The half marathon is a 13.1 mile race that many consider a gateway to running a marathon; for others it is just a bit longer than their weekly long runs, but a good way to improve their pace and fine tune their training. Whether you are a recreational jogger who is ready to move past running 5K races or a dedicated marathoner looking for a good, competitive run, it is best to follow a program that’s been created by experienced runners to make sure that you are well-prepared and ready to achieve your goal.

Beginner Program

Every half marathon training program for beginners is designed for runners who are regularly running between 15 and 25 miles per week. If your running regimen does not currently include running three to four miles at least four or five times per week, you must get yourself to that level before you begin training for a half marathon; otherwise you are likely to injure yourself.

Although a half marathon is not as physically taxing as a marathon, running 13.1 miles is still tough on the body and requires a good level of fitness. You would be well-advised to consult with your physician before beginning to train.

Free Programs

Once you’ve made the commitment to train for a half marathon, you have many options available to you. There are interactive programs that you can subscribe to for a fee that will provide you with customized workouts based upon your current fitness level.

These programs also provide daily emails, monitoring services to assist with any time and weight loss goals, and access to their message boards and community for support and feedback. Pricing for this personalized approach varies; Hal Higdon’s virtual half marathon training program costs $14.95 and is available for a number of different time frames.

There are also many authoritative half marathon training schedules available for free that provide easy to follow daily routines as well as valuable information on the basics of endurance, strength, speed and tapering. Feedback and support are easy to find, whether within your own running community or online.

12 Weeks Program

Training for a half marathon is generally a 12-week process, although programs can be found that go as short as eight weeks. Only runners who are already running between 25 and 35 miles per week should approach a schedule that trains for a half marathon in that short an amount of time; adding enough mileage to run a half marathon in a shorter amount of time breaks the “no more than 10% added per week” rule, and risks injury.

Most training schedules include two rest days with stretching, some cross training and strength training, and road work that builds to a long run of 14-16 miles two weeks before the race, followed by a taper.

Intermediate

If you’re already built up your running mileage and are entering a half marathon race with the idea of improving your performance or using it to determine your marathon pace, you will need to follow a different kind of training program.

Your training will focus more on your strength and your pacing with the intention of getting faster and beating your previous personal best. You may want to investigate how you can help yourself nutritionally by following a marathon diet, learn more about supplements and how carb loading during a race might help, and build speed work and twice weekly tempo runs into your training schedule.