Mastering the Half Marathon: Proven Training Plans, Speed Workouts, and Pacing Strategies
A story of discovery
I still remember the cold‑mist morning of that race. The crowd’s chatter faded into a low hum as I slipped into a rhythm, my feet striking at roughly 180 steps per minute. Somewhere around mile 8, the early excitement gave way to a mental tug‑of‑war: the urge to surge ahead versus the need to conserve energy. I’d read countless training plans, but none had taught me how to listen to my body in real time. That day, I learned that pacing isn’t just a number on a watch – it’s a conversation between mind, muscles, and the data we collect.
The concept: personalised pacing zones & adaptive training
Why zones matter
Research from exercise physiology (e.g., the work of Jack Daniels) shows that training in distinct intensity zones – easy, tempo, and threshold – targets different energy systems. Easy runs stay in the lower‑10‑% of maximal heart‑rate, preserving glycogen stores; tempo work nudges the lactate threshold, teaching the body to clear lactate more efficiently; threshold intervals push the maximal lactate steady‑state, sharpening the speed you can hold for an hour‑long effort.
Turning science into a self‑coaching tool
When you can define your own pace zones, you gain three practical benefits:
- Clarity – you know exactly which effort feels like a “conversational” run versus a “comfortably hard” tempo.
- Adaptability – as fitness improves, the zones shift automatically; an adaptive plan will recalculate your zones after each key workout, keeping the training stimulus appropriate.
- Real‑time feedback – hearing audible cues or glancing at a live display lets you stay inside the intended zone without over‑reaching.
These capabilities are the backbone of a modern, data‑driven half‑marathon strategy. They let you act like a personal coach, adjusting effort on the fly, rather than following a rigid, time‑based schedule that may ignore day‑to‑day variability.
Practical self‑coaching steps (with subtle nods to useful features)
- Establish your baseline – Run a recent 10K at race effort, note the average pace (e.g., 5:45 min/km). Use this to set your easy**, tempo, and *threshold** zones. A platform that lets you create custom zones from a single effort makes this painless.
- Build a weekly structure – Aim for 4‑5 runs:
- Easy run (60‑70 % of max HR) – 5‑8 km at a relaxed pace.
- Tempo run – 20‑30 min at the upper end of your half‑marathon pace zone; think “just a shade faster than comfortable.”
- Threshold interval – 3‑4 × 1 km at 10K pace with 90‑second jogs; the platform’s interval builder lets you set distance, target pace, and recovery automatically.
- Long run – Gradually extend from 12 km to 18 km, keeping the last 3‑4 km at goal half‑marathon pace. Real‑time pacing alerts help you stay on target without drifting.
- Recovery / cross‑training – low‑impact 30‑45 min sessions (cycling, swimming) to keep aerobic volume while sparing the legs.
- Use adaptive feedback – After each hard session, let the system analyse heart‑rate and pace data, then suggest a modest increase in zone intensity for the next week. This mirrors the principle of progressive overload without the guesswork.
- Leverage collections & community sharing – Browse a curated set of half‑marathon workouts (e.g., “Speed‑Endurance Mix”) and compare notes with fellow runners. Seeing how others hit their zones can inspire adjustments and keep motivation high.
Closing thought & a starter workout
Running is a long‑term dialogue. The more you learn to ask the right questions – Am I staying in my intended zone? – and listen to the answers, the richer the conversation becomes. By treating your training plan as a living, adaptable coach, you’ll find the distance of 13.1 miles less intimidating and more rewarding.
Ready‑to‑run workout (12 km total)
| Segment | Distance | Pace | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm‑up | 2 km | Easy (your easy zone) | Light jog, easy strides |
| Main set | 4 × 1 km | Target half‑marathon pace (e.g., 5:30 min/km) | 90‑second easy jog recovery |
| Tempo | 5 km | Comfortably hard (≈10K pace) | Keep effort steady, no walking |
| Cool‑down | 1 km | Easy | Gentle jog, finish with a short stretch |
Run this workout once a week, track your zones, and watch the feedback guide you to the next level. Happy running – and when you’re ready to put the plan into action, try the workout above and let your personalised pace zones do the rest!
References
- Half Marathon Training Plan - Sub 2hrs down to 1:15mins | runningfastr (Blog)
- 10k To Half Marathon Training Plan + Complete Guide (Blog)
- Half marathon training plans for every runner - Women’s Running (Blog)
- half-marathon Archives | TrainingPeaks (Blog)
- 10K to half marathon: How to make the step up (Blog)
- Half-marathon training with Canadian record holder Andrea Seccafien - Canadian Running Magazine (Blog)
- Half Crazy! - Women’s Running (Blog)
- Running half marathon (Blog)
Collection - Half-Marathon Foundation Program
Foundation Intervals
View workout details
- 15min @ 7'00''/km
- 4 lots of:
- 1.0km @ 5'45''/km
- 1min 30s rest
- 10min @ 7'00''/km
Easy Run
View workout details
- 5min @ 7'00''/km
- 30min @ 7'00''/km
- 5min @ 7'00''/km
Foundation Long Run
View workout details
- 1.0km @ 7'00''/km
- 9.0km @ 7'00''/km
- 1.0km @ 7'00''/km
Recovery Run
View workout details
- 5min @ 9'00''/km
- 30min @ 8'30''/km
- 5min @ 9'00''/km
to import the collection after you install it.
