8 Week Beginner Downhill Half Training Plan

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Training Plan Instructions

Thanks for choosing a Runtastic Events training plan! The plan below has been tailored to your race and base weekly mileage. Every runner however is very different, and we know that you may need to make individualized changes to the plan. Here are some simple guidelines if you need to make changes to match your training.

Beginning mileage: each plan has been made to have a ramp-up period in the first couple weeks, where the mileage starts low and slowly builds up to your ideal weekly mileage. If you are already running your goal weekly mileage there is no reason to drop to the lower mileage in the first couple weeks of the plan. Instead, replace the easy runs with your normal longer runs. Maybe run week 3 and 4 instead of week 1 and 2, then repeat 3 and 4 before going on to week 5.
Workouts: The workouts are all basic workouts that everyone should be able to figure out with the instructions below, If you need to change them for more advanced workouts that is fine, but try to keep them a similar intensity as the planned workout, as the intensity of the workouts is balanced with the mileage.

Workout Types

Fartlek or Interval

A fartlek run is a run where you alternate running fast and slow for a predetermined number of minutes. I like to warm up for 15-20min and then run the fartlek before cooling down. If a fartlek is written 8,7,7,6,6,4,4,2,2,1,1 you start with 8min fast, then 7min recovery, 7min fast, then 6min recovery, and so one. I usually try to run the fast intervals a little above race pace.

Hill Repeats

Find a good hill. I like a hill that is about half a mile long, steep enough to be tough, but not too steep that I can’t run hard up it.
Depending on how hard the workout for that day is you can adjust how far up the hill you need to run and how fast.
Example: 4x800m hills at 70% effort, 2x400m hills at 80% effort, 2x200m hills at 90% effort.

Tempo Run

Run a certain distance at a predetermined pace. Usually a couple miles and effort is either determined by percent or pace.
Examples: 5 mile run at half marathon race pace; or 3 mile run at 10k pace.

Track Workout

1 lap around a normal track is 400m or about a quarter mile. If you don’t have access to a track at a local school or recreation center than find a flat road that is at least 400m to do your repeats on.