12 Week Half Marathon Training Plan

12 weeks·4 days / wk·half marathon·intermediate

Weeks: 12
Sessions: 48
Peak week: 33 mi; week 10
Long run: 12.5 mi; week 10
Taper: 2 wk

BaseCutbackBuildPeakTaperRace

Paces assume an intermediate runner (VDOT 42). Enter a recent race to personalise them.

Week-by-week training plan
Wk	Focus	Sessions	Volume	Biggest session
01	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 7 mi	4 · 3 key	19.5 mi	Long run 7 mi
Tue Oct 6 Hill repeats 6 × 60 s 4 mi Warm-up · 1.5 mi easy 6 × 60 s uphill · hard but controlled (5K effort), jog back down Cool-down · 1 mi easy Thu Oct 8 Easy run 5 mi 5 mi easy · @ 9:28–10:25/mi, conversational Fri Oct 9 Fartlek 5 × 1 min 3.5 mi Warm-up · 1.5 mi easy 5 × 1 min on / 1 min easy · "on" near 7:53/mi Cool-down · 1 mi easy Sun Oct 11 Long run 7 mi 7 mi steady · @ 9:28–10:25/mi, fuel every 45 min if over 90 min
Weeks 2–12 locked Unlock the full plan. Every session, every week Paces and loads from your numbers PDF, calendar and Garmin export Re-plans when you miss a key session Billing period$79 / year$14 / month Annual works out at $6.58 a month Secure checkout with Stripe · Cancel any time
02	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 7.5 mi	4 · 3 key	21 mi	Long run 7.5 mi
03	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 8.5 mi	4 · 3 key	22.5 mi	Long run 8.5 mi
04	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 6 mi	4 · 1 key	17 mi	Long run 6 mi
05	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 9 mi	4 · 3 key	24.5 mi	Long run 9 mi
06	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 10 mi	4 · 3 key	26.5 mi	Long run 10 mi
07	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 11 mi	4 · 3 key	28.5 mi	Long run 11 mi
08	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 8 mi	4 · 1 key	22 mi	Long run 8 mi
09	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 11.5 mi	4 · 3 key	30.5 mi	Long run 11.5 mi
10	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 12.5 mi	4 · 3 key	33 mi	Long run 12.5 mi
11	Taper: volume down, race pace sharpLong run 9.5 mi	4 · 2 key	25 mi	Long run 9.5 mi
12	Race week — half marathonRace 13 mi	4 · 1 key	11.5 mi	Race 13 mi

Your paces

Easy / long: 9:28–10:25/mi62–70% VO2max, conversational
Marathon (M): 8:25/mi
Threshold (T): 7:53/micomfortably hard, ~60 min race effort
Interval (I): 7:15/mi3–5 min reps, ~97.5% VO2max
Repetition (R): 6:49/mishort fast reps, mile race pace
half marathon race pace: 8:07/mifinish 1:46:22

The numbers

About this plan

This 12 week half marathon training plan opens with 19.5 mi in week 1 and peaks at 33 mi in week 10. Halfway, week 6 carries 26.5 mi with a 10 mi long run. That is 282 mi over 48 runs for an intermediate half marathon runner. Cutbacks: week 4 (17 mi) and week 8 (22 mi).

The long run tops out at 12.5 mi in week 10; 17 key sessions include 3 hill, 3 fartlek, 6 tempo and 5 interval workouts. Easy running at 9:28–10:25/mi is 68% of the 282 mi; 6 threshold sessions run at 7:53/mi. Peak weeks add 8:07/mi race-pace repeats and a fast finish to the 12.5-mi long run of week 10.

Taper: from 33 mi in week 10 down to 11.5 mi of running in race week. On these numbers the half marathon projects to 1:46:22, 8:07/mi from start to finish, off a 33-mi peak.

Week 1, shown in full above, is 19.5 mi: Tuesday — hill repeats 6 × 60 s, 4 mi; Thursday — easy run, 5 mi; Friday — fartlek 5 × 1 min, 3.5 mi; Sunday — long run, 7 mi.

The phases run base weeks 1–3 (19.5–22.5 mi), build weeks 5–7 (24.5–28.5 mi), peak weeks 9–10 (30.5–33 mi), taper week 11 (25 mi) and race week 12 (11.5 mi).

Questions

FAQ

How many miles a week is the 12 week half marathon training plan?

19.5 mi in week 1, 26.5 mi by week 6 and 33 mi at the peak, week 10: 282 mi total.

How fast should easy runs be on the 12 week half marathon training plan?

9:28–10:25/mi at VDOT 42, for 68% of 282 mi.

What is the longest run in the 12 week half marathon training plan?

12.5 mi in week 10, up from 7 mi in week 1.

Can I run the 12 week half marathon training plan on 3 days a week instead of 4?

36 runs instead of 48: switch to 3 days and the 12.5-mi long run stays.

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