12-week Half Marathon Training Program for beginners (to intermediate).

    The schedule is mostly based around running time, but some distance targets are included. To help you accurately measure these distances, it is useful to use the     Measured Run Tools from this site. The programe gives you 4 running days a week.  Intermediate standard runners: If you already have a good base     you could start the program at week 4 and repeat weeks 4 to 6 before moving on to week 7.

    PRINTABLE VERSION

    Weeks 1-3: The first couple of weeks are designed to act as a lead in to the programe. Take it easy, but do try to bring in the tempo running. To start     tempo running, it is best to start with a 2-5 minute warm up before running at tempo pace for 5-10 minutes. As you get fitter a short fun run or time trial can replace a     tempo session and still leave you with the energy to do your long run at the end of the week.

    Monday:      Week 1     30 minutes easy run/recovery run         Week 2     30 minutes easy run/recovery run        Week 3      30 minutes easy run/recovery run

    Tuesday:      Week 1      Rest day                                             Week 2     Rest day                                            Week 3     Rest day   (Speed Work?) 

    Wednesday: Week 1    30 minutes easy running                        Week 2    30 minutes TEMPO running                 Week 3      40 minutes TEMPO running

    Thursday:     Week 1      Rest day                                             Week 2     Rest day                                            Week 3     Rest day

    Friday:          Week 1     30 minutes easy run/recovery run         Week 2     30 minutes easy run/recovery run        Week 3      30 minutes easy run/recovery run

    Saturday:     Week 1      5km run                                              Week 2     40 minute run                                      Week 3    8km run  

    Sunday:        Week 1      Rest day                                           Week 2     Rest day                                           Week 3     Rest daySunday:        Week 1      Rest day                                             Week 2     Rest day                                             Week 3     Rest day 

    Weeks 4-6: By now you should be ready to crack the hour-long long run and the tempo work should be starting to come along nicely. Over these next three     weeks, you should be hoping to increase your tempo running to 20 minutes at continuous tempo speed before taking a 2-3 minute recovery jog, and then taking the     pace up again. Also, your long runs will be building up in length, enabling you to run further in comfort. Because of this it might be tempting to "go for it" and try to     run at full tempo speed for the entire 30-40 minutes - but resist the urge. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself before the race, so keep cool and remember     to always warm up and warm down. After all, running more than 40 minutes at tempo speed is getting close to full race running. Hopefully you should be doing some     work on the Tuesdays - this can be an easy recovery run for most. Alternatively, if you have less time or are doing gym sessions, why not try some speed intervals     on the streets or the treadmill? Remember, if you're still sore from the tempo running your body is telling you it needs more time to recover, so keep Tuesday as a     recovery day - take it easy, but don't forget your stretching.

    Monday:      Week 4      40 minutes easy run/recovery run         Week 5     40 minutes easy run/recovery run        Week 6    40 minutes easy run/recovery run

    Tuesday:      Week 4       Rest day    (Speed Work?)                Week 5     Rest day    (Speed Work?)              Week 6    Rest day    (Speed Work?)

    Wednesday: Week 4      50 minutes easy running                       Week 5    30 minutes TEMPO running                Week 6     50 minutes TEMPO running

    Thursday:     Week 4       Rest day                                             Week 5     Rest day                                            Week 6     Rest day

    Friday:          Week 4      30 minutes speed run or x-training       Week 5      40 minutes speed run or x-training      Week 6     30 minutes speed run or x-training

    Saturday:     Week 4       60min run                                           Week 5     11.5km run                                         Week 6    13km run

    Sunday:        Week 4       Rest day                                             Week 5     Rest day                                             Week 6     Rest day

    Weeks 7-9: In this set of weeks you will conquer another big hurdle - the 16 kilometre run. Remember to tackle this milestone steadily and break it down into     stages, either by 1-kilometre or 10-minute chunks. The good news is that, after it, you are then rewarded with an easy week in terms of long run mileage. For this     reason Week 9's 8 kilometre and 50-minute runs are a good opportunity to check out your running pace. These particular runs should seem like a breeze - if they     are, you are ready for the big run in week 10.

     Monday:     Week 7      40 minutes easy run/recovery run         Week 8    40 minutes easy run/recovery run         Week 9     40 minutes easy run/recovery run

    Tuesday:      Week 7       Rest day      (Speed Work?)              Week 8     Rest day        (Speed Work?)           Week 9    Rest day      (Speed Work?)

    Wednesday: Week 7      40 minutes TEMPO running                 Week 8    40 minutes TEMPO running                Week 9     50 minutes TEMPO running

    Thursday:     Week 7       Rest day                                             Week 8     Rest day                                            Week 9     Rest day

    Friday:          Week 7      40 minutes speed run or x-training       Week 8      40 minutes speed run or x-training      Week 9     50 minutes speed run or x-training

    Saturday:     Week 7       60min run                                           Week 8     16km run                                            Week 9    8km run

    Sunday:        Week 7       Rest day                                            Week 8     Rest day                                             Week 9     Rest day

    Weeks 10-12: The big test of your readiness for the half marathon is the 19 kilometre long run at the end of week 10. By this point you should have built up      a sound aerobic base of fitness and good mileage in your legs. The main challenge will be the psychological effort of motivating yourself to keep going for the full 19      kilometres. The good news is that if you can do it now in training, then the extra 2 kilometres and a bit on race day will fly past easily as the excitement and      atmosphere of the race carries you along. After this big test, you will begin your two-week "taper". This is a time of recovery and preparation for the race itself.      Your aim is to keep the gains you have made over the past 10 weeks, while also ensuring that your body has time to recover and revitalise before the race.

     Week 11's 10 kilometre run is a good test of your readiness for the big day. On this run push yourself a little: run it at brisk and strong pace, but keep light and      relaxed. Concentrate on being economical and efficient in your running. Your last week is all about getting ready for the race, so take it easy. Make sure you carry      out plenty of stretching to stay loose and avoid injuries. Your tempo run will be the last push, which is designed to keep the aerobic systems firing on all cylinders      and to energise the muscles. Take it easy again on Friday to make sure that you are well recovered and have a good rest on Saturday. In fact, on the Saturday you      have the licence to do almost nothing at all - don't spend two hours walking round the shops or be tempted to try to fit in that last training session. All the work is      done. You should be more than ready for the race - good luck and enjoy it!

     Monday:     Week 10      40 minutes easy run/recovery run         Week 11  40 minutes easy run/recovery run        Week 12   40 minutes easy run/recovery run 

    Tuesday:      Week 10       Rest day       (Speed Work?)            Week 11   Rest day   (Speed Work?)                Week 12   Rest day

    Wednesday: Week 10     40 minutes TEMPO running                 Week 11  40 minutes TEMPO running                 Week 12   40 minutes TEMPO running

    Thursday:     Week 10       Rest day                                            Week 11    Rest day                                           Week 12   Rest day

    Friday:          Week 10      40 minutes speed run or x-training      Week 11    40 minutes speed run or x-training      Week 12   30 minutes easy run/recovery run

    Saturday:      Week  10      19km run                                           Week 11   10km run at race pace.                     Week 12   Rest day

    Sunday:         Week 10       Rest day                                            Week 11   Rest day                                            Week 12   RACE DAY !!!!

    We'd love to hear your story of how your training and Race Day went !!!

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