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Half Marathon Advanced Training Plan
You are an advanced half marathon aiming for a 1:25, 1:20, 1:15, or 1:10 hour time goal.
Not an advanced runner? Check out the beginner or intermediate plan.
The key to a faster half marathon is superior endurance, lactate threshold, VO2 max, and speed. You develop these physiological abilities by optimizing the following 3 training variables:
- Effective running workouts
- A balanced training week
- Intelligent training progression
Effective Running Workouts for the Half Marathon
A fast half marathon time allows no weakness in any training zone. However, half marathon preparation emphasizes endurance and lactate threshold training more than is typical for 10K and 5K races.
The following 12 training zones and sub-zones are part of the half marathon advanced training plan:
- Recovery run
- Easy run / Long run
- Moderate pace
- Marathon pace
- 30K pace (aerobic threshold)
- HM pace
- 15K pace (lactate threshold)
- 10K pace
- 5K pace
- 3K pace (VO2 max)
- 1500m pace
- Power
The Half Marathon Advanced Training Week
The 6-day running week features 2 key workouts and 1 long run. One or two easy runs can be replaced with aerobic cross-training. You can also move the workout days (e.g. long run on Sunday instead of Saturday) as long as they don’t result in hard back-to-back workouts.
- Key workout 1
- Easy
- Easy
- Key Workout 2
- –
- Long Run
- Easy
Intelligent Training Progression for the Half Marathon
The half marathon advanced training plans consist of conditioning, base, support, and race-specific phases. In other words, the training intensity gradually transitions from general to race-specific efforts.
Conditioning
The 4-week conditioning phase gradually increases your weekly mileage to develop general endurance and includes hill sprints on two of your easy runs to build muscular strength.
- Easy + hill sprints
- Moderate
- Easy + hill sprints
- Moderate
- –
- Long Run
- Easy
Base Training
The 6-week base phase continues to build your overall mileage and the long run. Fartleks add short segments of 3K—1500m pace. For aerobic work, moderate and marathon pace are introduced.
- Fartlek
- Moderate
- Easy
- Moderate / Marathon pace
- –
- Long Run
- Easy
Support Training
The 6-week support phase develops your VO2 max and lactate threshold. It starts with shorter segments that will increase in number and duration towards the end of this mesocycle.
- Intervals 10K/5K pace
- Moderate
- Easy
- Tempo HM/15K pace
- –
- Extended Long Run
- Easy
Race-Specific
In the last few weeks before the race, it’s essential to focus on running at your half marathon goal pace for longer periods of time. The most challenging workouts take place 2 weeks before race day. After that, the race taper, with a reduced training volume, is in effect.
- 10K pace
- Moderate
- Easy
- Half Marathon pace
- –
- Long Run
- Easy
Personalizing the Half Marathon Advanced Training Plan
You can choose from 48 different versions based on 4 criteria. You may pick a 20, 16, 12, or 8-week training plan. If you have a solid foundation of endurance and speed from recent training and racing, you can opt for the 12 or 8-week plan.
- Time goal 1:25, 1:20, 1:15, or 1:10 h
- Plan duration 8, 12, 16 or 20 weeks
- Imperial or metric (miles or km)
- TrainingPeaks or FinalSurge
Half Marathon Advanced Training Plans
Imperial or Metric
Sub 1:25 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:25 plan in miles
-
34 - 50 miles per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:20 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:20 plan in miles
-
37 - 56 miles per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:15 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:15 plan in miles
-
42 - 62 miles per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:10 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:10 plan in miles
-
48 - 68 miles per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:25 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:25 plan in km
-
54 - 80 km per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:20 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:20 plan in km
-
60 - 90 km per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:15 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:15 plan in km
-
68 - 100 km per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 1:10 h
Half Marathon
sub 1:10 plan in km
-
76 - 110 km per week
-
6 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Choose a plan according to your time goal but make sure you are realistic about it. If you current half marathon PR is 2:00 hours then you are unlikely to succeed with a sub 1:25 hour plan.
That said, the weekly mileage of the plan isn’t exact science to achieve a certain time goal. Rather, it is based on experience of what’s necessary to achieve a certain time. For example, you may choose a 1:50 hour plan and achieve 1:40 hours on race day — or vice versa. That means you could use the lower mileage 1:50 hour plan and personalize its zones for for a 1:40 hour time goal or use a 1:40 plan for a 1:50 h time goal (if you are already comfortable with the weekly mileage).
But don’t worry, if a plan turns out to be too easy or too hard for you, I’ll change it for you free of charge within 14 days of your purchase.
Yes, you can fully adjust the plan to your needs.
Training zones
You can personalize the training zones of based on your fitness level for any plan with a click of a mouse button. Take a recent race result (or an educated guess) for your current ability and then update your zones as needed toward your goal race pace.
Training days
You can move your workouts easily with the drag and drop feature. For instance, if you prefer your long run on a Sunday instead of a Saturday, you can change the order of workouts. Just make sure you don’t have any hard back-to-back sessions.
You can also skip or replace some of your easy runs with aerobic cross-training, such as cycling or swimming. But I recommend a minimum of 4 running days per week.
Race Day
By default my plans assume the race is on a Sunday. Should your race fall on a Saturday, then remove Wednesday’s easy run and bring the workouts that follow 1 day forward.
TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge are the leading online training platforms for endurance athletes. Here you can upload your workouts to your running watch and follow the instructions in real-time. Post-workout it syncs your training data where you can observe your progress over time.
Both platforms come in free and paid versions. The free versions work just fine with any of my training plans.
If you want a maximum of training metrics then I suggest you use TrainingPeaks. But for an easy-to-use and beautiful interface I recommend FinalSurge.
You can contact me anytime via email if you have questions about the training plan or training in general.
But for personalized training consider my 1-on-1 online coaching.
