20 Week Half Marathon Training Plan

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

Weeks: 20
Sessions: 80
Peak week: 33.5 mi; week 18
Long run: 12.5 mi; week 18
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	20.5 mi	Long run 7.5 mi
03	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 7.5 mi	4 · 3 key	21 mi	Long run 7.5 mi
04	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 5.5 mi	4 · 1 key	15.5 mi	Long run 5.5 mi
05	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 8 mi	4 · 3 key	22 mi	Long run 8 mi
06	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 8.5 mi	4 · 3 key	22.5 mi	Long run 8.5 mi
07	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 9 mi	4 · 3 key	24.5 mi	Long run 9 mi
08	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 6.5 mi	4 · 1 key	17.5 mi	Long run 6.5 mi
09	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 9.5 mi	4 · 3 key	25.5 mi	Long run 9.5 mi
10	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 10 mi	4 · 3 key	26.5 mi	Long run 10 mi
11	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 10.5 mi	4 · 3 key	27 mi	Long run 10.5 mi
12	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 7.5 mi	4 · 1 key	20 mi	Long run 7.5 mi
13	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 10.5 mi	4 · 3 key	28 mi	Long run 10.5 mi
14	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 11 mi	4 · 3 key	29.5 mi	Long run 11 mi
15	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 11.5 mi	4 · 3 key	30.5 mi	Long run 11.5 mi
16	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 8.5 mi	4 · 1 key	23.5 mi	Long run 8.5 mi
17	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 12 mi	4 · 3 key	32 mi	Long run 12 mi
18	Peak: half marathon-specific paceLong run 12.5 mi	4 · 3 key	33.5 mi	Long run 12.5 mi
19	Taper: volume down, race pace sharpLong run 9.5 mi	4 · 2 key	25.5 mi	Long run 9.5 mi
20	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

From 19.5 mi in the first week to 33.5 mi in week 18: that is the arc of this 20 week half marathon training plan. Halfway, week 10 carries 26.5 mi with a 10 mi long run. That is 476 mi over 80 runs for an intermediate half marathon runner. Cutbacks: week 4 (15.5 mi), week 8 (17.5 mi), week 12 (20 mi) and week 16 (23.5 mi).

The long run tops out at 12.5 mi in week 18; 29 key sessions include 5 hill, 5 fartlek, 10 tempo and 9 interval workouts. Easy running at 9:28–10:25/mi is 68% of the 476 mi; 10 threshold sessions run at 7:53/mi. Weeks 16–18 add race-pace running at 8:07/mi.

Taper: from 33.5 mi in week 18 down to 11.5 mi of running in race week. 1:46:22 (8:07/mi) is the half marathon projection after 476 mi of training.

4 sessions and 19.5 mi open this 20-week plan, topped by a 7 mi Sunday.

Structure: base weeks 1–6 (19.5–22.5 mi), build weeks 7–13 (24.5–28 mi), peak weeks 14–18 (29.5–33.5 mi), taper week 19 (25.5 mi) and race week 20 (11.5 mi).

Questions

FAQ

How many miles a week is the 20 week half marathon training plan?

19.5 → 26.5 mi (week 10) → 33.5 mi (week 18); 476 mi overall.

What pace are the easy runs on this 20-week half marathon plan?

9:28–10:25/mi at VDOT 42, for 68% of 476 mi.

What is the longest run in the 20 week half marathon training plan?

12.5 mi in week 18, up from 7 mi in week 1.

Does the 20 week half marathon training plan work with 3 runs a week?

At 3 days a week the 20-week plan has about 60 runs, not 80.

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