This is a 12 week half marathon training program, with 4 running workouts per week (a fifth workout day (Sunday) is dedicated to cross-training).
Higdon's Novice 2 program is intended to be a bridge between his Novice 1 and Intermediate training schedules. The Novice 1 program is designed for people who have never run a race before, while the Intermediate program is designed for people who have run a half marathon before and want to improve their performance. Hence, Novice 2 is for the people in between - i.e., those who have run a 5-K or 10-K race, but haven't done a race at half marathon distance yet.
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Off | 3 mile run | 3 mile run | 3 mile run | Off | 4 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 2 | Off | 3 mile run | 3 mile pace | 3 mile run | Off | 5 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 3 | Off | 3 mile run | 4 mile run | 3 mile run | Off | 6 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 4 | Off | 3 mile run | 4 mile pace | 3 mile run | Off | 7 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 5 | Off | 3 mile run | 4 mile run | 3 mile run | Off | 8 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 6 | Off | 3 mile run | 4 mile pace | 3 mile run | Off | 5-K Race | 60 min cross |
| 7 | Off | 3 mile run | 5 mile run | 3 mile run | Off | 9 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 8 | Off | 3 mile run | 5 mile pace | 3 mile run | Off | 10 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 9 | Off | 3 mile run | 5 mile run | 3 mile run | Off | 10-K Race | 60 min cross |
| 10 | Off | 3 mile run | 5 mile pace | 3 mile run | Off | 11 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 11 | Off | 3 mile run | 5 mile run | 3 mile run | Off | 12 mile run | 60 min cross |
| 12 | Off | 3 mile run | 2 mile pace | 2 mile run | Off | Off | Half marathon |
Run: When the workout includes the word "run," such as "3 mile run," you should run that distance at a comfortable pace for you. A comfortable pace means one in which you could hold a conversation without having any difficulty breathing.
Pace: When the workout includes the word "pace," such as "3 mile pace," that means you should run the workout at whatever your desired race pace is. For example, if you plan to run your half marathon at an 8 min/mile pace, and you have to do a "3 mile pace" workout, then you should run 3 miles at an 8 min/mile pace.
Cross: The word "cross" is short for "cross-training." Cross-training includes strength training, cycling, swimming, etc. Hence, a "40 min cross" workout would involve doing 40 minutes of one of these activities (but no running).
Race: The calendar mentions a 5-K Race and a 10-K Race in weeks 6 and 9, respectively. Higdon suggests running in a race of that distance on those 2 days. However, it's a headache to schedule that many races, so this is purely optional. What you should do for those workouts if you aren't planning to run in a race is run that distance at whatever race pace you would select for that distance. For example, if you would run a 5-K race at 8 min/km, then run a 5-K route at 8 min/km.
Read Hal's half marathon training book or consult his website if you have further questions on his Novice 2 program.
