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Hello Team Vark Friends!
If you are new here welcome to the fun part – training season! If you are old here also welcome to the fun – part with a twist – extra training plans : ).
You have been sent three different training plans to use as much or as little as your Aardvark hearts desire. Any veteran runner will tell you that it’s both the token weekend long runs AND the weekly mileage that make you feel the strongest on race day, no matter the goal. But we all know the internet can be overwhelming and while I have not figured out how to make this into a fun TikTok for you – I have been around the block a few times (literally I got lost). With that being said, all of us on Team Vark want you to feel supported on Saturday, Wednesday and every time in between so these training plans should help you enter where you feel you are (or complete a combo of the plans because in reality all of us that are stepping on that start line on October 22 will be a strong combo of all of them). The Days of the Week are just suggested, but feel free to move each day to where it makes the most sense for you.
Ok enough rambling:
The What’s A Finish Shoot Plan:
This plan is designed for those first time half marathoners. Your primary goal is to get that finisher medal. Prior to Day 1 you should be able to complete a run/walk effort of 6 miles and should be able to run/walk 15 miles a week.
The Steel Stacks Soul Plan:
This is plan is designed for the runner who has completed 1-1000+ races and does the race as a finishing goal, but is not as worried about time goals. Now high fiving all of the kids on the course or taking that perfect Stacks Instagram shot - that’s their goal? We call this the soul runner because this is a huge portion of Varkers, they are out there enjoying all that running can and does give them. Prior to Day 1 you should be able to complete a run effort of 6 miles and should be able to run 15-25 miles a week.
The This is the Year Plan:
This plan is designed for the runner who has completed 1-1000+ races and has a specific time goal in mind. That sub two hours is yours with a little bit of targeted speed throughout the week. This was added this year by popular request. Prior to Day 1 you should be able to complete a run effort of 6 miles and should be able to run 20–30 miles a week.
The Dictionary:
Active – Pick an activity to complete for 30 minutes that keeps you moving – yoga, biking, walking the dog, etc.
Easy Run – This is an effort where you can hold a conversation. When you are done you should feel that if asked you could run 30 more minutes at that pace.
Shake Out – A pre-race ritual meant for your legs to stay loose, but not tax your body. This should be even easier than easy pace.
Strides – A short spurt of energy (about the distance of a block or no more than 30 seconds) at an effort that you feel that you could run an all out mile. The focus is on form and sprint mechanics. Think of it this way – if you complete all 14 weeks of 5x100m strides you will have covered almost 4.5 miles of fast effort. You can either complete these post run with about 90 seconds of standing recovery or integrate them into your run (still taking 90 second active recovery between each hard effort).
Recovery – Take this a day off from running. You can choose to make another active day or give your body the rest it needs. Rest is part of training too!
But how do I determine my paces?
Start by feel (see the dictionary above). If you have a recent race result feel free to use that as a time goal, but still remain effort based (based on weather, terrain, mood, etc.)
Disclaimer: These plans are only suggestions – please consult a doctor or physical therapist if injuries or illnesses crop up.
But I still have questions:
Ask any Aardvark Staff member or one of your Aardvark AAmbassador or reach out to me directly
(This is where we have to figure out how to add an appropriate contact)
easy - The What’s A Finish Shoot Plan |
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Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Week total |
1 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery | 13-16 miles |
2 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery | 13-16 miles |
3 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 7 miles easy | Recovery | 14-17 miles |
4 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 8 miles easy | Recovery | 15 - 18 miles |
5 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 8 miles easy | Recovery | 15-18 miles |
6 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 10 miles easy | Recovery | 17 - 20 miles |
7 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 9 miles easy | Recovery | 16 -19 miles |
8 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2-3 miles easy | 11 miles easy | Recovery | 18 - 21 miles |
9 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 3 miles easy | 10 miles easy* | Recovery | 18-20 miles |
10 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 4 miles easy | 12 miles easy | Recovery | 21 - 23 miles |
11 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 3 miles easy | 13 miles easy | Recovery | 21 - 23 miles |
12 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 3 -4 miles easy | 14 miles easy | Recovery | 22 - 25 miles |
13 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 4 miles easy | 10 miles easy | Recovery | 19 - 21 miles |
14 | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery | 14- 16 miles |
Race week | 2-3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | Recovery | 2 miles easy | 2-3 mile Shake Out | Race Day | |
* Or 10k race over Labor Day Weekend |
medium - The Steel Stacks Soul Plan |
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Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
Week total |
|
1 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 3-4 miles easy | 3-4 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery |
15-21 miles |
|
2 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 3-4 miles easy | 3-4 miles easy | 30 min active | 3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery |
18-19 miles |
|
3 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 4-5 miles easy | 4-5 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 7 miles easy | Recovery |
21-25 miles |
|
4 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 4-5 miles easy | 4-5 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 8 miles easy | Recovery |
22-26 miles |
|
5 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 4-5 miles easy | 4-5 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 8 miles easy | Recovery |
23-26 miles |
|
6 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 4-5 miles easy | 4 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 10 miles easy | Recovery |
25-27 miles |
|
7 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 5-6 miles easy | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 9 miles easy | Recovery |
25-29miles |
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8 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 5-6 miles easy | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4-5 miles easy | 11 miles easy | Recovery |
27-32 miles |
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9 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 5-6 miles easy | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 10 miles easy* | Recovery |
26-31 miles |
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10 | 4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 5-6 miles easy | 5-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 12 miles easy | Recovery |
30-33miles |
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11 | 4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 6-7 miles easy | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 13 miles easy | Recovery |
31-34miles |
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12 | 4-5 miles easy + 5xstrides | 5-7 miles easy | 5-7 miles easy | 30 min active | 3 miles easy | 14 miles easy | Recovery |
31-35miles |
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13 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | 4-5 miles easy | 5-7 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 10 miles easy | Recovery |
25-30miles |
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14 | 3-4 easy + 5xstrides | 3-4 miles easy | 3-4 miles easy | 30 min active | 2-3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery |
17-21miles |
|
Race week | 3 miles easy + 5xstrides | 3-4 miles easy | 3 miles easy | 30 min active | 2-3 miles easy | 2-3 mile Shake Out | Race Day | ||
* Or 10k race over Labor Day Weekend |
hard - The This is the Year Plan |
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Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Column1 | |
1 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout A1 | 3-4 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery | ||
2 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout B1 | 3-4 miles easy | 30 min active | 3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery | ||
3 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout C1 | 4-5 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 7 miles easy | Recovery | ||
4 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout D1 | 4-5 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 8 miles easy | Recovery | ||
5 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout E1 | 4-5 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 8 miles easy | Recovery | ||
6 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout A2 | 4 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 10 miles easy | Recovery | ||
7 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout B2 | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 9 miles easy | Recovery | ||
8 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout C2 | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4-5 miles easy | 11 miles easy | Recovery | ||
9 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout F | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 10 miles easy* | Recovery | ||
10 | 4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout G | 5-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 12 miles easy | Recovery | ||
11 | 4 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout A3 | 4-6 miles easy | 30 min active | 4 miles easy | 13 miles easy | Recovery | ||
12 | 4-5 miles easy + 5xstrides | WorkoutB3 | 5-7 miles easy | 30 min active | 3 miles easy | 14 miles easy | Recovery | ||
13 | 3-4 miles easy + 5xstrides | WorkoutC3 | 5-7 miles easy | 30 min active | 3-4 miles easy | 10 miles easy | Recovery | ||
14 | 3-4 easy + 5xstrides | Workout I | 3-4 miles easy | 30 min active | 2-3 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Recovery | ||
Race week | 3 miles easy + 5xstrides | Workout J | 3 miles easy | 30 min active | 2-3 miles easy | 2-3 mile Shake Out | Race Day | ||
* Or 10k race over Labor Day Weekend |
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On Your 30 min active day you may choose to add in a 3-4 mile run |
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