My 3 week ½ marathon training plan

Some of you may be thinking, three weeks you are nuts! Well you may be right, but I think I can do this. I signed up for the Disney Princes ½ marathon back in 2009 with a group of other Running Moms. I decided that I would go all out in my training starting January 1st 2010, and all out I did. Not only did I start my ½ training I started P90X again. I think the combination of the two was the cause of my ever present shin splints. So now I am 3 weeks till my first ever half marathon (the last one I hurt my knee a few weeks prior and could not run, see the trend) and have not had a long run in three weeks and did not run at all last week, because I have been trying to get my shins to heal. Life throws things at you and you gotta roll with it or give up and I am not the type to give up so with three weeks to go I will get ready for this half marathon.

So my friend Bethany helped me come up with this plan while we were at Rocky last weekend. And so far so good, I find that my shins get worse if I run consecutive days so I am only able to run 3 days a week. Here is the my new 3 week half marathon training plan.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – P90X weight training and ab ripper hell (okay it is called ab ripper X but if you have ever done it you know it is HELL)

Tuesdays and Thursdays run 3-4 easy miles (speed work, and hill repeats also aggravate the shins so that is out)

Saturdays – Long run start with 8miles, then 10miles, then 8miles the weekend before the half.

So far this week I have done the plan and even though I can feel my shins in the first mile of each run, I have felt strong and like I could keep going. I am now using my compression shocks after each run and doing a ¼ mile warm up then stretches before each run. This whole plan depends greatly on my long runs, if I am unable to do the 8miles tomorrow things will need to change.

My back up plan known as Plan B (I learned at Rocky that you always need a Plan B) is to do a run 4 walk 1 for the half if I have problems with the long runs or if my shins really flare up before the race.

Now here is my caveat. Please do not try this at home, to properly train for a half marathon you should give yourself WAY more than three weeks. I will not take any responsibility if you try and do the stupid things I do with my poor body that I beat to hell every chance I get.