I have talked about the benefits of interval training instead of distance running before. Better for burning fat, better for building muscle, and less impact than distance. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" you say, "but I still need to prepare for my half marathon." Interval training still works! The point of doing interval style workouts is to keep your heart-rate up the entire time and your lungs rarely get a chance to fully recover. Trust me, you can be more than prepared for a half marathon by never running more than a half mile in one stretch.
Perhaps you enjoy distance running, not only for the health benefits, but just because you like being outside and seeing different things on your run. You can still do an interval style workout while out on your "distance" run.
Here's some workouts I would recommend when doing your distance run. Do these for as long and far as you like.
1. Walk for 1min, jog for 1min, fast run for 1min (about 75% max speed)....repeat.
2. Walk for 30sec, jog for 30sec, fast run for 30sec (about 75% max speed)....repeat.
3. Walk for 30sec, jog for 1min, fast run for 30sec (about 75% max speed)....repeat.
4. Walk for 1min, sprint for 1min....repeat.
More circuit style distance runs:
1. Jog for 1min, sprint for 30sec, stop and do 10 scissor lunges and 10 push-ups....repeat.
2. Walk for 30sec, sprint for 1min, walk for 30sec, 15 body-weight squats, 10 push-ups....repeat.
As you can see, they are all similar. The point is to allow your muscles enough time to oxygenate and recover without letting your heart-rate return to normal.
Make up your own and start having fun with "distance."
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