Hello! Today I have a great half marathon training plan to share. In the beginning of the year I asked you (my readers, friends, enemies, frenemies, strangers on the street…) “What are YOUR goals for the year?”
And a lot of the answers involved running goals. I noticed the most common goal was to either
A. “Run my first half marathon!” or
B. “Run a sub 2 hour half marathon!”
Hopefully you are well on your way to achieving those goals – the year is half way over!
But if you still want to knock 13.1 miles off the list I have a half marathon training plan you can use.
The plan is below to print out, follow along, tattoo on your butt, post on your Facebook page and Instagram!
If you start next week you’ll be ready to run a half marathon by the end of October – just in time for the RnR LA Half Marathon, Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon and many more fall/winter races!
BONUS: I will be supplementing this training plan with weekly check-ins every week for the next 12-14 weeks to help keep you accountable with tips and extra information to help you along!
Email me or leave a comment with any questions you have as you train! I’ll answer them in the weekly check-in posts.
Bonus #2: If I keep up this ridiculous Spark intake I might have it in me to run with one of you! I’m bouncing off the ways here and wouldn’t mind a run/vacation combo with a few of my favorites.
It’s a 12 week half marathon training plan and that gives you plenty of time to run a half before the year is over. Heck, run it before Thanksgiving! Or find a half marathon turkey trot!
Half Marathon Training Plan For Beginners
Half Marathon Printable Calendar Here
This 12 week half marathon training plan is level one. This plan assumes you are running 3-4 days a week pretty consistently and have run a few 5ks and 10ks. Also, you should be able to run 5 miles in one go as the Long Run starts at 5 miles for week one.
Half Marathon Training Plan Rules:
1. Listen to your body. Train smart and listen to what your body is telling you in terms of pushing it or resting or anything else. Be careful and have fun!
2. Do you. It doesn’t matter if you are a new runner, Olympian or anything in between… DO YOU. This means do your best, listen to your body on each run and don’t worry about comparison.
3. This is supposed to be FUN! Do your best, but don’t stress.
4. Don’t hold me responsible if you get injured while training – especially if you don’t trust the plan and run extra or do something like run through knee pain.
5. Do hold me responsible if you meet the love of your life at the race and invite me to the wedding.
6. The first 3 weeks call for your Tuesday run to be in a hilly course or area. We’ll talk about strides before week 4.
This plan works for any half marathon – plan to start training with a good running base about 12 to 14 weeks out.
Upcoming Half Marathons…
Rock N Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon – Oct 25th
Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon – Nov 7th
Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland – Nov 15th
Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon – Nov 15th
Hi Monican! I want to use this plan, but I have a few questions:
1. What is running with strides?! I googled it, but I got very overwhelmed. Is this the same as interval training? Do you have suggestions for beginners?
2. What do you suggest for cross training? I literally have no idea where to begin.
Thank you!
I haven’t run a half, but I want to so much! I’ve been training to run further, longer and faster with the eventual goal of running a half marathon way, way in the future, but your half marathon plan looks so doable. It blows my mind to think I could be running a half in a few months! Thank you for sharing. Looks like I need to go and find some hills to run.
I’m going to run the Sedona half in February. I’ve kind of gotten lazy and out of shape over the last year so I’m ready to get back at it!! Come run with me!!
Nice
I would love to do the Avengers half, that’s one I could probably even talk my husband into doing. It’s a long way from Florida though. I ran my first half in February of this year and am doing a 20k (which might as well be a half, especially since it’s on trails) in October. Summer training is so much harder; I might end up run-walking this one.
Trail runs are difficult! You’re a rock star 🙂 GOOD LUCK!!
The Seattle half in November! However, I am realizing I need to actually run (instead of talk/think/read about it) if I want to make it across the finish line. So. Maybe I should go for a run now.
Gooooooo!! Good luck 🙂
This training plan came at a perfect time! I ran the HB half and the OC half this year. I want to run the LB Half in October (but I haven’t paid for it yet eek!) so that I can get that special beach cities metal at the end of the year. I officially started training the past 2 weeks but know I need to incorporate 1 hilly or interval run in my schedule so I can improve my pace.
Thanks again!
And I live in Irvine, if you’re ever bored and want a running partner, but I doubt I can keep up with you at this point ha!
So glad you shared this! I start my half marathon training next month and I’ve been looking for a great plan!
Thanks for sharing this, saved 🙂
I’m training for a 10k race in September, and hopefully a marathon beginning of next year. I’ve only started the races in the last year, so still very unsure about it all!
This is great! I’m training for my first half marathon, which is in Annapolis in November (so, COLD). I play a lot of volleyball in the fall, and I think this might be the first training program that I can easily adapt to my volleyball + running schedule. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the plan! I am always looking for new ways to train better for my halfs. I have a race in a week and a half 🙂
I’m currently training for my first half- this was right up my alley!
What sneakers do you recommend?
I’m wearing HOKAs right now, but I recommend going to a running store to get fitted and find the best type for you.
Training for the Semi-Marathon de Boulogne-Billancourt in France (And the Paris Marathon – but that’s next April)! It will be my 6th half and I’m definitely trying to get to a sub-2 hour. I haven’t used a training plan since my first marathon. Any advice on ramping up this or any other training plan to increase speed?
This could not have come at a better time for me! I was planning on running a half that I’ve been training for this weekend, and then I broke my toe 🙁 Major fail! But this plan looks great to get me back on track! Thanks!
Greetings Monican 🙂 Long time reader (ie; lurker), first time comment! This was posted just in time as I started my training this week for the Inaugural Cocoa Beach Half Marathon – the medal is a genie bottle! – which, of course, I think you should run with me, as I already have a room booked on the beach and everything! This will be my 6th Half, I run numerous 5k/10k races throughout the year and commit to at least one Half to keep me honest 🙂 As you well know, training in the summer heat of Florida (I’m just just west of Tampa, too far to run into you when you are visting your in laws 🙁 ) can be BRUTAL, but we suffer through becuase it makes us better runners in the cooler months!
I’m in! I’m doing the Zooma Nashville half marathon and this times out perfectly! Plus the reminders will help me too 🙂
i’m training for a full this fall, but definitely want to work in at least one half. This looks like a great training plan!
I signed up form my first half marathon: RNR in Washington, DC in March. it’s so far away but I am already in the “I am freaking out! I am going to die” mood.
Thank you for posting the training plan! I’m running my first half on October 31st, and I’ve started training but I’m not crazy about the plan I’m following, so I may give this a shot.
I’m training for my FIRST right now – I’m running the RNR Philly on Halloween. Normally this race is during September but the Pope is coming to visit so they had to push it back. I love this training plan, but do you think I can get away with running only 3 times a week instead of 4?
I have run two half marathons and the last one sort of turned me off running. It was my fault. It was a crazy time in my life and I wasn’t prepared. I need to try again but I am working my way there slowly. I want to do it when I feel a deep desire to do it, not just because I feel I should.
At this point I have about 20 or so half marathons under my belt.
I’m running the Beat the Blerch half in September. And then in October I have s back to back weekend. Rock n roll brooklyn on the Saturday and the Staten Island half on the Sunday. It’s going to be in place of a 20 mile training run for NYC marathon on 11/1.
I ran the Amsterdam HM last year and I’m currently training for one in Haarlem and Eindhoven (all in the Netherlands :))