Half marathon plan and impact on run/walk sessions

by Paul
(Netherlands)

What is the impact of the longer runs/walks if one aims for a half marathon ?

"Hi Marius,

I want to adjust your plan to a plan for running a half marathon. I am aware of a previous topic on this issue in the FAQ, but I have one additional question regarding the long run/walk sessions in effort 1.

Is it necessary to perform these sessions for half marathon purposes as well or should these sessions be replaced by runs (without walking) in higher effort level (eg effort level 2).

The question basically comes down to what your approach is with regard to the long run in a half marathon plan and the adjustments necessary in the original marathon plan (meaning what sessions should be replaced, if any).

thanks very much in advance!

regards,

paul"

Answer: Hi Paul, I would not recommend running in Effort 2 instead of the run/walks. Effort 2 is "no-where-land" in terms of both effective training and effective recovery so the net effect of those sessions are poor.

You may do a variant though where you cut the length down slightly on these (say 20-30%) and run them in Effort 1 the whole way instead of run-walk. This will work well for a half marathon plan. Other than that I would stick to the plan and go with the progression on the way !

I wish you all the best with your training.

Kind regards,
Marius

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