This is my half marathon training week 7 recap covering every run from April 6–13, 2026. Half marathon training week 7 was a build week with all four runs outside, a tough speed session on the track, a great 5-mile run with my dog, and an 11-mile long run attempt that ended at 9.6 miles in 75-degree heat and high humidity. If you are training for a spring half marathon, half marathon training week 7 is where the heat starts to show up and the mental game gets real. Here is exactly how my half marathon training week 7 went, including how I managed runner’s knee, Achilles discomfort, fueling, and making the smart call to stop.
Week of April 6, 2026 · 4 runs · All outside, a build week, and the heat showed up early
All four runs outside this week. Cold, warm, and everything in between. 🌤️
Week 7 of Chicago half marathon training is in the books and I am going to be honest with you — it was a mixed bag. All four runs were outside, the speed work was hard, Scout came along for a Saturday run that genuinely made my week, and then Sunday happened. More on that in a minute. This was a build week and the mileage showed it. Not every week is going to feel like a win and that is part of the deal.
Chicago Half Marathon Training Week 7: The Runs
| Day | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Apr 7 | Strength + PT | Recovery strength session after back-to-back race weekend 💪 |
| Tuesday, Apr 8 | 6 Miles Easy | Swapped with speed — cold but felt good 🥶 |
| Thursday, Apr 10 | Speed Work | 10 min easy, 5×800m at interval pace (2 min walk recovery), 10 min easy |
| Saturday, Apr 12 | 5 Miles Easy | Ran with Scout — tired legs, some knee pain, great run 🐾 |
| Sunday, Apr 13 | 11 Miles (Attempted) | 9.6 miles — 75°F, high humidity, ran out of water. Stopped. Right call. 🥵 |
Monday: Strength + PT
Monday was a strength and PT day and my legs were still very much feeling the back-to-back of Saturday’s race and Sunday’s 10-miler from the week before. Tired is an understatement. But getting the strength work in after a big weekend is exactly the kind of habit that pays off down the road, even when it is the last thing you want to do. One session at a time.
Tuesday: 6 Miles Easy (Swapped!)
This week we swapped the schedule around — speed work moved to Thursday and Tuesday became the easy 6-miler instead. Honestly? I think I needed it that way coming off such a big previous week. Tuesday was freezing, genuinely cold in a way that April has no business being, but I will take cold over hot every single time. Cold you can run through. Heat, as I would find out by Sunday, is a completely different story.
Despite the temperature, I felt good on this one. All four runs this week were outside and this was a solid start to that streak. There is something about fresh air, even frigid fresh air, that a treadmill just cannot replicate.
Thursday: Speed Work
Thursday was the workout: 10 minutes easy, 5×800 meters at interval pace with 2-minute walk recoveries, then 10 minutes easy to close it out. Five 800s is no joke. This run was hard.
And it got a little harder by coincidence. Every single interval lined up to start at the bottom of a big hill. Not planned or ideal, but there is a version of me that will look back on this and know that running intervals up a hill made the flat stuff feel easier. That is the version I am choosing to believe in right now.
I have also been noticing some Achilles discomfort on my left heel at the start of a few runs lately. It fades as I warm up and it has never gotten bad enough to make me stop, but it is something I am keeping an eye on. Staying consistent with my PT work and not ignoring it.
Saturday: 5 Miles Easy with Scout 🐾
Saturday was genuinely one of the highlights of the week. My legs were tired and there was some knee pain, but I took Scout with me and that changed everything. She had the best time getting out and getting some exercise, and honestly so did I. There are runs where you just need a good companion more than you need a perfect pace, and this was one of them. Five miles, outside, with my favorite running partner. I will take it.
Chicago Half Marathon Training Week 7: The Long Run
Sunday was supposed to be 11 miles with a specific structure: 3 easy, 2 at half marathon pace, 2 easy, 2 at HM pace, 2 easy. A solid workout with real intention behind it. I went in already tired, it has been a heavy week personally, sleep has not been happening the way it should, and I was carrying real sleep debt into this run. None of that is an excuse. It is just the context.
For the first chunk of the run I held on. I got through the easy miles, hit my first HM pace block, made it through the middle easy miles. I was working for it but I was working. Then I hit my last HM pace mile and things fell apart fast. I was overheating, my heart rate was through the roof, and I had completely run out of water. It was over 75 degrees with high humidity…the kind of heat that sneaks up on you and then hits all at once.
I slowed down. I walk-ran for another mile trying to hold it together. At 9.6 miles I stopped and called my husband to come get me. I genuinely felt like I was going to pass out. It was that bad.
DNF-ing a training run is gutting. It just is. But stopping was absolutely the right call. My heart rate was dangerously high, I had no water left, and I was not getting any training benefit out of continuing, I was just putting myself at risk. Smart running sometimes means knowing when to stop, and this was one of those times. Nine point six miles in 75-degree heat after a full week of training is still a lot of work. I have to give myself credit for that.
The heat caught me off guard this early in April. Hydration and heat management are going to be something I take a lot more seriously going forward as temperatures climb.
Recovery: Electrolytes + Magnesium Bath
After a week like this one, recovery was non-negotiable. Huma electrolytes as soon as I got home, and then a magnesium bath with Dead Sea Salt. The Dead Sea Salt specifically has higher mineral absorption than regular Epsom salt, which means more magnesium reaching the muscles that actually need it. After a hard week with a brutal Sunday finish, that bath was everything.
Huma Chia Energy Electrolytes
My go-to post-run electrolyte drink — especially after hot, humid efforts where you have sweated everything out. Easy on the stomach and exactly what I reach for when I need to rehydrate fast.
Shop on Amazon → Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products I personally use and trust. 🤍Dead Sea Salt Recovery Bath
Higher magnesium absorption than regular Epsom salt, which means more getting to the muscles that actually need it. This is what I reach for after hard weeks and back-to-back long efforts.
Shop on Amazon → Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products I personally use and trust. 🤍Honest Check-In
This week was not the week I planned. The DNF stings, sleep deprivation is real, and the heat showed up before I was ready for it. But here is what I also know: I got all four runs in, I ran 9.6 miles in brutal conditions after a full week of training, I ran with Scout on Saturday, and I made a smart call when my body needed me to. That is not failure. That is training.
Build weeks are supposed to be hard. That is the whole point. Chicago is getting closer and not every week is going to be clean. The goal is to come out the other side still moving forward. That is exactly what I am doing.
You can follow along with the full journey on my Training & Progress page.
- Monday: Strength training + PT
- Tuesday: 6 miles easy
- Thursday: 50 min progression run
- Saturday: 10 miles easy
