Our 12 Week Advanced Half Marathon Training Plan is for experienced runners looking to push themselves in their Half Marathon!
This training programme is designed to get you to the finish line at your best speed, and gives you 12 weeks to prepare.
Who Is It For?:
Experienced runners who have run a few 10k’s and perhaps marathons and even longer. Runners who are looking to run a new personal best in the half marathon class.
How Long?:
12 weeks // 3 months.
Description:
The plan includes 5-6 days training per week.
All of the Training Runs should be done at the pace you hope to run on race day.
Long runs on Sundays are there to increase your maximum mileage and time on your feet. The whole purpose of these is to run slowly – at a conversational pace – no faster. Try not to stop running if possible.
Intervals are required once per week to work on your speed; get out your GPS and hit the streets. These intervals are designed to be run in 800m segments; run 800m fast, then 800m slow. Your fast 800m should be at an uncomfortable, unsustainable pace – not sprinting, but not far from it. Then the slow 800m should be at a slow jog to recover. Repeat as many times as is stated in the training plan.
Tempo runs start off slow and easy, and gradually build up to a faster-than-race-pace – at the 75% point, you should peak and be feeling like you’re running at an unsustainable pace. Then gradually dial it down so by the last few hundred metres you are back to easy jogging.
The plan includes one day of cross training and one rest days The rest days are especially important for letting your body recover.
Feel free to download the plan and change it up to suit your schedule.
Download The Training Plan Here
Enter your email and I’ll send you this free training plan now, in PDF and Google Sheets formats (completely customisable), in both miles and kilometers.
The most comprehensive plan you will find
I had run a couple of half marathons and was in reasonable shape coming into the plan and it was a good rise in intensity throughout. You need to want to do an event like this – I was getting up at 3am to get my long run in before kids weekend sport etc and this was hard. When you combine the plan with the online community through the Marathon Handbook FB page and website, you get complete support. Have used this plan with great success and now looking at upping the pace in the marathon space… GREAT JOB!
The Perfect Plan!
Easy to follow plan. I recently ran my 5th Half Marathon. I managed to do a sub 1.45 beating my previous best by 4 minutes. I shall be following the marathon plan later in the year as I prepare for my first 42k!
Remember that speed is not important for this training plan – more important is your ability to keep running the distances necessary.
The information is helpful.
10 / 10 - Got my through my race!
Great plan
This plan hit so well!
Well, I have been marathoning for almost 15 years and wanted to test something new out. I tried this plan because it looked completely different than any training method before. It didn’t make sense how the running peaked, and I got to the start line exhausted and sick, clearly under rested. The marathon had actually gone pretty smoothly until mile 17, when my ankle rolled and my ACL ripped. Had to quit the race and was upset with this training plan. However, free IS free. 6/10. Would not recommend
Proven Training Plans by a UESCA-Certified Running Coach
Every one of our training plans has been developed by Thomas Watson, a UESCA-certified running coach.
Thomas is also a podium-finishing ultra-marathon runner and has dozens of marathons under his belt.
Each training plan has been road-tested by hundreds of runners, refined and improved, and is free to download and customize to suit your needs!