RAPT Movement

Part 3 of 3: Ahh the long run. The slow one. Really really slow. If you’re after a 2 hour half, aim form 6:30 to 7:00 a km, chatting the whole way (also useful to con your best mate into running it too so you can go together and have a lovely catch up). It’ll feels wrong weird a speed session and it's meant to.

And once you’ve built your long runs up, here’s the twist. Finish the long runs with a bit of pace work - at least a minute faster than your long run pace, for 3km, then 5km, then 8km to teach your legs how to work even when you’re totally exhausted.

Save the whole series for your 2027 block, and follow along: next week is more on getting faster, starting with strength. I'm also taking on new half marathon clients for spring. Comment SPOTS and I'll send you the details.

If you want a 2-hour half in 2027, this is the session that builds your speed. And the best bit is that it's short enough to fit in a lunch hour.

So what's it actually doing? It helps to build the pace you can comfortably hold before your legs start whinging like your five year old on a hill. And by building up your ability to run a faster pace, your slower long run pace is going to feel easier (so much easier that you might try - and succeed - in running it quicker). And then suddenly a half marathon pace that is going to hit your goal time feels less like a pipe dream…

So if 2 hours is your goal, start here: 3 x 5 minutes at around 5:30 a kilometre with 2 minutes easy between, and build to 20 minutes in one go over the block. Comfortably hard, not flat out. You should be able to get a sentence out.

And if 5:30 feels like a fantasy right now, don't stress it.Start at a pace that feels comfortably hard to YOU, track it and then start shifting it faster when it starts to feel easier (or ping me and we can have a chat)..

Follow along for Part 3, the long run, on Friday. And if you want a coach to set your paces for a spring half, I'm taking on new clients. Comment SPOTS and I'll send you the details.

When you’re getting back to running, I promise you that you don't need five runs a week to get faster. You JUST need two good ones: one quick, one long. Everything else is a win.
This is part 1 of 3. Follow along for more on the quick run on Wednesday and the long run on Friday. And if you want a half marathon plan built around your life, I'm taking on new clients for spring. Comment SPOTS and I'll send you the details.
How many runs are you fitting in each week right now?

If you're in half marathon training, you know this one. You've got a race time in your head, you check your running pace every 30 seconds, and a few seconds either way can make or break your week. Me included, and I'm a run coach.

Here's what I've learned about how to run faster without letting the numbers run you. Set the time and chase it properly. A clear goal gets more out of you than "just do your best". But judge the day too: the sleep you had, the week you had, and whether you gave what you had in you.

That's a good run. Even at 6:14.

Send this to the mum runner who checks her watch every 30 seconds, and save it for race week.

Follow along for more tips on getting faster as a mum runner, without making it your whole life.