Nine and a half weeks works for some things, but not training for a half-marathon. For that, Outside magazine warns, you need a full 12 weeks. In fact, the magazine has recruited Terence Mahon, who trained American half-marathon record holder Ryan Hall, to prescribe the perfect training regimen for a half-marathon. If you’re half ready, click here.
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Given that this “training program” starts with a 14 mile run in the second week, it’s hard to see how much different it is from a nine week training course, or a 15 week training course for that matter. This is a program for improving speed more than training for your first half marathon.
My bigger gripe about the series this article comes from and most others from Outside is that they always seem to be pitching hard on the gear and gadgets. I know they have to fill their magazine with advertising, but the way they go about it — making the editorial inevitably lead to the “what you should buy” list — undercuts the credibility of the content. There are much more consistently reliable fitness resources out there that arent trying to push their advertisers. Tara Parker-Pope’s column, which you cite, for one, and the fitness training sections of bicycling.com for another. I also like Ross Training’s site and videos.