16 Week Half Marathon Training Plan

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

Weeks: 16
Sessions: 64
Peak week: 33.5 mi; week 14
Long run: 12.5 mi; week 14
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
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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 mi	4 · 3 key	21.5 mi	Long run 8 mi
04	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 5.5 mi	4 · 1 key	16.5 mi	Long run 5.5 mi
05	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 8.5 mi	4 · 3 key	22.5 mi	Long run 8.5 mi
06	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 9 mi	4 · 3 key	24.5 mi	Long run 9 mi
07	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 9.5 mi	4 · 3 key	25.5 mi	Long run 9.5 mi
08	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 7 mi	4 · 1 key	19.5 mi	Long run 7 mi
09	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 10 mi	4 · 3 key	27 mi	Long run 10 mi
10	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 10.5 mi	4 · 3 key	28 mi	Long run 10.5 mi
11	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 11.5 mi	4 · 3 key	30 mi	Long run 11.5 mi
12	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 8 mi	4 · 1 key	22 mi	Long run 8 mi
13	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 12 mi	4 · 3 key	32 mi	Long run 12 mi
14	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 12.5 mi	4 · 3 key	33.5 mi	Long run 12.5 mi
15	Taper: volume down, race pace sharpLong run 9.5 mi	4 · 2 key	25.5 mi	Long run 9.5 mi
16	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

Week 1 of this 16 week half marathon training plan totals 19.5 mi; the biggest week, week 14, reaches 33.5 mi. Halfway, week 8 carries 19.5 mi with a 7 mi long run. That is 380 mi over 64 runs for an intermediate half marathon runner. Cutbacks: week 4 (16.5 mi), week 8 (19.5 mi) and week 12 (22 mi).

Week 14 holds the 12.5-mi longest run, and 4 hill, 4 fartlek, 8 tempo and 7 interval sessions make up the harder days. Easy running at 9:28–10:25/mi is 68% of the 380 mi; 8 threshold sessions run at 7:53/mi. From week 12 on, 8:07/mi race-pace work sits beside a long run of up to 12.5 mi.

Taper: from 33.5 mi in week 14 down to 11.5 mi of running in race week. A 33.5-mi peak in week 14 points to 1:46:22 for the half marathon, 8:07/mi average.

4 sessions and 19.5 mi open this 16-week plan, topped by a 7 mi Sunday.

The phases run base weeks 1–5 (19.5–22.5 mi), build weeks 6–10 (24.5–28 mi), peak weeks 11–14 (30–33.5 mi), taper week 15 (25.5 mi) and race week 16 (11.5 mi).

Questions

FAQ

How many miles a week is the 16 week half marathon training plan?

19.5 mi in week 1, 19.5 mi by week 8 and 33.5 mi at the peak, week 14: 380 mi total.

What pace are the easy runs on this 16-week half marathon plan?

9:28–10:25/mi at VDOT 42, for 68% of 380 mi.

What is the longest run in the 16 week half marathon training plan?

12.5 mi in week 14, up from 7 mi in week 1.

Does the 16 week half marathon training plan work with 3 runs a week?

48 runs instead of 64: switch to 3 days and the 12.5-mi long run stays.

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