage or frequency of harder runs when following this plan. Hence your easy runs can be a distance that is typical for you, and should be at a truly easy pace.

• Strides are quick 10-20s accelerations that you can include at the end of runs as specified, and also in your warm up for harder sessions. They can feel fast (10-20 min race pace) but are not flat-out sprints.

• Hill sprints are very short, top-speed efforts on a gradual uphill with a firm surface (tarmac/hard-packed trail). The long recovery is an important part of these sessions. Never do hill sprints or other challenging sessions if you are experiencing any tightness or running-related pain.

• Steady pace is slightly quicker than easy, as specified - usually either 3h or 4h race pace. This should feel like a moderate, fairly enjoyable, cruising intensity.

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Other half marathon advice:

• It's a good idea to bring a few (2-4) gels with you for a trail half marathon - practice taking these during your faster long runs so that you are prepared to do so on race day.

• Aim for your long runs (and your easy runs) to be on terrain that replicates the event you're training for, when possible.

• Runs can be shuffled around to different days of the week, but avoid doing two hard runs on back-to-back days.

• Significantly exceeding the stated intensities is likely to be detrimental to your race preparation.

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Abbreviations:

HM = half marathon

' = minute

s = second

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Thanks to Sarah McCormack for these fantastic tips and check out Missing Link Coaching if you’re interested in professional and attentive coaching to help improve your running. Missing Link Coaching brings a thorough and personalised approach to running rehab that can help make stronger and biomechanically better athletes.

If you’re wondering what kit you’ll need, then check out Tom Wake’s guide on what to wear for a half marathon. Our marathon hub is also packed full of more tips and advice.

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Looking for some training tips and advice? Then head over to our Training category where our athletes and experts explain everything you need to know.