Sub 2hr:30 Half Marathon Schedule

RW's 12-week sub-2:30 Half-Marathon schedule
By Steve Smythe

Target times: 2:15 to 2:30 (run/walk) (race pace: sub-11:26 per mile). You should be capable of either a sub-1:05 10K, a sub-1:55 10-miler or a sub-6:00 marathon. Training will be three days a week, with an average weekly mileage of 15 miles.

Week One

This Week’s Target
Your first week’s target is to run just inside goal half-marathon pace for 10K. This may be difficult if you are below normal fitness when beginning the schedules, or easy if you are starting the schedules in good shape. Either way, progress steadily, and be realistic. If in doubt, it’s maybe best to start an easier schedule and move up as the weeks progress.

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	3M	12:00	approx 40 mins	4/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	2M	11:00	approx 25 mins	6/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	6M	13:00	approx 78 mins	7/10
Total		11M		2hrs 20

Week Two

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	4M	12:00	approx 50 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	3M	11:00	approx 35 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	6M	12:30	approx 75 mins	8/10
Total		13M		2hrs 40

Week Three

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	5M	12:00	approx 60 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	4M	11:00	approx 44 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	7M	12:30	approx 90 mins	8/10
Total		16M		3hrs 15

Week Four

This Week’s Target
At the end this week, there is the target of a 10K race. This should be run quicker than the 10K in Week One and certainly inside your goal half-marathon pace. Alternatively, you could run a 10K time trial.

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	4M	12:00	approx 48 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	3M	11:00	approx 33 mins	7/10
Sun	Race	10K (plus 1M warm-up/1M cool-down)	11:00	target: 68:00 (plus 25-min jog)	10/10
Total		15M		2hrs 55

Week Five

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	5M	12:00	approx 60 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	4M	11:00	approx 44 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	8M	12:30	approx 1hr 40	8/10
Total		17M		3hrs 25

Week Six

This Week’s Target
For most groups, this week’s target is to run 10 miles at, or near, your target half-marathon pace. This can be at a race, though choice may be limited, or in a time trial. We haven’t put a race target in for the this run-walk group, though it would be possible to do a 10-miler as part of the training that weekend.

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	5M	12:00	approx 60 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	5M	11:00	approx 55 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	9M	12:30	approx 1hr 55	8/10
Total		19M		3hrs 50

Week Seven

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	5M	12:00	approx 60 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	3M	10:30	approx 32 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	10M	12:30	approx 2hrs 5	8/10
Total		18M		3hrs 35

Week Eight

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	5M	12:00	approx 60 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	4M	10:30	approx 42 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	11M	12:30	approx 2hrs 20	8/10
Total		21M		4hrs

Week Nine

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	4M	12:00	approx 48 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	5M	11:00	approx 55 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	12M	12:30	approx 2hrs 30	8/10
Total		21M		4hrs 15

Week 10

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	4M	12:00	approx 48 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	5M	10:30	approx 53 mins	7/10
Sun	Easy run/walk	13M	12:30	approx 2hrs 40	8/10
Total		22M		4hrs 20

Week 11

This Week’s Target
For this week’s 10K target race we are suggesting a flat-out effort: As long as you take it easy after the 10K, the effort will enhance your half-marathon prospects the following week.

Day	Session	Distance	Pace	Time	Intensity
Tue	Slow run/walk	4M	12:00	approx 48 mins	5/10
Thu	Faster run/walk	6M	11:00	approx 66 mins	7/10
Sun	Race	10K (plus 1M warm-up/1M cool-down)	10:30	target: 65:00 (plus 25-min jog)	10/10
Total		18M		3hrs 25

Week 12

Day

Session