TRAINING FOR YOUR FIRST HALF MARATHON
Week 10: Harvest Time!
You’ve put in the hard work: now it’s time to harvest! Here are Ryan’s final workouts and tips to get you ready for race day.
What to Expect:
The training is the hard part, the racing is the fun part. If you've followed this plan, then you can rest assured that you are not just prepared for this half marathon, you are over-prepared — in the best way possible. It's also important to keep in mind that almost no one ever has a perfect 10-week training buildup, so don't sweat it if you missed a few workouts or had an injury creep up that caused you to miss some training. There is grace built into this plan for a few misses along the way and you will still be in great shape.
This week is the time to TRUST the coach and plan. Do not try to prove your fitness, and don't pay attention to how you feel. It is very common to not feel great in the week leading up to your race and still feel great in the race itself. Your body and mind will be storing up energy this entire week to use for race day. And most importantly, this is harvest time! This entire training plan we've been planting seeds with every run. We have cultivated the ground and watered the fields with every stride. Now, once the gun fires, it's time to harvest all that hard work you've put in and enjoy the fruits of your labor. In my buildups, the hardest, most painful moments were almost always in training. The racing is the fun part where we get to enjoy our fitness. Have as much fun as possible out there because as my dad always told me, "Happy feet make light feet."
Take it to the finish line!
Ryan
TRAINING FOR YOUR FIRST HALF MARATHON
Week 10: Harvest Time!
You’ve put in the hard work: now it’s time to harvest! Here are Ryan’s final workouts and tips to get you ready for race day.
What to Expect:
The training is the hard part, the racing is the fun part. If you've followed this plan, then you can rest assured that you are not just prepared for this half marathon, you are over-prepared — in the best way possible. It's also important to keep in mind that almost no one ever has a perfect 10-week training buildup, so don't sweat it if you missed a few workouts or had an injury creep up that caused you to miss some training. There is grace built into this plan for a few misses along the way and you will still be in great shape.
This week is the time to TRUST the coach and plan. Do not try to prove your fitness, and don't pay attention to how you feel. It is very common to not feel great in the week leading up to your race and still feel great in the race itself. Your body and mind will be storing up energy this entire week to use for race day. And most importantly, this is harvest time! This entire training plan we've been planting seeds with every run. We have cultivated the ground and watered the fields with every stride. Now, once the gun fires, it's time to harvest all that hard work you've put in and enjoy the fruits of your labor. In my buildups, the hardest, most painful moments were almost always in training. The racing is the fun part where we get to enjoy our fitness. Have as much fun as possible out there because as my dad always told me, "Happy feet make light feet."
Take it to the finish line!
Ryan
- MON
- TUES
- WED
- THUR
- FRI
- SAT
- SUN
Run
4-mile easy run
Hydrate
16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 30 minutes before workout
Be sure to drink lots of water today and all week leading up to your race. Monitor your urine color, aiming for pale yellow, to ensure you enter race day properly hydrated.
Run
Rest Day
Hydrate
4-6oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Rest before bed to support muscle recovery
Be sure to drink lots of water today and all week leading up to your race. Monitor your urine color, aiming for pale yellow, to ensure you enter race day properly hydrated.
Run
3-mile easy run plus drills and 6 by 50-meter strides at 95% max sprint speed.
Hydrate
16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 30 minutes before workout
Be sure to drink lots of water today and all week leading up to your race. Monitor your urine color, aiming for pale yellow, to ensure you enter race day properly hydrated.
Run
15-minute easy jog. Then drills and strides. Then 6 by half mile or 800 meters with 2 minutes rest between each rep. You are going to run these at the following paces/efforts:
- Rep 1: Half Marathon Goal Pace plus 30 seconds per mile (so if your goal pace is 8 minutes per mile, you will run this at 8:30 pace or 4:15 for half a mile/800 meters)
- Rep 2: HMGP plus 25 seconds per mile
- Rep 3: HMGP plus 20 seconds per mile
- Rep 4: HMGP plus 15 seconds per mile
- Rep 5: HMGP plus 5 seconds per mile
- Rep 6: HMGP
Then a 15-minute cool down.
Hydrate
16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 30 minutes before workout
Be sure to drink lots of water today and all week leading up to your race. Monitor your urine color, aiming for pale yellow, to ensure you enter race day properly hydrated.
Ryan says:
This workout should be fairly easy but don’t expect it to feel good. Professional runners report this workout almost never feeling as good or easy as they want it to. Your body is both physiologically and psychologically gearing up for the big race.
Do not run faster than prescribed today. It’s really important we leave energy in your legs for the race. Today’s workout should be a deposit, not a withdrawal.
Run
Rest Day
Hydrate
4-6oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Rest before bed to support muscle recovery
Be sure to drink lots of water today and all week leading up to your race. Monitor your urine color, aiming for pale yellow, to ensure you enter race day properly hydrated.
Run
3-mile easy jog plus drills and 6 by 100-meter easy strides at 90% max sprint speed.
Hydrate
- 16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 30 minutes before workout
- 16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 30 minutes after workout
- 16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport before bed
Drinking water + electrolytes the day before will help you begin your race day in a well-hydrated state.
Ryan says:
These strides are to get your legs neurologically firing and feeling good for the race tomorrow. Make sure to take in extra carbs today. You should aim to be eating healthy but easy-to-digest carbs such as white pasta, white rice, sourdough bread every 3 hours. Keep it low-fiber…yes, this is your excuse to eat white carbs and little-to-no veggies! This will help avoid stomach distress in the race tomorrow.
If you take in carbs frequently throughout the day, you will absorb those carbs a lot better compared to slamming a big bowl of pasta all in one sitting. Also, make sure you are drinking water frequently throughout the day and throw in some Nuun electrolyte tablets to keep your electrolyte balance in the proper spot for the race tomorrow.
Run
5-minute easy jog. Begin this about 25 minutes prior to the start of the race if logistics allow. Jogging in place can also work if you are confined to a corral and unable to have freedom of movement. Then some drills and strides.
Then goal half-marathon race.
Cool down with a 10-minute easy walk. And then…relax and celebrate! You worked hard and you rocked it!
Hydrate
- 16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 60 minutes before the race
- 16 oz water + 1 serving of Nuun Endurance during half-marathon, drinking to thirst
- 16 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Sport 30-60 minutes after race
-
4-6 oz water + 1 tab of Nuun Rest before bed to support muscle recovery
Rock Your Run
We’ve asked a few inspiring athletes to share their favorite songs for hitting the pavement. Tune in every week for a brand new playlist to keep you muuving and motivated!
Set Goals and Stay on Track
Our shareable progress tracker helps you stay connected and accountable. The Muuv With Nuun crew is behind you all the way!
Rock Your Run
We’ve asked a few inspiring athletes to share their favorite songs for hitting the pavement. Tune in every week for a brand new playlist to keep you muuving and motivated!
Set Goals and Stay on Track
Our shareable progress tracker helps you stay connected and accountable. The Muuv With Nuun crew is behind you all the way!