MandaRUN 2026 Half Marathon Training Plan
I signed up to run another half marathon! It’s the MandaRUN on November 22. It’s my second time going after a HM (the first). I’ve got about 10 weeks to train before race day. I used AI to help me come up with a training plan and this is what it looks like:
| Week | Mon (Easy) | Wed (Tempo) | Fri (Easy) | Sun (Long) | Weekly Total | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 mi | 3 mi | 3 mi | 4 mi | 12 mi | Sep 14 - Sep 20 |
| 2 | 2 mi | 3 mi | 3 mi | 5 mi | 13 mi | Sep 21 - Sep 27 |
| 3 | 3 mi | 4 mi | 3 mi | 6 mi | 16 mi | Sep 28 - Oct 04 |
| 4 | 2 mi | 3 mi | 3 mi | 5 mi | 13 mi | Oct 05 - Oct 11 |
| 5 | 3 mi | 4 mi | 4 mi | 7 mi | 18 mi | Oct 12 - Oct 18 |
| 6 | 3 mi | 4 mi | 4 mi | 8 mi | 19 mi | Oct 19 - Oct 25 |
| 7 | 3 mi | 4 mi | 3 mi | 6 mi | 16 mi | Oct 26 - Nov 01 |
| 8 | 4 mi | 4 mi | 4 mi | 9 mi | 21 mi | Nov 02 - Nov 08 |
| 9 | 3 mi | 3 mi | 4 mi | 10 mi | 20 mi | Nov 09 - Nov 15 |
| 10 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 2 mi | Race | — | Nov 16 - Nov 22 |
Note: Claude seemed to do better at this than Gemini.
New weight lifting routine
I’m going to dial back my weightlifting routine a bit to focus on running. I’m trying out a Dan John “Easy Strength” inspired routine. We’ll see if consistency beats intensity. I’m aiming to do this 5x per week, Monday through Friday.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) — hinge | 2 × 5 |
| Bench Press (Dumbbell) — push | 2 × 5 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat (Dumbbell) — squat | 2 × 5 |
| Dumbbell Row — pull | 2 × 5 |
| Farmers Walk — carry | 2 × 40s |
| Side Plank — ab | 2 × 30-45s |
- Weight: Use whetever is already the 8-10 rep max for each lift. It’s not a 5 rep max.
- Never train to failure.
- Legs dead from running? Drop the squats first. Then RDL, if needed.
Old weight lifting routine
This is the old weightlifting routine routine that I’ve been trying to do ~4 times per week. (Just saving it somewhere so I don’t lose it).
Routine A
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell) | 3 × 8-10 |
| Superset: Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3 × 8-10 |
| Superset: Dumbbell Row | 3 × 10-12 |
| Superset: Hammer Curl (Dumbbell) | 3 × 10-12 |
| Superset: Farmers Walk | 3 × 45-60s |
Routine B
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian Split Squat (Dumbbell) | 3 × 8-10 |
| Superset: Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 3 × 8-10 |
| Superset: Lat Pulldown (Cable, Neutral Grip) | 3 × 10-12 |
| Superset: Triceps Rope Pushdown | 3 × 10-12 |
| Superset: Face Pull | 3 × 15-20 |