How to train for a half-marathon ... or any race?

This question has been a persistent quandary of mine since I decided to try racing. There are tons of free programs out there as well as plenty of ones that you have to pay for. But how do you figure out which plan will work the best for you?

Last year, my New Year's Resolution was to start exercising and to make it a part of daily routine. As with many of my previous resolutions, my life ultimately got in the way. I became so busy with work that I barely had time to sleep and eat. I started eating out for every meal, which is never a good thing. When work finally slowed down, I promised myself that I would never let my work affect my personal health again. This year my resolution was a little more vague. I decided to live a healthier lifestyle and so far it is working. Since January, I have lost more than 30 pounds and have successfully started and maintained an exercise routine.

When I decided to run in my first race, I chose the Nike+ 5K training program. This program only requires 3 to 4 days of running, which really fit well into my schedule. I also chose that program because I already use the Nike+ system to keep track of my running data. My one problem with that program is that it really just told me how many miles to run each day and never mentioned anything about pacing or how to increase your running pace. I had never heard of speed work nor did I know how to incorporate it into my training. After that first race, I really started doing research into training for races and what the best way is to go about it. So far, my research has shown that no matter what training program you choose, there are three types of workouts that should be included each week: (1) speed workout, (2) tempo run, and (3) long run. Each type of workout plays a pivotal role in building up your endurance, strength and speed. The speed workout is usually a fartlek set or the Yasso 800s. The tempo run should be done at a pace that is close to the pace you want to run in your race. The long run, also known as an easy run, should be run at a pace much slower than the tempo run in order to avoid injury. The long run is used to increase your body's endurance threshold. Since signing up for my first half marathon, I have been loosely following another Nike+ program. I really like this one because it doesn't just say "run x number of miles" but it incorporates the 3 main elements of a good training program. Starting next week, I will be much stricter about my training effort. Next week will be 18 weeks before my first half marathon so it is time to really start training!