Preparing a half marathon

The half marathon: the amateur runner's classic distance

Long enough to demand real endurance, short enough to be run "fast" and recovered from within a few days: the half is the ideal distance for making progress. Plan on 8 to 12 weeks of specific training with 3 to 4 workouts per week.

The key workout: threshold

Half marathon pace is close to your threshold pace (the one you could hold for about an hour in a race). So it's the number-one quality to develop: blocks of 2×10 up to 30 minutes, building as the plan progresses. A runner who improves their threshold mechanically improves their half.

The long run: up to 18-22 km

It builds gradually until it covers almost the race distance, but run much slower. During the build phase, the plan slips in race-pace segments (3 to 6 km) to make your goal rhythm automatic when you're tired.

Intervals

Repeats of 400 to 1,000 m at 5K pace: they raise your aerobic ceiling and make half marathon pace feel relatively more comfortable. One session a week is enough.

Plan structure

• Base (first weeks): gradual volume, moderate quality workouts.
• Build: longer threshold, race-pace segments inside the long run.
• Taper (final 2 weeks): reduced volume, freshness for race day.
• A recovery week every 4 weeks (-25% volume): that's where your body makes its gains.

Race day

The half marathon trap: riding the euphoria of the first 5 kilometres. Hold your goal pace (the pace band in your plan is there to remind you), take on water from the first stations, and save your juice for the last 5 kilometres — that's where your time is won or lost.

Choose your goal

Each plan above spells out the exact paces for a given time goal. For a plan at YOUR paces and built around YOUR date, use the generator.