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Train against HBGM

Feel the passion, every step, every meter towards HBGM

Whether you’re about to run your very first marathon or half marathon or if you’ve run it several times before, it can be nice to have some tips and tricks on how to approach both the training leading up to the race and the race itself. Our goal is for you to have the best possible experience when you run your race. That means coming well-prepared, whether you’re aiming for a specific time or simply want to enjoy the race. Here, you’ll get help with training for a marathon and half marathon. Your journey starts here.

Running – neither dangerous or difficult

We love movement, especially in the form of running, and that’s why we want to share some carefully chosen words on how you should approach your training.

The most important thing is that you do something, and we hope to inspire you to dedicate some time to your running towards the ultimate goal – Helsingborg Marathon or HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon. Whether you’re running a marathon or a half marathon, it requires you to invest a few hours per week to make the end experience the one you dream of. Remember, 1 km is better than 0 km.

Running is neither dangerous nor difficult, and together, we will make sure you feel that way too.

Training program for Helsingborg Marathon

There are three different training programs to choose from – ranging from beginners who have never run a marathon before or may have completed one previously, to recreational runners who train regularly at least three times a week and have previously run both half marathons and marathons, to advanced runners who are dedicated athletes with a specific time goal for the Helsingborg Marathon. Choose the one that suits you best!

Psss. Keep in mind that the programs are general, and you may need to adjust them according to your fitness level, training history, and lifestyle.

Training program for HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon

You have three different training programs to choose from – ranging from beginners who have never run a half marathon before or may have completed one previously, to recreational runners who train regularly and have previously run a half marathon, to advanced runners who are dedicated athletes with a specific time goal for the HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon. Choose the one that suits you best!

Psss. Keep in mind that the programs are general, and you may need to adjust them according to your fitness level, training history, and the demands of your life.

Dictionary – what’s intervals?

Distance
The distance run is the running session where you simply go out and enjoy while clearing your thoughts. Here, you should be able to run and have a conversation with your friend throughout the entire run. The purpose of this session is to acclimate your body’s muscles, joints, and ligaments to running.

Quality
Quality sessions refer to training sessions that aim to enhance your running. It can involve higher speeds, hills, or stairs. All quality sessions should begin with at least 10-15 minutes of warm-up.

Hills
Hills training is one of the most underestimated workouts in running, as it builds strength, speed, and recovery capacity. The hills you run on can be long, short, steep, or gradual. You choose the hill based on what you want to achieve from the session – endurance building, speed, or even strength and running technique.

Intervals
Intervals involve varying your running pace by first running a distance and then having a rest period, either standing, walking, or jogging. These sessions can be endlessly varied with different speeds, interval distances, and the length and intensity of the rest. If you want to train endurance, you run longer intervals with shorter rest. If, on the other hand, you want to improve your speed, you focus on shorter intervals” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>shorter intervals with longer rests, preferably standing.

Stairs
Stair workout is a very good and versatile workout. Here, you run up and down stairs, taking each step, skipping steps, hopping on one leg, hopping with both legs, and much more. It is a great workout for conditioning, running technique, and strength.

Long run
The marathon runner’s sacred routine on the weekend. This session ranges from 60 minutes up to over 3 hours, aiming to acclimate the body to prolonged exertion. The longer the race you’re preparing for, the more important this session becomes, as it helps your body adapt to longer durations of activity. Gradually increase the length of the long run during your training period leading up to your race.

Tips from the coach

Mikael Andersson are one of our coaches in Runners Club and here are some tips for you who train for marathon and half marathon.

  1. Find a goal why you should run. I run because it’s feel good, both physically and mentally. It’s my medicine for my soul and for my body.
  2. Start easy. If you are a beginner, it’s important that you not run to much and to hard in the beginning. You should increase your running slowly. Otherwise, there is a risk of injuries or that you will get tired of running.
  3. Vary your workouts. If you want to develop, it’s important to vary the pace and distance of your workouts. There should be a difference in tempo when you running intervals and distance.
  4. Set a goal. Register for Helsingborg Marathon or HOKA Helsingborg Half Marathon. Then it is much easier to keep the motivation going during the year.
  5. Run with others. It’s so much more fun to run with friends. The time goes faster and you can inspire each other.
  6. Rest and recovery. Don’t forget to rest between the workouts. It’s the recovery that will build you. Keep in mind that work and stressful family life are at least as demanding as running.

Some favorite workouts – go outside your comfort zone

Hills & stairs

Long hill (2 – 3 minutes)
Find a long hill and run in a steady high pace and when you reach the top you run/walk calmly down again. At the bottom of the hill, turn around and run straight up again.

Short hill (up to 60 seconds)
Find a short and steeper hill and sprint up at high speed. Remember to have a good posture and when you reach the top you jog calmly down again. At the bottom of the hill, turn around and run up again.

Stairs
We love stairs. Maybe because we live in a city where there are a lot and good stairs. Here you can practice on your speed by running as fast as you can up the stairs. You can also focus on your running technique by running on each step. If you want to exercise some extra strength, you can vary with jump on both feet or one fet up.

Intervals

1000 m
Is there anything more classic workout for long runners than 1000 meter intervals? If you train on your speed you run a little less with longer rest, and if you train against marathon you run 10 – 15 intervals with shorter rest.
Minute intervals
This is a workout that only the imagination sets the limit. You can vary in infinity but our favorite is: 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 minutes with 1 minute rest between each interval. You can either rest standing or jogging. If you rest standing you can run a little faster then you get a workout that will focuses more on speed. If, on the other hand jogging during the rest the workout will get a little more focus on endurance.
70/20, 60/60 och 180/60 secounds
A favorite workout where you should focus on feeling before a certain pace. Choose a distance of 3- 7 km depending on your ambition and run 70 seconds fast followed by 20 seconds slowly then 70 seconds fast again followed by 20 seconds slow. You do this all round. You can then vary this and drive for example 60/60 where you get a longer rest or 180/60. It all depends on your status and your ambition.
Fartlek
Fartlek is a favorite workout for many elite runners around the world. Very similar to the workout above but you don’t have any predetermined intervals. Either you run on feeling or you run with friends and you choose the speed and distance every other time.

Threshold

5 x 2 k
A workout that you can vary in infinity. You should run at your racing pace of marathon / half marathon to get used to the speed. Run 1 k calm between each threshold. Vary the workout by adding more “2 k’s” or running the “thresholds” longer. For example, 5 x 5 km in marathon pace with 1 k jog rest is a perfect workout three to four weeks before the intended competition.

Long runs

Long run
The long run is the key to marathons and half marathons.

Long runs with thresholds
We think you should try to get used to your racepace and therefore it’s perfect to add thresholds in your long runs. If you have a serious goal on your marathon race, we think you should try 5 x 5 k in your race pace with 1 k jog between a few weeks before the race.