Train for
a half.

Read time: 6 min · Level: you can already run 30 to 45 min without stopping

Your starting point

Half-marathon training usually lasts 10 to 12 weeks, with 3 to 4 runs a week. If you can't run 30 minutes straight yet, start with a few weeks of base building before you kick off the plan.

The golden rule: keep it mostly easy

The vast majority of your kilometers should be at an easy pace: you can talk while you run. That relaxed volume is what builds your endurance. Only a small share is fast, and that's the part that makes you faster.

• Easy: you can hold a conversation. The foundation of everything.
• Threshold: hard but controlled, short sentences only.
• Half-marathon pace: the pace you're targeting on race day.

The three key sessions

• The long run, once a week: it gets gradually longer, up to roughly 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 45 min about three weeks before the race, at an easy pace.
• The quality session: threshold (for example 3 × 10 min) or intervals, then blocks at half-marathon pace in the final weeks.
• The easy runs: they help you recover and add volume without piling on fatigue.

A sample week, mid-plan

Get better without getting hurt

• Build your volume in small steps, and plan a lighter week every 3 to 4 weeks.
• Don't turn every run into a test: easy days stay easy.
• Keep a strength session: calves, thighs, hips and core handle the kilometers better.
• Pain that changes your stride or gets worse as you run: stop.

The taper and race day

In the last 10 to 14 days, cut the volume but keep a few touches of half-marathon pace. On race day: nothing new (shoes, breakfast, gels), and start at your pace, not faster. Your last five kilometers will thank you.

This guide gives general guidelines. If you're returning to sport or feel pain, ask a health professional.