Half Marathon Training Plan: 12 Weeks With 4 Runs a Week
This half marathon training plan lasts twelve weeks with four runs a week. It is designed for runners who can already run a 10K or an hour non-stop and want to prepare the 21 km with a time goal. Below you will find the week-by-week table, the paces and how to run the race.
Before you start the half marathon training plan
To follow this half marathon training plan you need to be able to run for about 60 minutes without stopping and to have been running regularly for at least two or three months. If it is your first half and you want to understand each part of the preparation, also read the guide to your first half marathon. If your goal is to break two hours, the exact paces are in the guide to a sub-2 half marathon.
The paces in the half marathon training plan
- Easy run: a comfortable pace at which you can talk. It is most of the plan.
- Half pace: your goal pace for the 21 km.
- Threshold: comfortably hard, the pace you could hold for about an hour. It is usually a few seconds per kilometre faster than your half pace. I explain it in the guide to threshold training.
- 10K pace: the pace of your best recent 10K.
- Strides: relaxed 15 to 20 second accelerations.
Work out your paces with the training pace calculator, and a realistic goal with the race time predictor from a recent 10K.
The half marathon training plan week by week
Quality days (2 and 3) include 10 to 15 minutes of easy running before and 5 to 10 minutes after. The day 4 long run is always at easy pace unless stated otherwise.
| Week | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 (long run) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy 35 min | 5 × 1 km at 10K pace, 2 min easy | Easy 30 min + 4 strides | 70 min |
| 2 | Easy 40 min | 3 × 10 min at threshold, 2 min easy | Easy 30 min | 80 min |
| 3 | Easy 40 min | 6 × 1 km at 10K pace, 90 s easy | 2 × 3 km at half pace, 3 min easy | 85 min |
| 4 (recovery) | Easy 30 min | 4 × 1 km at 10K pace, 2 min easy | Easy 30 min | 65 min |
| 5 | Easy 40 min | 4 × 2 km at threshold, 2 min easy | Easy 35 min + 4 strides | 95 min |
| 6 | Easy 45 min | 8 × 800 m at 10K pace, 90 s easy | 3 × 3 km at half pace, 2 min easy | 100 min |
| 7 | Easy 45 min | 3 × 15 min at threshold, 3 min easy | Easy 35 min | 105 min, last 20 at half pace |
| 8 (recovery) | Easy 35 min | 5 × 1 km at 10K pace, 2 min easy | Easy 30 min | 75 min |
| 9 | Easy 45 min | 2 × 5 km at half pace, 3 min easy | Easy 35 min + 4 strides | 110 min |
| 10 | Easy 45 min | 6 × 1 km at 10K pace, 90 s easy | 8 km continuous at half pace | 115 min, last 30 at half pace |
| 11 | Easy 40 min | 3 × 3 km at half pace, 2 min easy | Easy 30 min | 80 min |
| 12 (race) | Easy 30 min | 3 × 2 km at half pace, 2 min easy | Easy 20 min + 3 strides | Half marathon |
How the half marathon training plan works
The long run builds from 70 to 115 minutes. You do not need to run 21 km before the race: with almost two hours at easy pace you will have plenty of endurance. The long run guide explains how to do it.
Race pace appears in week 3 in short blocks and grows to 8 km continuous in week 10. That session, together with the last 30 minutes of the long run, is the best test of whether your goal is realistic. If you struggle to hold it, adjust your goal before the race, not during it.
Weeks 4 and 8 reduce the load to absorb the work, and weeks 11 and 12 cut the volume so you arrive fresh, as I explain in the guide to tapering before a race.
A three-day half marathon training plan
Drop day 1 of the half marathon training plan and keep the quality sessions and the long run. You will lose some volume, but you keep what matters most.
Eating and drinking in the half marathon
In a race of one to two and a half hours, taking carbs helps. In his review of carbohydrate intake during exercise, Asker Jeukendrup recommends up to about 60 grams per hour for efforts of two to three hours. For a half, one or two gels are usually enough, the first around minute 40 or 45. Try them on your long runs and work out your number with the race carb calculator.
How to run the half marathon
Run the first 5 km at your pace or a few seconds slower, even if you feel strong. From 5 to 15 hold your pace and drink at the aid stations. From 15 comes the hard part: if you feel good, you can gradually push over the last 5 km.
If you are looking for a race, our race calendar includes halves such as the Granollers Half or the Sant Cugat Half.
Common half marathon training plan mistakes
Running long runs too fast is the most common: they stop being easy and tire you for the rest of the week. So is skipping the recovery weeks and, in the race, starting above your planned pace and paying for it from km 15.
Conclusion
This half marathon training plan combines a quality session, a race pace session or easy run and a long run that builds to almost two hours each week, with two recovery weeks and two taper weeks at the end. With four days a week for twelve weeks you can run the 21 km with a clear goal.
FAQ
How many weeks does a half marathon training plan last?
If you can already run for an hour, twelve weeks is enough. If you are starting from less, add a few weeks beforehand to build your base, for example with the 10K plan.
How many days a week should you train for a half marathon?
Four days prepare you well. Three also work, keeping the quality session, the race pace work and the long run.
What should your longest run be before a half marathon?
100 to 120 minutes at easy pace is enough. You do not need to run 21 km before the race.
What pace should long runs be?
Easy, conversational pace. Only in some weeks do the last minutes go at half pace.
How many gels should you take in a half marathon?
One or two are usually enough, the first around minute 40 or 45. Try them on your long runs first.
