If you're looking for a half marathon training plan, chances are something has shifted in you. Maybe you finished your first 5K and thought, what else can this body do? Maybe a friend signed up and you don't want to watch from the sidelines. Either way, welcome. The half marathon might be the friendliest race distance there is.
Here's why so many coaches love it. The 13.1 miles are long enough to feel like a genuine achievement, yet training for them doesn't swallow your life the way a full marathon does. That's exactly why more people cross half marathon finish lines each year than marathon finish lines by a wide margin. It's the sweet spot.
This guide gives you a complete 12 week plan, explains how to follow it, and covers the questions every first-timer asks. It's written for real beginners, including women training in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, because that's who I coach every day.
Can you really run a half marathon?
Almost certainly yes, and I don't say that lightly.
The honest prerequisite for the plan below: you can currently run (or run-walk) for about 30 minutes, roughly 2 to 3 miles, and you can do that three times in a week without pain. You don't need to be fast. You don't need to look like a runner. You just need that small base so the first week feels comfortable rather than crushing.
If you're not there yet, that's fine. It just means the half marathon is two steps away instead of one. Start with our couch to 5k training plan for women, spend a few weeks running 5K comfortably, then come back to this page. The plan will still be here, and you'll enjoy it so much more.
One more note before we start: if you have heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, or you're managing a chronic condition, check in with your doctor before you begin. That's not legal boilerplate. Endurance training is a real physical stress, and it's worth a ten minute conversation.
How to choose between half marathon training plans
Search for half marathon training plans and you'll drown in options: novice, intermediate, advanced, 8 weeks, 16 weeks, five runs a week, two runs a week. Here's how to cut through it. Match the plan to your current running, not your ambition.
You've never run before. Don't start with a half marathon plan. Begin with a walk to run program or a couch to 5k, build for 8 to 10 weeks, then step up. Your tendons and joints adapt more slowly than your heart and lungs, and skipping this step is the number one way beginners get hurt. You can run a 5K, even slowly. The 12 week beginner plan below is built for you. Three runs a week, one cross training day, generous walk breaks, and a long run that climbs gently from 3 to 10 miles. You've run a half before and want to improve. You need more than a finishing plan. Keep the same weekly skeleton but add one quality session: intervals or a tempo run in place of one easy run. Our interval training for runners guide shows you how, and a half marathon pace chart will help you set honest target splits. You want to walk most or all of it. Wonderful, and completely legitimate. Nearly every big half marathon has a generous cut-off time, and walkers finish proudly every weekend. Follow the same schedule below, treating every "run" as a brisk walk and adding about 30 percent to the time estimates.Tip: When in doubt, pick the easier plan. Nobody's race was ruined by arriving slightly undertrained and fresh. Plenty have been ruined by arriving overtrained and injured.
Your 12 week half marathon training schedule
This is the heart of the plan. Twelve weeks, four working days per week, three full rest days. The long run grows gradually, with cutback weeks in weeks 4 and 7 so your body can absorb the training, then a two week taper into race day.
The time ranges assume a realistic beginner long-run pace of 13 to 16 minutes per mile including walk breaks. If you're faster, lovely, you'll finish sooner. The distance is what matters, not the clock.
| Week | Tue easy run | Thu easy run | Sat cross or brisk walk | Sun long run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 min | 20 min | 30 min | 3 mi (40 to 50 min) |
| 2 | 25 min | 20 min | 30 min | 4 mi (55 to 65 min) |
| 3 | 25 min | 25 min | 35 min | 5 mi (65 to 80 min) |
| 4 | 30 min | 25 min | 35 min | 4 mi (easy cutback week) |
| 5 | 30 min | 30 min | 40 min | 6 mi (80 to 95 min) |
| 6 | 30 min | 30 min | 40 min | 7 mi (1 hr 35 to 1 hr 50) |
| 7 | 35 min | 30 min | 40 min | 5 mi (easy cutback week) |
| 8 | 35 min | 30 min | 45 min | 8 mi (1 hr 45 to 2 hr 10) |
| 9 | 40 min | 35 min | 45 min | 9 mi (2 hr to 2 hr 25) |
| 10 | 40 min | 35 min | 45 min | 10 mi (2 hr 10 to 2 hr 40) |
| 11 | 30 min | 30 min | 30 min | 6 mi (taper begins) |
| 12 | 20 min | 20 min | Rest | Race day: 13.1 miles |
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are rest days. Real rest. Not "rest but I did a spin class." Your fitness is built during recovery, not during workouts.
A few notes on reading the table:
- The days are movable. Long run on Saturday instead of Sunday? Fine. Runs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday instead? Also fine. Keep one easy day between the long run and your next run, and never stack the two hardest days back to back.
- The cutback weeks are not optional. Weeks 4 and 7 deliberately drop the long run. This is when your tendons, bones, and joints catch up with your cardio. Skipping cutbacks to "get ahead" is how beginners end up injured in week 9.
- Yes, the plan peaks at 10 miles, not 13.1. On race day, the taper, the crowd, and the adrenaline reliably carry you the last 5K. Every credible beginner plan works this way.
- Feeling strong in week 9? If you'd like a dress rehearsal, swap that Sunday long run for a local 10K race. It teaches you pacing, fueling, and pinning on a bib. Entirely optional.
Note: Prefer kilometers? The long run ladder is roughly 5, 6.5, 8, 6.5, 10, 11, 8, 13, 14.5, 16, 10 km, then race day at 21.1 km.
How to follow this half marathon training program
A training program for a half marathon only works if you understand the intent behind each session. Here's the coaching behind the table.
Easy runs
Every Tuesday and Thursday run happens at conversational pace. The test is simple: you could tell a friend about your weekend in full sentences while running. If you can only gasp out a word or two, slow down. Most beginners run their easy days far too fast, then wonder why they're exhausted. If a heart rate monitor helps you, stay around 65 to 75 percent of your max. If it stresses you, ignore it and use the talk test.
The long run
This is the one session each week you should protect fiercely. The long run teaches your body to burn fat efficiently, toughens your legs, and, just as important, teaches your mind that you can keep going. Run it slower than feels necessary. Slower than that, even. The goal is time on your feet, not speed.
Walk breaks
Walk breaks are a strategy, not a failure. Many of my runners use a pattern like 4 minutes running, 1 minute walking, from the very first mile of every long run. Research and decades of coaching practice agree: run-walkers finish, often with faster overall times than runners who blow up at mile 10. If you plan to use walk breaks on race day (please do), practice them in training.
Cross training
Saturday's session is anything aerobic that isn't running: cycling, swimming, brisk walking, an elliptical, a dance class. It builds your engine while giving your joints a day off from impact. Keep it genuinely easy. Cross training that leaves you sore has defeated its purpose.
Strength work
Twice a week, 15 to 20 minutes after an easy run, do simple strength work: squats, lunges, glute bridges, calf raises, and a plank. For women, especially past 40, this is non-negotiable. It protects your knees and hips, preserves the muscle and bone density that running alone doesn't build, and it's the single best injury insurance you can buy for free. Our running plan with strength training has a full routine you can lift straight into this schedule.
Rest
Three full rest days a week, every week. If you feel guilty resting, reread this paragraph. Rest is where adaptation happens. The plan is designed around it, not in spite of it.
Half marathon training for beginners over 45
Most half marathon plans on the internet quietly assume you're 28 with springy tendons. Our runners are mostly women between 45 and 64, many starting from scratch, so let's talk honestly about what changes and what doesn't.
What doesn't change: your heart and lungs respond to training beautifully at every age. Women in their 50s and 60s finish half marathons every single weekend, and the finish line feels exactly as glorious at 58 as at 28.
What does change is recovery speed and connective tissue resilience. So adjust the plan like this:
- Take more runway. Give yourself 14 to 16 weeks instead of 12 by repeating weeks whenever a jump feels harsh. Repeat week 5 twice, repeat week 8 twice. The race will wait.
- Never skip the strength work. After menopause, declining estrogen accelerates the loss of muscle and bone density. Two short strength sessions a week directly pushes back against both.
- Protect sleep and protein. Recovery is slower now, so give it better raw materials: 7 to 8 hours of sleep and protein at every meal, roughly 25 to 30 grams a serving.
- Expect adaptation, not decline. Soreness that fades within 48 hours is normal training. Sharp pain, pain that changes your stride, or soreness that lingers past two days means take extra rest days, then rejoin the plan where you left off, not where the calendar says.
- Use walk breaks proudly. They're even more valuable for older beginners, converting a risky continuous effort into dozens of manageable pieces.
Fueling, pacing, and race week
Fueling during long runs. Once your long run passes 75 minutes, your body needs carbohydrate mid-run. Practice taking 30 to 60 grams per hour: a gel every 40 minutes, chews, or even a small banana. Race day is never the day to try a new gel. Sort out your pre-run meal too, and our guide on what to eat before a run covers timing and portions. Finding your race pace. Your race pace should feel almost insultingly easy for the first 5 miles. A good estimate: take your comfortable long run pace and hold it, or use a half marathon pace chart to translate a recent 5K or 10K time into an honest target. And if you're wondering how your goal stacks up, the average half marathon time for women is around 2 hours 20 minutes, with plenty of proud finishers well beyond that. Race week. Trust the taper. The urge to squeeze in one more long run is strong and always wrong. Run short and easy, eat normal meals with a little extra carbohydrate in the final two days, lay out your kit the night before, and get to the start early enough to queue for the toilets twice. Veterans know. Race day. Start slower than feels right. Take your walk breaks from mile one, not when you're desperate. Smile at the photographers. And when it gets hard around mile 10, remember: you've run 10 miles in training. The crowd carries you the rest of the way.Tip: Nothing new on race day. Not shoes, not breakfast, not a new sports bra, not a gel flavor. Race in exactly what week 10's long run proved comfortable.
After you finish, take a full week of walking and gentle movement before easing back into running. And if the finish line lights a bigger fire, our marathon training plan shows you what the next mountain looks like.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you need to train for a half marathon?
For a beginner who can already run 30 minutes, 12 weeks is the sweet spot, and 14 to 16 weeks is even kinder. If you're starting from zero, plan on about 6 months total: roughly 10 weeks to build to a comfortable 5K, then this 12 week plan.
Can I train for a half marathon in 8 weeks?
If you can already run 5 to 6 miles comfortably, yes, by joining this schedule at week 4. If you're a true beginner, 8 weeks compresses the long run buildup past the point of safety. Pick a later race. There's one every weekend.
What is a good training plan to run a half marathon as a complete beginner?
One with three run days, at least two full rest days, walk breaks built in, and a long run that grows by roughly a mile a week with regular cutback weeks. That's exactly the plan for running a half marathon laid out above. Beware any beginner schedule with five or six run days a week.
Do I need to run 13.1 miles before the race?
No. Peaking at 10 miles is deliberate and standard for first-timers. The taper and race day atmosphere bridge the final 5K. Running the full distance in training adds injury risk without adding fitness.
Can I walk during a half marathon?
Absolutely, and you should plan to. Structured walk breaks from the first mile produce steadier finishes than running until you can't. Most events allow around 3.5 to 4 hours, which is enough to walk a large portion of the course.
How do I fit this train for half marathon schedule around a busy week?
Anchor the long run to whichever weekend day is quietest, then let the two short runs float. They're only 20 to 40 minutes, and they work fine before work, at lunch, or while dinner is in the oven. If life wrecks a week, do the long run, drop the rest, and carry on. One salvaged long run keeps the plan alive.
What half marathon time should a beginner expect?
Somewhere between 2 hours 30 minutes and 3 hours 15 minutes is typical for a first-timer using walk breaks, and finishing at all puts you ahead of everyone who never started. Check average half marathon times for women by age group if you'd like context, then feel free to ignore all of it on race day.