Run · Intermediate

Twenty-one kilometres, run patiently.

Twelve weeks. Five runs a week. A balanced half-marathon plan built around the long run, one tempo, one intervals day, and easy runs that protect them both.

Enquire about this plan View programme structure

Who it is for

For the 10km runner ready for the great middle distance.

The most popular endurance goal there is. Serious enough to feel like an achievement, achievable enough that you actually commit.

Comfortable at 10km

You have the 10km in your legs and want to double up to the next great distance.

Wants structure, not chaos

Tired of long runs without a plan. You want quality, easy, and long days that work together.

First half marathoner

Going for the distance for the first time. The plan starts honestly and tapers you in fresh.

“The half is run on the easy days. The hard days only matter if you can recover from them.”

Programme Structure

Twelve weeks in four clean blocks.

Foundation builds the base. Build introduces real interval and tempo work. Peak takes the long run to its highest point. Race week pulls back and delivers you fresh to the start line.

Foundation

W1–4

Build the base

Settle the five-day rhythm. Long run grows from 10 to 12 km. First tempo block enters in week 3.

Build

W5–8

The engine grows

Intervals and tempo work in earnest. Long run reaches 16 km. A cutback week protects everything.

Peak

W9–10

Peak the long run

Long run climbs to 19 km with race-pace finishes. Tempo blocks lengthen. The biggest weeks of the plan.

Race

W11–12

Taper & 21.1km

Volume pulls back, sharpness stays. Race day arrives with fresh legs and a clear pacing plan.

What is included

Five sessions, each with a clear job.

Five runs a week with one optional cross-training day
Weekly long run from 10 km to 19 km
One tempo session and one interval session each week
Two easy runs to support the quality sessions
Strides to maintain turnover and economy
Cutback weeks at week 4 and week 8 for recovery
A proper two-week taper into race day
A complete pacing plan for the 21.1 km

A week in the plan

Two quality. One long. Two easy.

Day 1 · Easy

Recovery run

30–45 minutes fully conversational. Protects everything that follows.

Day 2 · Intervals

Sharper work

Repeats at 7–8/10 with full recovery between. Builds top-end aerobic capacity.

Day 3 · Easy + strides

Easy with turnover

Easy running plus four to six strides — short, fast, smooth.

Day 4 · Tempo

Threshold pace

The engine of half-marathon training. Sustained comfortably-hard running.

Day 5 · Long

The long run

The headline session — patience early, lifts late in the build weeks.

Essential kit

What the long runs ask for.

Good running shoes — and a backup pair if you have it, to alternate by week
Electrolytes for runs over 60 minutes
A watch or GPS device for distance, pace, and time tracking
Fuel — gels, dates, or whatever works — for runs over 90 minutes

Nice to have

Worth adding for the distance.

Fuelling

A running belt or flask

Carries water and fuel on the long runs without affecting form.

Recovery

Compression & foam roller

Both earn their keep when the long run hits 16 km plus.

Data

A heart-rate monitor

Useful for staying truly easy on recovery days. Pace lies; heart rate doesn’t.

Best next step

Where this plan can lead.

The half marathon is the gateway distance — the engine you build here opens up the marathon, long-course triathlon, or a faster version of itself.

Pathway 01

Run further

Step up to the marathon — 42.2 km, the full distance.

Pathway 02

Run faster

Sharpen your half time with a dedicated speed-and-threshold block.

Pathway 03

Go multisport

Carry the engine into 70.3 long-course triathlon.

Start carefully. Build properly.

Ready to run your first half marathon?

Half Marathon · 21.1km is available as a coached twelve-week plan for runners stepping up from 10km.

Preview training plan

Run · Intermediate

Twenty-one kilometres, run patiently.

Twelve weeks. Five runs a week. A balanced half-marathon plan built around the long run, one tempo, one intervals day, and easy runs that protect them both.

Enquire about this plan View programme structure

Who it is for

For the 10km runner ready for the great middle distance.

The most popular endurance goal there is. Serious enough to feel like an achievement, achievable enough that you actually commit.

Comfortable at 10km

You have the 10km in your legs and want to double up to the next great distance.

Wants structure, not chaos

Tired of long runs without a plan. You want quality, easy, and long days that work together.

First half marathoner

Going for the distance for the first time. The plan starts honestly and tapers you in fresh.

“The half is run on the easy days. The hard days only matter if you can recover from them.”

Programme Structure

Twelve weeks in four clean blocks.

Foundation builds the base. Build introduces real interval and tempo work. Peak takes the long run to its highest point. Race week pulls back and delivers you fresh to the start line.

Foundation

W1–4

Build the base

Settle the five-day rhythm. Long run grows from 10 to 12 km. First tempo block enters in week 3.

Build

W5–8

The engine grows

Intervals and tempo work in earnest. Long run reaches 16 km. A cutback week protects everything.

Peak

W9–10

Peak the long run

Long run climbs to 19 km with race-pace finishes. Tempo blocks lengthen. The biggest weeks of the plan.

Race

W11–12

Taper & 21.1km

Volume pulls back, sharpness stays. Race day arrives with fresh legs and a clear pacing plan.

What is included

Five sessions, each with a clear job.

Five runs a week with one optional cross-training day
Weekly long run from 10 km to 19 km
One tempo session and one interval session each week
Two easy runs to support the quality sessions
Strides to maintain turnover and economy
Cutback weeks at week 4 and week 8 for recovery
A proper two-week taper into race day
A complete pacing plan for the 21.1 km

A week in the plan

Two quality. One long. Two easy.

Day 1 · Easy

Recovery run

30–45 minutes fully conversational. Protects everything that follows.

Day 2 · Intervals

Sharper work

Repeats at 7–8/10 with full recovery between. Builds top-end aerobic capacity.

Day 3 · Easy + strides

Easy with turnover

Easy running plus four to six strides — short, fast, smooth.

Day 4 · Tempo

Threshold pace

The engine of half-marathon training. Sustained comfortably-hard running.

Day 5 · Long

The long run

The headline session — patience early, lifts late in the build weeks.

Essential kit

What the long runs ask for.

Good running shoes — and a backup pair if you have it, to alternate by week
Electrolytes for runs over 60 minutes
A watch or GPS device for distance, pace, and time tracking
Fuel — gels, dates, or whatever works — for runs over 90 minutes

Nice to have

Worth adding for the distance.

Fuelling

A running belt or flask

Carries water and fuel on the long runs without affecting form.

Recovery

Compression & foam roller

Both earn their keep when the long run hits 16 km plus.

Data

A heart-rate monitor

Useful for staying truly easy on recovery days. Pace lies; heart rate doesn’t.

Best next step

Where this plan can lead.

The half marathon is the gateway distance — the engine you build here opens up the marathon, long-course triathlon, or a faster version of itself.

Pathway 01

Run further

Step up to the marathon — 42.2 km, the full distance.

Pathway 02

Run faster

Sharpen your half time with a dedicated speed-and-threshold block.

Pathway 03

Go multisport

Carry the engine into 70.3 long-course triathlon.

Start carefully. Build properly.

Ready to run your first half marathon?

Half Marathon · 21.1km is available as a coached twelve-week plan for runners stepping up from 10km.

Preview training plan