A half marathon is a realistic goal for many recreational runners when they allow enough time and adapt training to their starting point. This guide takes you from the opening weeks through long runs and into race-day strategy.
Are you ready to train for a half marathon?
A practical starting point is being able to run about 5 km continuously and having run 2–3 times a week for at least a few weeks. It is not an entrance exam, but a useful sign that you have a base for more specific training.
If your runs are shorter or inconsistent today, spend 4–8 weeks building a calm routine first. Starting later with a better foundation is often more useful than chasing a plan under pressure.
How many weeks of training do you need?
First-half-marathon plans commonly use 10 to 16 weeks of specific preparation. The right duration depends on how much you already run, how consistently you recover and the goal you choose.
- 10–12 weeks may make sense if you already run around 20 km per week and can cover 10 km under control.
- 14–16 weeks gives you more room if your volume is lower, you are returning from a break or you prefer a gentler progression.
More important than the exact number is consistency. A longer sequence of manageable weeks is more valuable than a short block that leaves you exhausted.
How many kilometres per week?
To complete a half marathon comfortably, a peak of 25–40 km per week across 3–4 runs is enough. You do not need to run every day — three purposeful runs plus an optional cross-training session (cycling, swimming or strength) is entirely sufficient for a first half marathon.
Increase volume gradually — as a rough guide, by no more than ~10% per week — and schedule a lighter consolidation week with lower volume every third or fourth week. Your body develops not during training itself, but while recovering afterwards.
How to structure a training week
Preparation usually combines three kinds of run:
- Easy run (Z2) — the foundation of your mileage. Run at a pace where you can maintain a flowing conversation. Most runners do these sessions too fast, then lack the energy for workouts that are meant to be fast.
- Tempo run — a controlled, brisker effort (for example, 2 km warm-up + 3–5 km at a pace that feels “comfortably hard” + cool-down). It teaches both body and mind to hold pace.
- Long run — the key session of the whole preparation, covered in more detail below.
Sample week (mid-plan, about 30 km)
| Day | Training |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest or short strength / core session (30 min) |
| Tuesday | Easy 7 km run in Z2 |
| Wednesday | Rest |
| Thursday | Tempo: 2 km easy + 4 km tempo + 1.5 km cool-down |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | Easy 5 km run in Z2 (optional) |
| Sunday | Long 12 km run at an easy effort |
This illustrates a structure, not a universal prescription. Adapt the days, volume and intensity to your reality.
The long run: the most important session of the week
The long run teaches your body to manage energy, strengthens tendons and muscles for sustained effort and builds confidence. Extend it gradually — a typical progression for a first half marathon looks like this: 8 → 10 → 11 → 12 → 10 (lighter week) → 13 → 14 → 16 → 17–18 → then taper.
Intensity: the most common stumbling block
If a first half marathon has one rule, it is this: easy runs must be genuinely easy. Use heart rate or breathing as your guide — in Z2, you can speak in full sentences. If you are gasping, slow down, even if the pace looks “embarrassing”. Patience on easy runs determines whether you can complete tempo sessions and long runs well.
Running moderately hard all the time can accumulate fatigue and reduce the quality of important sessions. That does not make every pace between easy and fast wrong — the purpose of the workout and the whole week matter.
5 common training mistakes
- Everything at one pace. Neither easy nor fast — a “grey zone” that tires you without moving you forward.
- Increasing volume too quickly. Enthusiasm in week three, a sore knee in week six. Keep the progression gradual.
- Ignoring recovery. Poor sleep and high fatigue call for an easier day, not gritting your teeth.
- Skipping long runs. The one session that cannot be replaced by anything else.
- Trying new things on race day. New shoes, new gels, new breakfast — test everything in training and nothing for the first time at the start.
The final one to two weeks: taper
A taper reduces total volume so fatigue can fade while your body stays moving. Some runners benefit from a clearer two-week reduction; others respond well to a shorter taper.
Keep a few short easy runs and perhaps several brief, controlled faster efforts. The final days are not the time to make up missed mileage.
Race day
- Eat breakfast with enough time to digest and choose only food you tested before a long run.
- Start the opening kilometres conservatively. Check your target pace and splits with the running pace calculator.
- Test carbohydrate intake in training. Around 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour is commonly used during longer efforts, but needs and tolerance are individual.
- Adapt drinking to the weather, your pace, aid stations and thirst. Test what works for you before race day and avoid experiments at the start.