Half Marathon Training Plan
Nearly every marathon and every major city hosts their own half marathon run. The half marathon has become one of the most popular races for both novice and experienced runners because the training period is shorter –
Whether you are a 5K runner looking to challenge yourself or an experienced marathon runner who wants to boost your split speed, there are a number of free training programs available to help you achieve your goal.
The best half marathon training schedules are all listed above in our Top 3 and Top 10 lists. However, if you don’t want to pay for good out anything, the best free half marathon training plan is offered by Runners World magazine.
Just be sure to know that any free programs won’t be anywhere near a good and will lessen your chances for success. It really depends on how serious you’re taking this and what your goals are.
Half Marathon Training Plan Runners World
Runners World magazine is a popular resource for beginning runners and experienced runners alike. It offers running equipment reviews, nutritional information, running routes in interesting locations, and well-
Their half marathon training schedule, while not a complete regime, offers plans for beginners, intermediate runners and advanced runners. It is unique because each plan is only 9 weeks long and offers 3 rest days rather than the normal two, yet each level prescribes different goals and levels of challenge.
It offers nutritional information, urges runners to try to create race day conditions and even offers advice on preventing and treating injuries. Each schedule includes a taper. The plan is free and can be downloaded from their website, where you can also find posted questions and reviews of the program by runners who have used it.
Half Marathon Training Plan For Beginners
A professional half marathon training program for beginners is designed for runners who want to take their running to the next level up from running 5 or 10Ks. It increases both your weekly mileage and your mileage in the long run over 9 weeks, and introduces aerobic intervals by adding a tempo run to your weekly schedule. It also introduces the concept of the gentle pickup, which ends your run with a several minute walk followed by a quick sprint that boosts your exertion level without leaving you out of breath. This adds variety to your training while incrementally training you to run faster and improving your leg speed and your running efficiency.
Half Marathon Training Plan Intermediate
If you’re an intermediate runner you are probably looking at the half marathon with an eye to improving your speed or general performance, or perhaps you are looking for a warmup for a marathon training plan. All of the professional guides to training for a half marathon introduces the intermediate runner to faster running during your normal running schedule by adding pace intervals, cruise intervals, and speed intervals.
It also adds scheduled uphill running that they call “total uphill time” to increase your leg strength and endurance.
Half Marathon Training Plan Advanced
If you are an advanced runner who is running 60 or more miles per week, training for a half marathon is probably about challenging yourself and improving your speed. The training schedule that you choose will ask advanced runners to push yourself both in intensity and in mileage. In addition to the pace intervals, cruise intervals and speed intervals that you may already be incorporating into your weekly schedule, this plan offers what they call “fatigue fighter intervals”; you are asked to maintain your pace and speed up during your long run so that you are training yourself to run faster as you tire, setting you up for a much improved speed during the actual run.