With the winter blues and cold and dark days (hopefully) behind us, spring offers an ideal time of year to lace up and start training for summer or fall half marathons.
Whether you’re a runner who follows a specific plan or you like a more ad hoc approach to training, throwing in some speed workouts each week can help you get faster, stay motivated, and feel fresh come race day.
Even if you’ve never run a half marathon before, you’ll find beginner half marathon workouts on this list that make it approachable to running longer and faster. If you’re a seasoned runner, we also have the training sessions that will test your limits and mix up your weekly schedule.
So check out these beginner, intermediate, and advanced half marathon workouts from expert run coaches. All you have to do is get your playlist ready and be ready to fly!
Beginner Half Marathon Workouts
➥The Long Run
Total workout time: 40-70 minutes (time increases as your distance increases)
You can run mile repeats on a: Once a week throughout your training cycle
Why it works: “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.
CA Notice at Collection aerobic base is critical for race day success. “I like for runners to look at their training like a pyramid: You want to build a wide base to push that peak as high as possible,” Delaney explains. “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 and mind to run that far.”
Delany also advises new runners to focus on time instead of distance. “Saying you will run 45 minutes versus four to five miles can be easier to visualize and prepare for,” he explains. It’s also a chance to build your mental strength for a midweek medium-effort long run long runs, he adds.
How to do it:
- Delaney suggests keeping the long run conversational (meaning you can talk). “On an effort level of 1 to 10, this should be in the effort level of 5 out of 10. Going too fast will not only use up more energy, but also will not build the right aerobic systems needed to sustain running over a long distance,” he says.
- For time-based long runs, Delaney advises new runners add somewhere between five to 10 minutes each week (for a 10-week training cycle) per long run. “With the long run, running slow will make you faster, and you want to be at the starting line healthy and ready to run the race you’ve trained for,” he adds.
➥2-Minute Intervals
Total workout time: 44 minutes
You can run mile repeats on a: Try this workout early in the training cycle, and then every 1 to 2 weeks again in the last few weeks of the training cycle.
Why it works: Why Slow Running Is So Good for You easy. This will help runners build cardiovascular fitness and improve speed, says Stephanie Shiau, RRCA- and USTAF-certified run coach in Maplewood, New Jersey.
How to do it:
Shiau recommends running your easy intervals at around a 4 out of 10 on the effort scale, and your harder effort at a 7 or 8 out of 10. “Try to keep the harder intervals consistent and use the easy intervals as active recovery. The recovery intervals are just as important as the effort intervals,” Shiau says.
Warmup:
- 10 minutes easy
Workout:
- 6 x 2 minutes at a harder effort, followed by 2 minutes easy
Cooldown:
- 10 minutes easy
Intermediate Half Marathon Workouts
➥Progressive Run
Total workout time: 70-80 minutes
You can run mile repeats on a: Once a week throughout the training cycle
Why it works: As runners progress in their training and complete a few half marathons, Delaney suggests adding more race-focused workouts. This progression workout gives runners a chance to test out their race pace, and get a sense of what is to come on race day. The adrenaline that comes with racing amongst other runners may have you running at harder efforts, and this workout How to Master the Half Marathon.
Add this workout later in your training cycle, after youve done shorter interval work Health & Injuries, he says.
How to do it:
Warmup:
- 10-15 min, RPE 4 to 5 out of 10 (conversational pace)
- 4-5 x 30-second strides
Workout: 40- Strength Training for a Half Marathon:
- Part 1: 15 min at RPE 6 (about 30-40 seconds slower the goal half-marathon pace)
- Part 2: 15-20 min at RPE 7 (about goal half-marathon pace)
- Part 3: 10-15 min at RPE 7.5 (slightly faster than goal half-marathon pace)
Cooldown:
- 10 min at RPE 3-4 (a light jog)
➥Marshmallow Workout
Total workout time: 50-55 minutes
You can run mile repeats on a: 8 weeks and/or 4 weeks before race day
Why it works: How to Estimate Your Lactate Threshold Pace Peter Bromka, who used roasting (and not burning) marshmallows as a metaphor for A Part of Hearst Digital Media. Bromka’s metaphor applies to half marathon racing too, and it’s one that Shiau employs 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,” Shiau says. You start the workout by roasting your marshmallow at a comfortable pace a.k.a. your half marathon effort, which should hit about a 7 to 7.5 out of 10 on the rate of perceived exertion 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 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 need be, Shiau adds.
How to do it:
Warmup:
- 10 minutes easy
Workout:
- 4 x 6 minutes at half marathon effort, 2-minute surge (no rest between)
Cooldown:
- 10 minutes easy
Advanced Half Marathon Workouts
➥Mile Repeats
Total workout time: 80-100 minutes, depending on your mile time
You can run mile repeats on a: 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: “When to do it 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.
Warmup:
- 10-15 minutes, RPE 4-5 (conversational pace)
- 4-5 x 30-second strides
Workout:
- 1 mile at 20-30 seconds faster than goal half-marathon pace or around an RPE 7.5-8
- Obstacle Course Races You Should Know About
- Repeat above for 4-5 total rounds
Cooldown:
- 10 min at RPE 3-4 (light jog)
➥Long Run Workout
Total workout time: 1-2+ hours
You can run mile repeats on a: 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:
- 5 miles easy (conversational pace)
Workout:
- 2 x 2 miles at goal half marathon pace, with a 1/2 mile recovery jog between each effort
- 1 mile at threshold pace (slightly faster than half marathon pace)
Cool down:
- 3 miles easy (conversational pace)
Jennifer Acker joined the editorial staff of Runner's World and Bicycling in January 2022. A former freelancer writer and NCAA runner, she started running as a kid and basically never stopped. She also loves outdoor adventures, like hiking, skiing, and mountain biking.
