Training program Intermediate
Here begins your journey towards the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon.
Here begins your journey towards the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon!Do you also have a dream of running the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon and maybe even have a specific time goal in mind? You are not alone. Our goal is to help you reach your dream goal of completing the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon, aiming for a finish time of around two hours, with the help of this training program. The program is designed for those who are already running a few times a week. It’s important to listen to your body, and if you feel particularly tired or fatigued, don’t hesitate to skip a workout and take an extra rest day. Remember that the program is general, and you may need to adjust the workouts slightly to suit you optimally.
Here begins your journey towards the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon!
Before we start…
Your starting point
If you’re already training around three to four times a week and feel that running is something you want to focus on and prioritize, then this program is for you. By now, you should already be able to run distances of up to 15 kilometers. It helps if you have previous experience of running a half marathon, but it’s not mandatory.
Your training
Over the next 12 weeks, you will train three to four times a week to take your training to the next level and reach your dream goal for the marathon. 21,097.5 meters is a long distance, especially if you want to run fast, and the key to success with such an ambitious goal is consistency. To achieve that, it’s important that your easy runs are truly easy to avoid unnecessary strain on your body, so you can feel fresh when it’s time for quality workouts and long runs. The focus will be on improving your threshold and working at paces that are close to your intended race pace for the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon.
Your goal
Your goal for this year’s HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon is to finish with a time around two hours. Keep in mind that when you’re very dedicated and perhaps a bit infatuated with your running, it’s easy to push too hard on certain workouts. Run with understanding and prioritize consistency in your journey towards your new personal record.
Base training
Now we embark on the journey towards the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon. During the first four weeks, we will establish a foundation with a lot of variation in the workouts to give you a solid start in your training towards your ultimate goal.
Keep in mind that we are now focusing on building a foundation, so the distance and long runs should be done at a comfortable pace. When we do hill workouts, threshold runs, and intervals, you should increase your pace and run at a higher intensity.
Week 1
Session 1: Easy Run 60 min
Session 2: Hill Repeats 6-8 x 60 sec with jog recovery downhill
Session 3: Long 80 min.
Week 2
Session 1: Easy Run 45 min
Session 2: Threshold Run 8 x 2 min (goal race pace + 10 seconds per kilometer) with 90 sec walking recovery
Session 3: Easy Run 45 min + 5 strides
Session 4: Long 85 min.
Week 3
Session 1: Easy Run 60 min
Session 2: Threshold Run 6-8 x 1000 m (goal race pace + 10 sec per kilometer) with 90 sec walking recovery
Session 3: Easy Run 45 min + 5 strides
Session 4: Long 90 min.
Week 4
Session 1: Easy Run 60 min
Session 2: Hill Repeats 10 x 60 sec with jog recovery downhill
Session 3: Threshold Run 10 x 400 m (goal race pace + 10 seconds per kilometer) with 60 sec standing recovery
Session 4: Long 95 min.
Hills & threshold
In this training block, we will focus on hill workouts and threshold runs. This is the phase where we establish a good level of consistency and aim to improve your running strength and endurance. It is during this period that we lay the foundation for you to reach your dream goal.
Week 5
Session 1: Easy Run 60 min
Session 2: Threshold Run 4 x 4 min (goal race pace + 10 seconds per kilometer) with 90 seconds standing recovery
Session 3: Threshold Run 10 x 2 min (goal race pace + 10 seconds per kilometer) with 90 seconds standing recovery
Session 4: Long 100 min. (last 5 km at half marathon pace + 10 seconds per kilometer)
Week 6
Session 1: Easy Run 60 min with as many hills as you can find
Session 2: Hill Repeats 10 x 2 min with jog recovery downhill
Session 3: Long 100 min.
Week 7
Session 1: Easy Run 60 min
Session 2: Threshold Run 3 x 10 min (half marathon pace + 10 seconds per kilometer) with 2 minutes jogging recovery
Session 3: Threshold Run 10 + 5 + 10 min (half marathon pace + 10 sec per kilometer) with 2 min jogging recovery
Session 4: Long 105 min.
Week 8
Session 1: Easy Run 45 min
Session 2: Intervals 1500 m + 3 x 1000 m + 2 x 500 m + 5 x 200 m (first set at half marathon pace, increase by 5 sec per kilometer for each set) with 90-60 sec standing recovery
Session 3: Intervals 6 – 8 x 800+200 m with 60 seconds standing recovery. Run 800 m at goal race pace followed immediately by 200 m slightly faster
Session 4: Long 110 min.
Various training sessions on the journey towards the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon.
Distance Run
The distance run is a training session where you simply run and enjoy, clearing your mind. The focus here is not on pushing yourself, but rather maintaining a low heart rate and feeling good. The purpose of this session is to acclimate your muscles, joints, and ligaments to running.
Hill Repeats
Hill training is one of our favorite workouts in running as it builds both strength and speed while improving your recovery. The hills you run can be long, short, steep, or gentle. You choose the type of hill based on the purpose of the workout – building endurance, speed, or perhaps strength and running technique.
Intervals
Intervals are sessions where we focus on becoming faster and improving our oxygen uptake. Intervals are usually shorter than threshold runs and have longer rest periods, typically involving light jogging or standing rest.
Threshold Runs
Threshold runs are performed at a controlled high pace, and it is always easier to find your threshold if you have undergone a lactate test at a clinic, for example. Otherwise, you can start with a pace you can maintain for approximately 60 minutes. These sessions are meant to improve your endurance.
Long Runs
The sacred routine of all runners on the weekend. The long run ranges from 90 minutes to over 3 hours, and its purpose is to acclimate your body to prolonged exertion. The longer the race you are preparing for, the more important this session becomes in training your body to endure for a longer duration.
Speed & speaking
With only four weeks left until the big goal, the focus is on threshold training and then preparing for peak performance. The major work has been done, so it’s important to train wisely to avoid any injuries in the final weeks.
This is the crucial moment – on September 7th, you will set a new personal record at the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon!
Week 9
Session 1: Distance 45 min
Session 2: Threshold 3 – 4 x 2 k (race pace + 10 sec/km) with 1 k jogging recovery
Session 3: Hill repeats 10 x 60 sec with jogging recovery downhill
Session 4: Long run 120 min.
Week 10
Session 1: Distance 60 min
Session 2: Threshold 3 + 1 + 3 + 1 km (race pace + 10 sec/km) with 1 k jogging recovery
Session 3: 10 x 1000 m intervals (race pace + 10 sec/km) with 60 sec standing recovery
Session 4: Long run 120 min.
Week 11
Session 1: Distance 60 min + 10 strides
Session 2: Intervals 10 x 400 m with 30 sec rest. (race pace + 10 sec/km)
Session 3: Fartlek 5 km alternating 70 sec fast / 20 sec easy
Session 4: Long run 90 min
Week 12
Session 1: Threshold 10 x 500 m (race pace) with 90 seconds standing recovery
Session 2: Distance 30 min + 5 strides
Session 3: HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon