12 week half-marathon training plans - see notes below
12-week half-marathon training plan A
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 20/30 mins easy |
rest | 2 miles steady |
rest | 2.5 miles steady |
rest | 3 miles |
| Week 2 | 20/30 mins easy |
rest | 2 miles steady |
rest | 3 miles steady |
CT/rest | 4 miles |
| Week 3 | 20/30 mins easy |
rest | 2.5 miles steady |
CT | 3 miles steady |
rest | 5 miles |
| Week 4 | 20/30 mins easy |
rest | 3 miles steady |
CT | 4 miles steady |
rest | 6 miles |
| Week 5 | 30 mins easy |
rest | 3 miles steady |
CT | 3 miles steady |
rest | 7 miles |
| Week 6 | 30 mins easy |
rest | 4 miles steady |
CT | 4 miles steady |
rest | 8 miles |
| Week 7 | 30 mins easy |
rest | 4 miles steady |
CT | 4 miles steady |
CT | 9 miles |
| Week 8 | 30 mins easy |
rest | 4 miles steady |
CT | 3 miles steady |
rest | 10 miles |
| Week 9 | rest | rest | 5 miles steady |
CT | 4 miles steady |
rest | 11 miles |
| Week 10 | 30 mins easy |
30 mins easy |
4 miles steady |
rest | 3 miles steady |
CT | 12 miles |
| Week 11 | 30 mins easy |
rest | CT | rest | 3 miles steady |
CT | 5 miles |
| Week 12 | rest | rest | 2 miles steady |
20 mins | rest | rest | Race Day |
12-week half-marathon training plan B
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 2.5 miles easy |
rest | 3 miles | CT | 2.5 miles race pace |
rest | 5 miles |
| Week 2 | 2.5 miles easy |
rest | 3 miles | CT | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 6 miles |
| Week 3 | 3 miles easy |
rest | 3.5 miles | CT | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 7 miles |
| Week 4 | 3 miles easy |
rest | 3.5 miles | CT | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 7 miles |
| Week 5 | 3.5 miles easy |
rest | 4 miles | CT | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 8 miles |
| Week 6 | 3.5 miles easy |
rest | 4 miles | CT | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 9 miles |
| Week 7 | 3.5 miles easy |
rest | 4 miles | CT | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 10 miles |
| Week 8 | 4 miles easy |
rest | 4.5 miles | CT | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 8 miles |
| Week 9 | 3 miles easy |
rest | 5 miles | CT | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 10 miles |
| Week 10 | 3 miles easy |
rest | 4.5 miles | rest | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 12 miles |
| Week 11 | 2.5 miles easy |
rest | 4 miles | rest | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 5 miles |
| Week 12 | rest | rest | 3 miles race pace |
30 mins | rest | 20 mins | Race Day |
12-week half-marathon training plan C
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 2 miles easy |
CT | 30 mins tempo |
rest | 3 miles | rest | 5 miles |
| Week 2 | 2.5 miles easy |
CT | 4 x 400 intervals |
rest | 3 miles | rest | 6 miles |
| Week 3 | 2 miles easy |
CT | 35 mins tempo |
2 miles | 3 miles | rest | 7 miles |
| Week 4 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 5 x 400 intervals |
rest | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 7 miles |
| Week 5 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 35 mins tempo |
3 miles | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 8 miles |
| Week 6 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 6 x 400 intervals |
3 miles | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 10k race |
| Week 7 | rest | CT | 40 mins tempo |
rest | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 9 miles |
| Week 8 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 6 x 400 intervals |
3 miles | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 10 miles |
| Week 9 | rest | CT | 45 mins tempo |
3 miles | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 11 miles |
| Week 10 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 7 x 400 intervals |
4 miles | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 12 miles |
| Week 11 | 2.5 miles easy |
CT | 45 mins tempo |
rest | 3 miles race pace |
rest | 5 miles |
| Week 12 | rest | CT | 4 miles | 30 mins 10k pace |
2 miles | rest | Race Day |
12-week half-marathon training plan D
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 35 mins tempo |
rest | 5 miles | rest | 7 miles |
| Week 2 | 3.5 miles easy |
CT | rest/CT | 35 mins tempo |
rest/CT | 9 miles | |
| Week 3 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 35 mins tempo |
rest/CT | 5 miles | rest | 10 miles |
| Week 4 | 4 miles easy |
CT | 4 x 800 intervals |
rest/CT | 40 mins tempo |
rest | 8 miles |
| Week 5 | 4 miles easy |
CT | 6 x hills | CT | 35 mins tempo |
rest | 9 miles |
| Week 6 | 4 miles easy |
CT | 7 x hills | CT | 40 mins tempo |
rest | 11 miles |
| Week 7 | rest | CT | 8 x 400 intervals |
rest/CT | 40 mins tempo |
rest | 13 miles last 3 race pace |
| Week 8 | 4 miles easy |
CT | 5 x 800 intervals |
rest/CT | 45 mins tempo |
3 miles easy |
rest |
| Week 9 | rest | CT | 8 x hills | rest/CT | 45 mins tempo |
rest | 10 miles |
| Week 10 | 3 miles easy |
CT | 7 x 400 intervals |
rest/CT | 35 mins tempo |
rest | 14 miles last 4 race pace |
| Week 11 | 2.5 miles easy |
CT | 40 mins tempo |
rest | 4 miles race pace |
rest | 5 miles |
| Week 12 | rest | CT | 4 miles steady |
30 mins 10k pace |
3 miles steady |
rest | Race Day |
Cross-training activities allow you to give your joints and running muscles a break, while still working on your cardio. When the schedule calls for CT, do a cardio activity other than running (biking, swimming, elliptical trainer) at moderate effort for 45 to 60 minutes. You'll also benefit from doing 15 minutes of strength-training 2x a week.
Tempo Run: helps you develop your anaerobic threshold, which is critical for faster racing. For a 40-minute tempo run, for example, start your run with 5 to 10 minutes of easy running, then continue with 15 to 20 minutes of running at about 10 seconds slower than your 10K pace. Finish with 5 to 10 minutes of cooling down. If you're not sure what your 10K pace is, run at a pace that feels "comfortably hard."
Interval workouts (IW): After a warm-up, run 400 metres (one lap around most tracks) hard, and then recover by jogging or walking 400 metres. For example, 3 x 400 would be three hard 400s, with a 400m recovery in between. For the 800m intervals, run 800m (two laps around most tracks) at your 5K race pace and then recover for 800m in between intervals.
Hill: After a warm-up, run 400m up a fairly steep hill, fairly quickly, then jog/walk down and repeat. For example 3x 4 hills would be 3 times up the hill with 3 down hill recoveries. This is aimed at improving your strength and developing your anaerobic threshold.
Race pace: Helps you develop your aerobic threshold, which is critical in maintaining your speed over the whole course. This helps push back the onset of lactic acid production and enables you to run longer before tiring.
Rest: Rest is critical to your recovery and injury prevention efforts so don't ignore rest days. Your muscles actually build and repair themselves during your rest days. Thursdays are a good day for rest, as you'll have run on Wednesday and will have your longest run of the week on Sunday.
Sunday long runs: After you warm up, run at a comfortable pace for the designated mileage. Make sure you cool down and stretch after your run. If most of your runs are on the road, and you're not sure how far you run, you can figure out the mileage by using resources such as MapMyRun.com or fetcheveryone. Or, you can always drive your route in your car ahead of time and measure the mileage using your car odometer.
Monday: This is an active recovery day. Your run should be at an easy (EZ), comfortable pace, which helps loosen up your muscles and get your body and mind used to running on tired legs.
Tune-up Race: This schedule recommends a 10K tune-up race at Week 6 so you can practice racing and get a sense of your fitness level. If you can't find a 10K race that weekend, you can do a shorter distance race, or do it during Week 9 or 10.
Note: You can switch days to accommodate your schedule. If you're busy one day, it's fine to swap a rest day for a run day.
