In June 2019, Aaptiv released a twelve-week half marathon training program that I helped build with our trainers.
We divided the plan into three four-week blocks: Base, Build, and Sharpen. Each week included conversational running, intervals or hills, tempo work, and a long run. The amount of running increased over time and then came down before race day.
The Base block started at about fifteen to twenty miles, or two to two and a half hours, each week. Build moved toward twenty to twenty-five miles. Sharpen reached about twenty-five to thirty miles, added longer work near race pace, and finished with a seven-to-ten-day taper.
Those ranges gave runners a clear idea of the time required. A half marathon is a long event. Depending on pace, someone may be running for an hour and a half to two and a half hours on race day. The training has to prepare the body for that amount of work.
Each type of run had a job. Conversational runs added volume without making every day hard. Short hills and intervals built strength and made faster effort familiar. Tempo runs gave runners practice at a quicker pace they could hold. Long runs prepared them for the distance. Recovery days made room to adapt.
There were no tricks or shortcuts. That line became part of the public article about the program because it was accurate. The plan could organize the work and Aaptiv trainers could guide each class. A runner still had to spend time on their feet.
I had learned the same thing in my own training. In late 2018, I wrote my coach that I felt good running more than sixty miles a week while continuing strength work. I was using a roller, taking Epsom salt baths, and paying close attention to recovery.
I also changed the race calendar when it stopped making sense. I dropped a planned Florida duathlon. A trail race where I finished fourth became a hard training day instead of a major target. My next important race was the New York City Half in March.
I ran that half marathon in 1:18.
My own weekly mileage was not the right starting point for most people using Aaptiv. We designed the program for runners already covering eight to ten miles a week who wanted to prepare for a 10K through half marathon.
That starting requirement mattered. Someone who was not yet running consistently needed more time to build a basic routine before beginning this plan. Putting a new runner directly into fifteen to twenty miles per week would increase fatigue and make the program harder to follow.
A training plan for regular runners cannot be an advanced racing plan with smaller numbers. It needs a starting level people can actually meet, steady increases, and enough explanation to help them adjust when work, family, illness, or travel changes the week.
We kept this plan focused on running. Cross-training can be useful, especially when someone needs lower-impact work or cannot complete the planned run. It does not fully replace running if the goal is to become comfortable covering thirteen miles.
The Aaptiv trainers brought their coaching experience and knowledge of how to guide somebody through an audio class. I brought my racing background and RRCA coaching certification. We worked together on the progression and turned it into workouts runners could follow on a treadmill or outside.
I liked this part of working at Aaptiv. Running was already part of my life before work, after work, and with friends. At the company, I could use that experience to help build a real product. I could run or bike to the office, talk with trainers about pacing and recovery, and then work with the product team to put the program in the app.
The finished plan told people what to do for twelve weeks and why each workout was there. The trainer handled the class in the moment. The runner handled the miles.