Just signed up for my first half (again)! Plan recs?

[elletr13]

Some of you know I was supposed to run my first half in the St. Jude Memphis 1/2 Marathon 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately the race weekend was cancelled due to an ice storm in Memphis. I was bummed

I spent the last week trying to decide what I wanted to do. I was a weirdly obsessed with St.Jude being my first race because it is so big and exciting and fun, but I didn't think I could wait until December 2014 to run 13.1. I need some sort of motivation to get me out the door in the morning. There are some other races coming up in the next few weeks, but they would require at least 3-4 hours of travel + travel costs.

I just signed up for the Germantown Half Marathon. It is on 3/16 and the starting line is 5 minutes from our apartment. It isn't a huge race, so there won't be as much pomp & circumstance as the St.Jude race, but it gives me a goal to work towards. I imagine this will be a big mental challenge in addition to physical...there will be less crowd support and more rolling hills (http://www.racesonline.com/uploads/germantown_coursemap.pdf). 

Does anyone have a plan recommendation? I used a Smart Coach plan from Runners World for St. Jude in combination with the St. Jude Heroes plan. The local Fleet Feet has a training program for this race, but it is $140! The only Pro I see to this program is group runs. I was thinking of using a Hal Higdon plan. Would a Novice plan still be my best bet? I didn't run at all last week....I did 2 miles Monday and 2 miles today. My plan is to just get out the door 3 times a week to get through the holidays and then start an official plan in January. 

[sadlebred]

Why not reuse the same plan?

[elletr13]

Dec 18, 2013 15:56:08 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Why not reuse the same plan?

I was kind of "meh" on the Smart Coach plan. It was the first plan I'd ever tried--just looking for other options (although I may generate a new Smart Coach, since my speed has improved since last Summer).

[libbygrl109]

I used the HH Novice 2 for my first half, and felt like it prepared me pretty well. I felt more comfortable going into my half knowing that I only had to go a mile farther than my longest run.

[noisemaker2]

I'm also a fan of the HH plans, especially for a new distance. You can find all of his plans online and see what appeals to you most.

[texassmith]

Another vote for HH for your first. I did Novice 2 for my first half and am currently doing Novice 2 for my first full.

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[runaways]

Hal Higdon! If you feel like the prescribed mileage isn't enough you can tack on some warmups and cool downs. His plans are very flexible.

[gt7301b]

I think Hal Higdon's plans work well for a first half. I prefer Pfizinger's plans for more advanced training.

[shauni27]

Dec 18, 2013 20:30:39 GMT -5 noisemaker2 said:

I'm also a fan of the HH plans, especially for a new distance. You can find all of his plans online and see what appeals to you most.

This is what I did, but I tailored it a bit for my first half.  I would go with HH, I have never heard any complaints about a first (half) timer using his novice plans.