---
date: 2026-08-30
type: plan
tags: [plan, half-marathon, training, fall-2026]
---

# Half Marathon Plan — Fall 2026

**Goal: 21.1 km by Sunday, November 29, 2026.** Walking allowed, finishing is the goal — first half is about the distance, not the time.

Starting point: 6.56 km comeback run (Aug 29, post-illness, still fighting the cold). VO₂Max 46. 13 weeks, 3 runs/week.

## The three rules

1. **The floor is the contract.** 3 runs/week minimum (Wed, Fri, Sun). Anything above is bonus, never required.
2. **Never miss twice.** One miss = life. No backfill, no shame — show up the next day.
3. **The first km is always slow** (7'30"+). It seeds the whole run.

## Schedule — Wed / Fri / Sun

| Wk | Dates | Wed | Fri | Sun (long run) |
|----|-------|-----|-----|----------------|
| 1 | Aug 31 – Sep 6 | 3 km (Sep 2) | 3 km (Sep 4) | **6 km** (Sep 6) |
| 2 | Sep 7 – 13 | 3.5 km | 4 km | 7 km |
| 3 | Sep 14 – 20 | 4 km | 4 km | 8 km |
| 4 | Sep 21 – 27 | 4 km | 5 km | 9 km |
| 5 | Sep 28 – Oct 4 | 4 km | 5 km | **10 km** (Oct 4) ⚠️ checkpoint |
| 6 | Oct 5 – 11 | 5 km | 5 km | 11 km |
| 7 | Oct 12 – 18 | 5 km | 6 km | 12 km |
| 8 | Oct 19 – 25 | 5 km | 6 km | 13 km |
| 9 | Oct 26 – Nov 1 | 5 km | 6 km | 14 km |
| 10 | Nov 2 – 8 | 5 km | 6 km | 16 km |
| 11 | Nov 9 – 15 | 5 km | 6 km | 18 km |
| 12 | Nov 16 – 22 | 4 km | 4 km | 12 km (taper) |
| 13 | Nov 23 – 29 | 3 km | 3 km | **21.1 km** (Nov 29) 🏁 |

> **Sep 13 update — week 2 repeats.** The 7 km long run was stopped at ~2 km (left lateral ankle, peroneal flare after a Friday concert in flat shoes). Both ankles fail the 10 cm dorsiflexion screen — **left 4 cm, right 6 cm** — so ankle mobility is now on the critical path to Nov 29, not a side quest: see [[Health/mobility]]. The dated rows below shift by one week if the ankle clears by Sep 16.
>
> **Sep 14–20 (planned down week):** Mon unavailable (ankle), Wed Sep 16 = the only run day. Fri late afternoon → Sun late afternoon is a **company hike**, so Friday and Sunday are out. The hike replaces the week's long run as *time on feet* — but uneven terrain is the single biggest ankle risk of the block: boots with real lateral support, slow descents, poles if available, and no Friday-morning run going into it. Do not cram the missed runs into the remaining days. The long-run number holds at 7 km for the next one (Sep 21 at the earliest) — progression is the metric, not the calendar week. Re-check the schedule at the Oct 4 checkpoint.
>
> **Sep 13 evening — revised decision dates** (after the 7 km was stopped at 2.57 km: 8'06" pace, 133 bpm, 0 anaerobic min — tissue stopped it, not the engine):
>
> - **Wed Sep 16 — micro-gate, not a recalibration.** 5 min walk limp-free **and** 10 single-leg heel raises pain-free → 3 km easy. Fail either → walk + mobility only, no run.
> - **Sun Sep 27 — the 7 km *redo*** (the number that was stopped, not the next number up). This is the tissue's real verdict, one week clear of the hike.
> - **Sun Oct 18 — formal checkpoint, two weeks later than the printed Oct 4**, because one long-run week was lost: 7 km (Sep 27) → 8 km (Oct 4) → 9 km (Oct 11) → **10 km (Oct 18)**. Feels controlled + ankle silent + shoe landed → climb to 16–18 km by Nov 15 and keep Nov 29. Feels like a fight → hold long runs at 12 km and make Nov 1 a 10K.
> - **Anything that flares before Oct 18 recalibrates immediately** — the date is a backstop, not a gate.

## Pacing

- All runs easy — conversational, HR 135–150. On long runs, walking is allowed whenever. Time on feet beats pace.
- **Friday stays short and boring** — it's 48h before the long run. No heroics, ever.
- 16 km+ long runs: carry water. 18 km: eat something at halfway.
- If 16 or 18 feels wrong, repeat the week. The plan bends; the floor doesn't.
- Tue/Thu are office days, Mon is off — the long run gets a full 3-day recovery window before the next run.

## This week (Aug 31 – Sep 6)

- [ ] Buy distance shoes — **stability** category (flat feet): Asics GT-2000/Kayano, Saucony Guide, Brooks Adrenaline, Mizuno Wave Inspire. Try in a shop. Jogflow 190.1 maxes out ~4 km; the half is impossible in them.
- [ ] Nov 29 in the calendar: "21.1 km — walk if needed, just finish."
- [ ] First run: Wed Sep 2, 3 km easy. Mon/Tue fully off.

## Checkpoint — Sun Oct 18 (10 km)

*(moved +2 weeks from Oct 4 — one long-run week was lost to the Sep 13 flare)*

- Feels controlled (HR settled, not a death march) → keep climbing to Nov 29.
- Feels like a fight → hold at 10–12 km long runs, make Nov 1 a 10K day, half moves to spring. Decide with data, not feelings.

## Context

- Smoking: **quit active since Sep 6** (user's deadline — gave the pack away, clean since). Cravings peak ~Sep 9–13 = run days; runs are the craving tool. Will show up as lower HR on long runs.
- Drinking nights: cutting back. Sunday long run → **Saturday night is the sacred one** — a late Saturday kills the Sunday run.
- Race: undecided — solo time trial Nov 29 if no race found; decision later.
- Baseline: Aug 29 = 6.56 km @ 7'08", 157 bpm avg, 29 min anaerobic — post-illness signature, HR settles ~20 bpm within a week of normal running.

## Support floors

- **Mobility, 10 min daily** (after morning coffee) — ankle dorsiflexion is the #1 item; full protocol + baseline test in [[Health/mobility]].
- **Shoes** — stability category for flat feet; Jogflow 190.1 maxes out ~4 km.
- **Smoking** — quit active since Sep 6.
- **Eating floor** — Sunday cooked batch, 2–3 L water, D3 2000–4000 IU.
- **No strength training during the block** — strength is a 2027 layer.

## Connected

- [[Runs/2026-08-29]]
- [[Health/mobility]]
- [[life-systems-blueprint]]