Half Marathon PB Training Plan - This Messy Happy

We’re breaking down the excellent Half Marathon PB Training Plan from This Messy Happy so you can put its principles into action. A well-structured plan is the foundation for hitting a new personal best, whether you’re aiming for a half marathon or mastering the 10K. Check out the full video for more detail, and read on for our summary and workout breakdown.

Key Principles of the Plan

This plan is designed for experienced half-marathoners looking to inject some speed and a fresh perspective into their training. Here’s the high-level view:

• Smart Structure: The week is built around three key runs: an easy base run on Tuesday, a tempo or interval session on Friday, and a progressive long run on Sunday. These are supplemented with strength and conditioning on Monday and Thursday.
• Periodized Blocks: The schedule follows two 4-week training blocks (Base and Speed), separated by a recovery week with reduced mileage. This all leads into a 2-week taper where volume is cut by about 50%.
• Purposeful Pacing: The long run peaks at 18 km before the taper begins. A core principle is polarization: keep your easy days genuinely easy and your hard days hard. The Friday speed session is crucial, and if you want to dive deeper into the science, we have a complete guide on mastering interval training.
• Essential Habits: The plan emphasizes that you should never skip strength work, always stretch after your runs, respect your rest days, and, most importantly, enjoy the process.

Example Workout Schedule

**Weeks 1–3 (Base Block)**
*   **Tuesday:** Easy base run (30–45 min at a comfortable, conversational pace).
*   **Friday:** Tempo intervals. Start with a 15-min warm-up, then run 5 minutes at your half-marathon race pace (high zone 3), followed by a 2.5-min easy jog. Repeat this 3–4 times and finish with a 10-min cool-down.
*   **Sunday:** Progressive long run. Start at 8 km and add 1–2 km each week, building toward 12–14 km by the end of the block.
*   **Monday/Thursday:** Light strength & core work (foam rolling, yoga, Pilates, or body-weight exercises).

**Week 4 (Recovery

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## References

- **[Half Marathon PB Training Plan - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyILjLlZK1o)** (YouTube Video)

Workout - Half Marathon Tempo Intervals

• 15min @ 6'00''/km
• 4 lots of:
  • 5min @ 5'45''/km
  • 2min 30s @ 7'00''/km
• 10min @ 6'30''/km

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