Training for a half but crunched for time? HIIT might be the answer

One of the biggest complaints among recreational runners is not having enough time to train. If this is the case for you, we may have a solution: HIIT training. A recent study found that women who followed a low-volume, high-intensity training program were just as prepared to run a half-marathon as women who followed a higher-volume, moderate training plan.

Your Better Half: How to Race Your Fastest Half-Marathon

HIIT for the half-marathon

The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, recruited 20 female recreational runners to follow one of two 12-week training programs: half the women did moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), based on running volume below 80 per cent of their VO2 max, while the other half did high intensity interval training (HIIT) at 80 per cent–100 per cent of their VO2 max combined with eccentric loading exercise (i.e. jumping exercises).

The researchers measured several markers of training adaptation both before and after training, as well as 24 hours after the participants ran a half-marathon to determine which method was more effective, and the results might surprise you.

The results

Both groups saw an improvement in their performance, with participants lowering their finishing times by about 2:29 for the HIIT group to 3:50 for the MICT group. This means that despite running 21 per cent less volume and spending 17 per cent less time training, the HIIT group was still able to improve their half-marathon performance. Did their times improve slightly less than the MICT group? Yes. But for women who are balancing work, family and other commitments, HIIT training presents a way to still train effectively while spending less total time training.

The HIIT group did experience one notable difference from their peers. All participants experienced biochemical and hematological (blood) changes that indicated fatigue and oxidative stress following the half-marathon, but the HIIT group appeared to handled these changes better. “HIIT that incorporated strength exercises based on body weight led to better adaptation to competition because of the repeated exposure to higher oxygen consumption and anaerobic metabolism during the intense bouts of exercise,” the researchers said. “This training, therefore, provides an advantage, giving a more homogeneous inter-individual response before the onset of muscle damage and inflammation.”

As the authors admit, this study does have some limitations, including the small sample size, limited available information on the nutritional data of the participants during the training programs and variability in the premenopausal status of the women. Still, this research is significant because middle-aged women training at a recreational level are traditionally a very poorly studied group, despite the fact that they make up a large percentage of recreational runners.

Dylan Wykes’ half-marathon training plan for beginners

The bottom line

This is only one study, but it does present a good alternative training option for female runners who are short on time. Of course, this style of training may not work for someone who’s trying to run at the sub-elite or elite level, but for the average recreational runner, it’s a good option that may be a better fit with your lifestyle.