Half marathons have become the most popular distance for runners. But how do you best train for a good half marathon? A half marathon where you’re running faster than ever and still finish with the feeling that you could do one more – at least mentally.
Read my half marathon guide to learn how you can run your next half marathon in a new personal record. Naturally, the guide has a 12-week half marathon plan.
The duration of your half marathon training
Your training plan for the half marathon should have a duration of 8-16 weeks. If the duration is less than 8 weeks, you will not have enough time to build up a good enough fitness. If the duration is longer than 16 weeks, you risk losing the motivation. In other words, if your half marathon is scheduled for more than 16 weeks out in the future, it is a good idea to add a sub-goal along the way.
A good sub-goal on the way towards a brilliant half marathon would typically be a fast 5k or 10k. Get a pair of good training sessions organised before one of these distances – and once you have completed the sub-goal, you can start training for the half marathon.
For instance, if there are about 24 weeks until your main goal, you can try and sign-up for a good 5k or 10k run to take place about 8-12 weeks out in the future. That would give you 12-16 weeks of training for the half marathon.
Building your training for the half marathon
In order to get the most out of your half marathon training and to prevent injuries, you should build-up your training nice and slowly throughout the entire period. Experts call this build-up for the periodisation – I simply call it common sense.
When you build your training for the half marathon, you should follow 4 fundamental training principles;
1) Specificity: You will get better at what you’re doing.
2) Variation: Differing training stimuli to improve your fitness significantly.
3) Individualisation: Focus on the workouts that will improve you.
4) Progression: The work-out is improved as you get in better shape.
By using a particular training methodology, we can put together a half-marathon work-out plan that follows all 4 fundamental training principles.
There are many different training methodologies or training philosophies. One is not necessarily better than the other. But the philosophy I have opted for is called the “funnel philosophy”. This is because I know it works great on every runner and distance – from the elite runners to the casual joggers to the first-time half marathon runners.
Understand the funnel philosophy in 1 minute
You know that running is all about going the distance – in this case, 21,092 km. If you want to set new personal records, you should aim at running the entire distance as quickly as possible. That means you should be working on two crucial elements: Tempo and stamina.
- If you got tempo but no stamina, you will start as quick as lightning but struggle at some point mid-way.
- If you got stamina but no tempo, you can run the entire distance – but in a slow tempo.
If you are running to complete a half marathon, this is not a problem. But if you, instead, want to finish in a good time, you need to incorporate tempo into your workouts.
The two types of training
To accommodate for the need of both tempo and stamina, we will need two types of training. The work-out that is based on tempo and intensity, and the work-out that is based on stamina and endurance. If we have a funnel, we can visualise these two points at each side of the funnel.
A tempo work-out session would, for instance, include 6 x 400m <1½min rest>, while a stamina work-out session would be an 18km easy run.
However, there is one small problem. None of the two abovementioned workouts is particularly specific in relation to your goal, which is a fast half marathon. Therefore, we want more duration and endurance on the interval training and more tempo on the long work-out sessions.
An extra two specific work-out sessions could look like the following; 4-5 x 2000m <2min rest> and 18km moderate run. Combining these two work-out sessions with the outer points of the funnel will help us through the funnel.
The very specific training as an end-goal
Finally, the two points need to meet at the bottom of the funnel. At this point, the work-out is extremely specific.
Two very specific work-out sessions could be; 3 x 5km <3min rest> and 15km at your desired half marathon tempo.
Please notice that by following this method we have used 3 out of 4 fundamental principles.
The training gets more and more specific, it becomes harder and harder – in other words, we are doing a progression. Finally, we are also doing alternate training by including both the tempo-based work-out session and the stamina-based work-out session.
Specific Training: Use the 15 2/3 Rule
Use this rule to determine whether your work-out is very specific. The rule says that the tempo of your work-out should be +/- 15 seconds/km from your desired half marathon tempo and be at least 2/3 of the entire distance. 2/3 of a half marathon distance is about 13.8km.
So, if your goal is to finish the half marathon in a time of 1h45min, a very specific work-out session would be the following: 15km @ 4:45-5:15min/km. If you are using a heart rate monitor, and you do not have a particular goal in mind, you can typically run a half marathon 20-30 heartbeats below your max heart rate (HRM). Therefore, a very specific work-out session for you would be 15km @ 20-30 heartbeats below the HRM.
If you do not have a heart rate monitor or GPS watch, there is a solution to this problem. You can use the “talking test”. You can probably run a half marathon at an intensity that would still allow you to speak, but you prefer not to. In this case, a very specific work-out session would be: 15km in a tempo that still allows you to speak, but it is tough.
The 3 main stages of a half marathon training plan
Stage 1 – the two outer points.
Stage 2 – this is where we start moving down through the funnel
Stage 3 – this is close to the bottom of the funnel
What types of work-out sessions, and at what intensity should each stage be executed? You will learn all of this in the article. The duration of the three stages depends on the total duration of your work-out plan.
The first three numbers indicate stage 1, 2, and 3, while the final number indicates the gradual reduction.
That means 2 / 6 / 4 / 1 for a 13-week program would include; 2-week intro stage, 6-week build-up stage, 4-week specific training, 1 week of gradual reduction.
Find your optimal running tempo
To maximise the profits of your work-out and to prevent annoying injuries, it is important to find the right tempo for your training. You can control the intensity in many different ways. When you are using the funnel philosophy, you should use your future goal to regulate the intensity.
Let us imagine your goal is to run a half marathon in less than 1h45min – which equals out to about 5:00min/km. Now we would structure the training on the basis of this time.
The 5:00min/km will be put through our funnel. Workouts faster than the 5:00 will be our tempo training, while the workouts that are slower than the 5:00 will be our stamina training.
We are working within a percentage-interval of 80-120 % of our goal. The 80 % will then be our outer point in relation to our stamina training, and the 120 % becomes our outer point int relation to the tempo training. Any training slower than 80 % will be called recovery training, and any training faster than 120 % is categorised as sprinting or hill sprints.
Calculating the training tempo
Before I give an equation that can be used to calculate your training tempo, I want to list a couple of abbreviations/terms that will be used throughout this article.
HMP = HalfMarathonPace, the tempo/pace you expect to run your half marathon in.
RP = RacePace, the tempo/pace you want to run a particular distance in, like 5km, 10km, or half marathon.
@ = When I, for instance, write "5 x 2000m @ 102,5 % of HMP", it means you should be running 5 x 2000m. in 102.5% of your half marathon pace.
<"" min rest> = When I, for instance, write "10-15 x 400m @ 115 of HMP <1min rest>", it means you should be running 10-15 x 400m. in 115% of your half marathon pace where you are resting for 1min after each interval (that is 400m).
You can download this Race Pace Calculator i Excel af Peter Tran, where you can calculate your training tempo.
The different training tempi will look something like this for a 1h45min half marathon runner.
Planning the training tempo according to your current fitness
If you are starting a training plan in a shape that is far from your end-goal, you may risk going too hard too early. In these circumstances, you should train according to your current fitness. A good idea is to use the first 4-6 weeks of a training plan to work-out according to your current fitness, rather than your end-goal. Once you get into the final stage of your training plan, you should easily be able to structure your training according to your end-goal.
Let us look at an example;
When you start your training, you are in bad shape because you had to stay inactive for 3 months due to an injury. You can probably run a half marathon in about 2 hours, but you hope that 16 weeks of good and stable training will help you hit a finish-time of 1h40min.
If you start running your training sessions according to this time, you will feel that a lot of your work-out sessions are too hard. You have simply set the training tempo too high in relation to your current fitness.
Train by following your heart rate or how you are feeling. You should let your heart rate or feeling guide your training sessions until your fitness improves.
A third option is to run according to a “fictive” end-goal that is closer to the 2 hours, somewhere between 1h50min-1h55min. Instead of training according to the 5:00min/km, you are training according to the 5:12min/km, which equals out to about 1h50min. Now the tempo on all of your training sessions should follow your current abilities.
Once we have the structure of the half marathon plan sorted – and how you find the best training intensity – we now need to look at the particular training methods.
The running workouts for the 3 stages
A fundamental element of your half marathon training is of course the running workouts. Once you have found the different workouts you will be using in your half marathon training plan, you will need to put them together.
You can use a variation of workouts, like speed play, interval training, hill sprints, progressive run, long continuous runs, and so on. The options are endless, and the biggest challenge is to structure the half marathon plan in the best way possible that will complement the different workouts.
When you use the funnel philosophy, you have a clear framework for how the different workouts should be structured in relation to each other.
In the next section, you will get my suggestions for workouts in the different stages, but you can obviously feel free to put together your own workouts within the framework of the funnel philosophy. However, it is important that the workouts are somewhat close to the examples you see in this article if you want to train by the funnel philosophy.
Stage 1 – The intro stage
The purpose of the intro stage is to build a good and solid foundation for the rest of the half marathon training. You are building a tempo foundation and a stamina foundation.
The intro stage typically varies between 2-4 weeks – depending on your current fitness before starting the training. If you are starting in great shape, you almost need no intro stage. However, if you are returning from a long “off” period, you should dedicate 6 weeks to this stage.
The training in the intro stage comprises light to moderate workouts of the duration of 30-60 minutes. The idea behind these workouts is to build-up your stamina foundation. You should, therefore, aim at being just below 90 % of HMP on these workouts. Build-up the duration along the way, so you finally hit the 60 min at the final phase of the intro stage.
To build-up the tempo foundation, you should have one weekly tempo work-out. This work-out could, for instance, be a speed play, short interval training, or hill sprints of 15-30 seconds.
Nevertheless, it is extremely important that you do not push yourself 100% in this work-out session. Always run with a bit of energy left in the tank. This way, you will prevent annoying injuries in the intro stage.
In terms of the kilometres in the intro stage, you should reach about 2/3 to 3/4 of your maximum weekly training load at the end of the intro stage. So, if you expect to hit 40km a week on your maximum, you should aim at ending the intro stage with a week of about 25-30km.
Stage 2 – The build-up stage
The build-up stage is probably the most important of the three stages. In this stage, you are starting to incorporate more intensity while you are still racking up more kilometres.
You should spend about 4-8 weeks in this stage, which means that this stage should be the longest-running of the three stages of your training plan. You should aim at running about 95% of your maximum weekly kilometres towards the end of this stage.
In the build-up stage, you should start to seriously build on your two foundations of tempo and stamina. You should aim for one weekly run with a focus on tempo and one weekly run with a focus on stamina. A good tip is to separate each intense work-out session with about 4 days.
Guidance for the training
Because most runners train 3-5 times a week, here is an overview of how you should run the remaining training sessions in this period.
- 3 x training: Run the third session like a 40min run in a tempo of your choosing, however never more than 95 % of HMP
- 4 x training. Run one 40min moderate training session at 85-90 % of HMP, and one recovery run below 80% of HMP
- 5 x training. Run one 50min moderate training session at 85-90 % of HMP, and two recovery runs below 80% of HMP
I normally recommend the duration of the recovery runs to be somewhere between 40-50min. Run at a maximum of 15 % above your ideal half marathon tempo.
With a total training load of 40km a week, you can only run 6km in a tempo that is above the half marathon tempo. The remaining 85% of your training should be below HMP. By running 85% of your training HMP, you will reduce the risk of injuries, and you will also allow yourself to recover from your training sessions.
Your tempo training
Your tempo work-out can comprise mid-long interval training ranging between 400m-1000m., hill sprints, speed play, or a short tempo run of 3-6km. The tempo in this work-out should be between 105-115 % of HMP.
At the beginning of the stage, you would be able to run some short, fast intervals, like 10 x 400m @ 115 % of HMP. Your intervals towards the end of the stage should, instead, be longer and, as a consequence, a bit slower, like 5 x 1000m @ 107,5-110 % of HMP.
Remember, we are working our way down through the funnel, and, therefore, our training should become more specific according to our end-goal.
Hills sprints are incredibly effective
You rarely find a running program of an elite runner that does not include hill sprints in one shape or another. This is simply because hill sprints yield results.
So why not chuck some hill sprints into your half marathon training?
Hill sprints will require a lot from your legs and in a different way than regular interval training does. You are activating more muscle fibres, and this way you will also get a greater effect on your leg musculature. At the same time, you will reach the same effect on your cardiovascular system as you do from regular intervals, but the strain your legs experience will be less, compared to the regular intervals. This reduces the risk of injuries. However, be careful not to run too quickly downwards, as downwards running can be very stressful on your legs.
The distance and grade of the hill are very important for the effect the hill sprints have on your body. Generally, the longer the hill, the greater effect on your cardiovascular. The shorter and steeper the hill, the greater effect on your musculature.
When you are doing hill sprints at this stage, it is extremely important to give yourself 100% in order to reap the maximum effects of the work-out. My recommendation would be to do the hill sprints once every third or fourth week.
Your stamina training
Your stamina and endurance work-out could be a long run of 60-90min at an easy to moderate tempo, half marathon intervals, or a long progressive run. The tempo should be somewhere between 85-100 % of HMP – so we’re moving towards the centre of the “stamina side”.
An important work-out at this stage is the long, continuous runs. If you are not used to running the long runs, you can build up this endurance by gradually extending the duration of the training with 10 minutes every other week. This way, you can go from 60 minutes easy run to 90 minutes and from 40 minutes moderate run to 70 minutes in a minimum of 6 weeks.
Once you have reached the 90min easy run/70min moderate run, you can stay at this plateau until stage 3 – if your build-up stage is longer than the 6 weeks.
Supplement with half marathon interval training
You can also decide to supplement the continuous runs with 2-5km half marathon interval training at 95-100 % of HMP. The purpose of these intervals is to prepare your body for the very intensive, specific workouts at the final stage.
It is a good idea to do these intervals a couple of times during the build-up stage. Then when you are running close to your desired half marathon tempo for a relatively long distance, you will get a good indication on whether you are on the right path. This will give you a boost of confidence!
If the fitness is as expected, you should be able to complete your half marathon intervals @ HMP or at least very close to HMP.
Stage 3 – The specific stage
After the first two training stages, where you are mostly preparing for the actual training, you are now going to focus 100% on the training for your end-goal. If you have done the training properly in the build-up stage, you will feel how the specific training is a natural extension of the workouts you have done the previous weeks.
In the specific stage, you are working with longer intervals and tempo runs, and the tempo of the continuous, long runs is even higher. This training stage can take between 2 and 6 weeks. It is at this stage you will reach your maximum total km for the entire training up to the half marathon.
Because the training at this specific stage is tough, you should aim at a maximum of 6 weeks at this stage, otherwise, you risk tearing too much on your body. The tempo on your important work-out sessions should all be in the range of 95-105 % of HMP. However, there are few exceptions to this rule that I will explain in the next section.
Like the build-up stage, the specific stage also includes two tough work-out sessions. The key to success at this stage is to run your two quality sessions when your legs are feeling up to the task, so you can maintain your desired training tempo.
A work-out session ranging between 97.5-105 % of HMP (tempo) and a work-out session ranging between 95-102.5 % of HMP (stamina).
Your specific stamina training
The most important work-out session in the specific stage is the continuous, specific run. By running around the desired HMP for more than 2/3 of the entire distance, you will be training your body and mind to run for a long time at the desired half marathon tempo.
The goal is that the tempo on the day should feel light and manageable until you reach the 15km mark. This way you are pushing the limit for when you will start to struggle to maintain the tempo.
Because the moderate run is incredibly strenuous for the body, I recommend that you only do this run three times during the specific stage. In relation to the moderate run, you can also train your liquid and energy intake.
Alternating the long run – This is how you do
You can alternate the long run with half marathon intervals or a long progressive run. Both workouts should be run at HMP or just below HMP. Even though they are both tough workouts, you will notice that they are more manageable than the continuous, moderate run.
The purpose of the two workouts is to run a lot of quality runs without giving yourself 100%. On your interval runs, you are allowed rest, which give you time to recover. And at the progressive run, it is only a fraction of the run that is taking place at your desired HMP.
The easy, continuous run equals active recovery
The final specific stamina work-out session is an easy, continuous run of up to 25km. The tempo should be below 90% of HMP.
…but wait a second, that is not specific in relation to the 15 2/3 rule? No, you are completely right!
Nevertheless, there is a good explanation to why this training session has earned its place here. The easy, continuous run works like a recovery training. The duration of the work-out will, however, still ensure that you will benefit a lot from the easy run. You and your legs will get used to this sort of running.
This will also help to make the half marathon feel “short” and less of a mental challenge. Run the long, easy run every other or third week in the specific training stage.
Your specific tempo training
The intensive training session can, at this stage, comprise tempo run (up to 10km), long interval training between 1000-3000m, mid-length intervals (400-1000m), speed play, or hill sprints.
The tempo run is an intense and very tough variation of the specific, continuous run, and it should, therefore, only be trained 1-2 times in the span of the specific training stage. If you are able to attend a running race or two in the specific training stage, you can count this as a tempo run.
Alternate the tempo run with the long intervals or a speed play. The amount of rest on the long intervals and the rest you get before each acceleration during the speed play should ideally only take up half of the interval itself.
The reason is, of course, to stimulate your half marathon tempo – and not to run as quickly as possible. If you are feeling too energised when running at 105% of HMP then shorten the time of the rest instead of picking up the pace at this stage.
In order to engage the training effect in every muscle fibre, you can supplement the three aforementioned work-out sessions with short, fast intervals or hill sprints. Especially when you are running hill sprints, you are activating every muscle fibre in the muscle. Replace the tempo run or the long intervals with hill sprints once every third week at this stage.
At this stage, it is worth following a very flexible work-out, if possible, because you should ideally only allow 2 days to feel energised and recovered. If you are not feeling up to the task the day you are meant to do intervals, you should re-structure, and instead, run a recovery run and save the intervals for a later day in the week your body feels recovered.
Stage 4 - The gradual reduction
You need 1 week of gradual reduction in your training to be completely ready and energised for the half marathon.
In the final week, you should naturally reduce your load of training with about 50-75 %, compared to your maximum. Reduce the number of times you are used to training with 1. This way, you will maintain the rhythm of training that your body is used to.
Scientific studies have also shown that you should maintain the intensity in your work-out to truly benefit from the gradual reduction in training. The headache, however, is that you should still run some intensive intervals – without allowing it to get too tough!
And how do you do this?
You do this best by running intervals without emptying the tank. My recommendation is to run intervals of 300-500m at around half marathon tempo or a bit faster, allowing a good rest in-between. While you would normally run 6 x 500m @ 115 % of HMP, the gradual reduction stage allows you to run the same interval distance but “only” at 100-102,5 % of HMP.
The purpose is to reach an almost full activation of the cardiovascular, muscles, nervous system without getting a full training effect.
The 12-week half marathon plan
All the workouts in the plan are taken from the examples used in this article. Feel free to use this 12-week plan as a template and take out and replace some of the workouts with your own favourite workouts.
It is important to ensure that you are running your last tough run about 2-3 weeks before the half marathon.
The only thing left to say is to enjoy and good luck with your training! :-)
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