Half Marathon Training opens on the floor, not the road. Day 1 is a plank circuit: 14 climbers, 14 shoulder taps and 14 plank rotations, done back to back as one round, then 2 minutes of rest before the next round. One round plus its rest is one set. Pick your level by the number of sets you run: Level I is 3 sets, Level II is 4 and Level III is 5. The levels are there so you can meet the program where it makes sense for you today and move up as the weeks go by.
The point of starting a running program in a plank is simple: the trunk is what holds your running form together when your legs get tired. Climbers bring each knee toward the chest in turn while the hands stay planted, teaching the hips to drive without the shoulders collapsing. Shoulder taps take one hand off the floor at a time and ask the rest of you not to sway, which is exactly what a steady torso does mid-stride. Plank rotations open the body to the side, one arm reaching for the ceiling, so the muscles along your flanks learn to stabilise rather than wobble. All reps are totals: 14 climbers is 7 per leg, 14 taps is 7 per hand, 14 rotations is 7 per side.
Keep the hips level in the climbers and let the knees do the travelling. In shoulder taps, widen the feet if you need to and touch the opposite shoulder without letting the hips twist. For the rotations, stack the feet or stagger them, press the supporting hand into the floor and turn the chest all the way to the side before coming back down to a full plank. Rest the full 2 minutes - it is part of the program, not a suggestion.
The legs will run this half marathon, but the body that carries them starts training today.
Make it Harder: Hold the top of every plank rotation for a 2-count before returning to the plank.
Make it Easier: Slow the climbers to a walking pace, do the shoulder taps on your knees and keep the rotations as drawn.
