Training with your Cycle: Half Marathon plan

Welcome to your half marathon plan and thank you for trusting this plan to help you reach your goals!

This plan is designed for the half marathon distance. However, it does assume that you are already able to jog or run for 45mins. If that is not you then I suggest starting with one of my Return to Running Plans or Base Building Plans.

What makes this plan different from others is that is is designed to take your menstrual cycle into account. It allows you to pick the training that works best for you, given the stage in your cycle you are at. So it is important that you track your cycle! Otherwise you'll just be guessing.

Remember - Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of your proper bleed. Also if you are on hormonal contraceptive then you will not get the same hormonal responses as hormonal OCPs are designed to make your body think it is pregnant.

Why working with your cycle matters?
Even though you can't control when your event will fall. You can control how you train for it. Training to get the best out of you means taking into account how you feel and how your body responds at different stages. This is not a weakness!

By doing so you'll push hard when you are best able to respond to the stress of training, and recover more when you need to. Recovery and adapting to the training stress is how you'll get stronger and fitter and reach your goals.

During your follicular phase, your hormones are low. You may handle faster and more intense sessions better. As you move into the luteal phase your hormones rise. This is when you may need more recovery time so the intensity of your sessions will drop. The week before your period is also the perfect time for your "rest" week.

But you are the best judge of what is happening to your body. So listen to it and adapt the programme as you need to.

Remember- you are welcome to book in a coaching call with me to talk though your programme in more detail and discuss you individual needs and goals.