Running
Improve Your Half Marathon Time
Threshold-heavy half marathon development. 14 weeks, five runs a week.
- Distance
- Half marathon
- Length
- 14 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Run it faster
Who it's for
You already run a few times a week. It is built to help you run a faster half marathon.
How the weeks work
It runs for 14 weeks with five runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 20 weeks, or tighten it to 12 if you are already fit.
The last 12 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- Threshold runs of 15 to 30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace. You could say a few words, not hold a conversation.
- One long run a week that grows slowly. Run it easy; the time on your feet is the point.
- Intervals: repeats a little faster than race pace, with easy jogging in between.
Setting your paces
Start with a 10K time trial. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Later benchmarks: a half-marathon pace check. Use them to adjust your paces rather than to chase a number.
Making it stick
- Keep easy days slow. Most plateaus come from running them too fast.
- Put an easy day or a rest day after every hard session.
- If you miss a week, pick up where you left off instead of cramming the sessions in.
