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

The floor is the contract. 3 runs/week minimum (Wed, Fri, Sun). Anything above is bonus, never required.
Never miss twice. One miss = life. No backfill, no shame — show up the next day.
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.

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 4 (10 km)

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.

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