Half marathon workouts: Training sessions for faster race times
No matter which season you’re in, it’s always a great time to lace up and start training for a half marathon – and throwing in some speed workouts each week can help you to get faster, stay motivated and feel fresh come race day.
However, whether you’re a first-time half marathoner or more seasoned over 13.1 miles, you might feel unsure where to start, or how to make any progress. So, to give you some expert guidance and that all-important edge, we consulted with top coaches to offer the following beginner, intermediate and advanced half marathon workouts, all of which will mix up your weekly schedule, test your limits and make running further and faster feel more approachable.
Beginner half marathon workouts
The long run
How long does it take?
40-70 minutes
When should I do it?
Once a week, throughout your training cycle.
How should I do it?
Run at a conversational pace for 40-70 minutes, depending on your goal distance.
Why does it work?
‘As a coach who works with quite a few first-time half marathoners, I look at the long run as the bedrock for training, especially with new runners,’ says Ben Delaney, Director of Adult Training Programs for New York Road Runners.
According to Delaney, building time on feet and your aerobic base is critical for race day success. ‘I ask runners to look at their training like a pyramid – you want to build a wide base to push that peak as high as possible. Each time you knock off a long run, you have accomplished getting time on your feet which will be needed on race day, while physically strengthening your body to run that far.’
Delany also advises new runners to focus on time instead of distance. ‘Saying that you will run for 45 minutes versus four to five miles can be easier to visualise and prepare for,’ he explains. As the time of your long runs increases, he adds, you’ll also be developing your mental strength.
Delaney suggests keeping the long run conversational, which means that you can still talk while you move. ‘On an effort level of one to 10, this should be in the effort level of five out of 10. Going too fast will not only use up more energy, but also not build the right aerobic systems needed to sustain running over a long distance,’ he says.
For time-based long runs, Delaney recommends that new runners add somewhere between five to 10 minutes to their long run each week (for a 10-week training cycle). ‘With the long run, running slow will make you faster – and you want to get to the start line feeling healthy and ready to run the race you’ve trained for.’
Two-minute intervals
How long does it take?
44 minutes
When should I do it?
Try this workout early in your training cycle, then every one to two weeks in the last few weeks of your training cycle.
How should I do it?
Warm up for 10 minutes at your easy pace.
Run for two minutes at a harder effort, followed by two minutes of easy running. Repeat six times.
Cool down for 10 minutes at your easy pace.
Why does it work?
In this workout, runners practice running at two different efforts: hard and easy. This will help runners to build cardiovascular fitness and improve their speed, says Stephanie Shiau, a certified run coach in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Shiau suggests running your easy intervals at around four out of 10 on the effort scale, and your harder effort at seven or eight out of 10. ‘Try to keep the harder intervals consistent and use the easy intervals as active recovery,’ she says. ‘The recovery intervals are just as important as the effort intervals.’
Intermediate half marathon workouts
Progressive run
How long does it take?
70-80 minutes
When should I do it?
Once a week, throughout your training cycle.
How should I do it?
Warm up for 10-15 minutes at your conversational pace, or at an effort of four or five out of 10
Continue warming up with four of five 30-second strides.
Run for 40-50minutes, broken up into three parts:
Part 1: 15 minutes at six out of 10 effort (about 30-40 seconds slower than your goal half marathon pace);
Part 2: 15-20 minutes at seven out of 10 effort (about level with your goal half marathon pace);
Part 3: 10-15 minutes at just under eight out of 10 effort (slightly faster than your goal half marathon pace).Cool down with a light jog for 10 minutes, or at an effort of three or four out of 10.
Why does it work?
As runners progress in their training and complete a few half marathons, Delaney suggests adding more race-focused workouts. This progression workout gives you a chance to test out your race pace. The adrenaline that comes with racing alongside other runners may have you running at a harder effort – and this workout will simulate that in a controlled way that keeps you from burning out too quickly. According to Delaney, this workout will also teach you how to avoid starting out too fast.
Marshmallow workout
How long does it take?
50-55 minutes
When should I do it?
Eight and/or four weeks before race day
How should I do it?
Warm up for 10 minutes at your easy pace.
Run for six minutes at your half marathon pace, followed by a two-minute surge (with no rest in between). Repeat this four times.
Cool down for 10 minutes at your easy pace.
Why does it work?
Shiau adapted this workout from marathoner Peter Bromka, who used roasting (and not burning) marshmallows as a metaphor for how to race the Boston Marathon. Bromka’s metaphor applies to half marathon racing, too, and it’s one that Shiau uses with her runners.
‘In this workout, the runner gets to experiment with a range of efforts at which they might run in their half marathon race,’ says Shiau. You start the workout by roasting your marshmallow at a comfortable pace – in other words, your half marathon effort – which should hit about a seven to eight out of 10 on effort scale. Then, experiment with bringing the marshmallow closer to the fire for a surge effort, or your all-out pace. You’ll alternate between these efforts.
This workout, Shiau adds, allows runners to experiment with how much they might be able to surge during a half marathon race without ‘burning their marshmallow’ (or losing control), while returning comfortably to their half marathon effort if needed.
Advanced Half Marathon Workouts
➥Mile Repeats
Total workout time: 80-100 minutes, depending on your mile time
When to do it: Add this workout later in your training cycle, after you’ve done shorter interval work. Mile repeats test both endurance and speed, so it’s important you have built your endurance and have conquered some lighter speed work before adding this workout to your schedule, Delaney says.
Why it works: “This workout will build leg strength, improve speed, and help with efficiency and VO2 max,” Delaney says. You’re running these mile repeats faster than your half-marathon race pace, which will make your race pace feel easier, Delaney says.
How to do it:
You can run mile repeats on a track, road, or anywhere you can get a GPS signal on your watch to help measure out the distance, says Delaney. Remember to build through each mile repeat—keep the initial miles hard but controlled to ensure you have something left for the last ones, he adds.
Warm up for 10-15 minutes at a conversational pace, or with an RPE of 4-5.
Continue warming up with 4-5 x 30-second strides.
Run 1 mile at 20-30 seconds faster than goal half-marathon pace or around an RPE 7.5-8.
Recover for 4-5 minutes with a light jog or walk. Repeat for 4-5 total rounds.Cool down with a light jog for 10 minutes, or at a RPE of 3-4.
➥Long Run Workout
Total workout time: 1-2+ hours
When to do it: Do this workout five weeks before a race as part of a long run workout. Shiau also says you can shorten the warmup and cooldown for a midweek medium-effort long run.
Why it works: “This workout helps runners simulate what their half marathon effort might feel like during the race, without actually running the half marathon. The additional threshold mile helps to simulate a late-race effort,” says Shiau. Think of this as your race-specific practice!
How to do it:
Warm up for five miles at an easy, conversational pace.
Run for two miles at your goal half marathon pace, with a half-mile recovery jog between each effort. Repeat this two times.
Finish with 1 mile at threshold pace (slightly faster than half marathon pace).
Cool down for 3 miles at an easy, conversational pace.
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