In fact, it is quite possible to prepare for a half marathon by running only 3 times a week. In one demonstrative study, amateur athletes followed a marathon training program developed by researchers Bill Pierce and Scott Murr at the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training for 16 weeks. The program included training 3 times a week. And after 16 weeks, they were able to improve their marathon time by an average of 20 minutes. Does this approach extend to the half marathon? "Yes of course", .

WHY EXACTLY 3 TIMES A WEEK? Of course, the most successful half-marathon runners run a lot (160-220 km a week! ), but in a not very large amount of running there may be certain advantages for amateurs. First of all, they consist in the fact that running will not fill your whole life, and you will have enough time for sleep and rest. "You'll have less overall fatigue, which will increase your anabolic hormones (which promote muscle growth and burn fat) and lower your cortisol (which has the opposite effect)," explains Alex Harrison, Ph. D., certified running and strength training coach (USA). If you do not have time restrictions for training, another significant advantage of running fewer days a week is a lower risk of injuries. "You won't build up too much fatigue in your muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascial tissue, and thus reduce the likelihood of fatigue injuries," says Harrison. However, it is worth noting: you need to find your formula for effective training. "Running is universal, but every body is unique," says Roberto Mandje, former long-distance runner, participant of the Olympic Games, now a running coach. "Don't be afraid to deviate from the standard plan and don't compare your training to that of other runners - a plan based on running 3 times a week may work for you and absolutely not work for someone else. There is no magic around the number 3."

WHAT YOUR TRAINING SHOULD BE
Whenever you're training for a distance or a race, your training should be about more than just racking up the miles. But if you only run 3 times a week, it's especially important for you to properly plan HOW you run. In order to build the most effective training plan, you first need to determine your target half marathon pace. You can use a pace calculator that allows you to calculate your half marathon pace based on the time you run other distances (such as 5km or 10km). Next, your running plan should consist of the following three training sessions per week: easy running, threshold running and long running. "It is preferable to have a rest day between training sessions," explains Mandje. "Each of these workouts develops several different qualities of running. And since the real growth in your fitness happens during recovery after training, the intervals between them will be very useful." 1. Easy running. These should be easy recovery runs at the beginning of the week. "You need to run at a very comfortable pace -- a pace where you can comfortably hold a conversation, with an effort level of 4-6 on a 10-point scale," explains Mandje. The point of these runs is to shake out the legs and continue to build muscle strength (every step contributes!) without overtaxing the body. 2. Threshold run. These workouts will teach you to keep running and maintain speed when you've already stepped out of your comfort zone. When your muscles start to produce lactic acid during intense exercise, you feel a "burn" and start to slow down. However, if you train the ability to maintain speed despite muscle fatigue and burning, your body will eventually begin to tire less at the same high pace. There are 2 types of training that can be done for this: speed work or tempo running. Speed training – as the name implies – are relatively short segments run at high speed; they increase the efficiency of your running. After the warm-up, accelerate for 400 or 800 or 1600 meters. For example, the training may look like this: - 20 minutes of warm-up - running at a calm pace - 8 accelerations for 400 meters with an interval of 2 minutes. rest (slow jogging) between them - 10 minutes of slow running as a delay.