If you’re training for a half marathon, it’s time to ditch those 45 minutes or so you spend on the treadmill every day, slogging through a long, steady run. The same sort of run won’t help you burn calories or run faster, says Jeff Gaudette, owner and head coach of RunnersConnect in Boston. So in order to make that happen, try a super simple swap:
Do This: Slowly increase your mileage over three or four weekly runs (of around three to five miles each) and one longer run, which can start around five or six miles and increase by a mile per week. Keep most of the midweek runs at an easy pace, but make one of them an effort close to your goal pace. To ensure you’re on track to make your time come race day, Gaudette advises a race-pace practice run three weeks out: Warm up at an easy level for one mile, then do four or six one-mile repeats at goal pace, with one minute of rest after each. If you can dial into that speed consistently, you should be good to go. (Kick-start your new, healthy routine with Women’s Health’s 12-Week Total-Body Transformation!)