To consider following this 1:30 minute half marathon training plan you should already be able to run at a target race pace of 06:50 for at least one mile (4:15p/km) and/or have a PB under 1hr 45 minutes.
If you are not quite ready then take a look at the 1hr 45 minute Half Marathon Training Plan instead and then come back to this one once you are in a position to run at this pace.
Other half marathon training plans: 8 week half marathon training plan || sub 2 hour half marathon training plan || 1:45 half marathon training plan || 1:30 half marathon training plan ||
Please read before starting a training plan:
Frequently Asked Questions | Signs of Overtraining
Your Speed/Distance Training Zones: 1:30 half marathon training plan
| Race Pace per Mile / Km | 800m Intervals | 1km Intervals | 2km Intervals | 10km Race Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:50/ 04:15 | 3min 09s (Speed: 15:2 kmph / 9.4 mph) | 4min 15s (Speed: 15:2 kmph / 9.4 mph) | 06:50 p/m / 04:15 pace 08:30 p/2km | 42min 30s |
1:30 half marathon training plan
| Day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | 4 (rec week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rest/ cross-train | 45 mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | |
| Tuesday | 30mins easy | 45mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | |
| Wednesday | Rest/ cross-train | 30mins easy | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train |
| Thursday | @6:50 p/m (08:30 p/2km) 2 min Rec | Aim for 42:30 | @4:15 p/mile (4:15 p/km) 90s Rec | Rest/ cross-train |
| Friday | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train | Rest/ cross-train | 45mins easy |
| Saturday | 45mins easy | @4:15 p/mile (4:15 p/km) 90s Rec | 45mins easy | Rest/ cross-train |
| Sunday | Long run, gentle pace: 60-75 mins | Long run, gentle pace: 75-90 mins | Long run, gentle pace: 90-120 mins | Rest/ cross-train |
1hr 30 Minute Half Marathon Training Plan Components
Breakeven Sessions – 1:30 half marathon training plan
These sessions are used for maintaining fitness & recovery. Preparing you for breakthrough sessions:
- Easy/ recovery run – this should be no quicker than 10:00 p/m pace.
- Long Run – 1-2 hours. Don't worry about pace, all your miles somewhere in the region of 10-11:00 minutes per mile, just enjoy the ride.
Breakthrough Sessions – 1:30 half marathon training plan
These sessions are meant to be challenging intense efforts, treat them as mini-milestones towards your target:
- 800m Reps – these will be faster that your target race pace and should be at 6:20 p/m pace (3:09 per 800m) with a 90 sec jogged recovery. 15:2 km/per hour / 9.4mph for treadmill sessions.
- 1km Intervals – same as above, faster than race pace, try to hit 6:20 p/m pace again (4:15 per km) with a 90 sec jogged recovery. 15.2 km/per hour / 9.4mph for treadmill sessions.
- 2km Intervals – at race pace, so do 6:50 p/m pace (8:30 per 2km) with a 2 minute jogged recovery.
- 10km Timed Effort – run a 10k race/training run at your maximum, try and aim for a sub 42min 30s.
About this 1hr 30min Half Marathon Training Plan
The sub 1:30 half marathon training plan has been put together so it is cyclical and can be used over a period of weeks until you feel you are ready for your event. At the end of each cycle you can repeat from the beginning or tweak the plan to suit your current ability and time commitments etc.
It is recommended that after three months of using the 1:30 half marathon training plan that you reduce your training for a period of one to two weeks to allow your body time to recover from the impact of running. This should mean more time cross-training with a couple of nice easy runs every few days to keep the legs ticking over.
To realise improvements it’s worth remembering that training is cumulative and it takes time and dedication to follow any training plan and achieve the results you want.
What pace should I run 5mile Tempo??
My goal is a sub 44min 10km this year.
What pace should I run the long run at? 10-11 min/mile seems a bit slow for the 1:30 plan. Cheers
Go quicker then
I thought the same. For my marathon PR I was doing my long runs at 1 min slower than my target goal pace
Can anyone clarify what pace the tempo run should be run at?
No
I believe a Tempo run is the same as a “Threshold” run, which is ran at just below your Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR), so that would be the top end of your zone 4 (out of 5). If you own a Garmin watch you can set this up.
Hi Matt! My PB (42yo woman) currently stand at 19:30 5K, 41:42 10K, 1:32:21 Half and I’ve JUST completed my first full marathon 3 days ago, a very successful Jack Daniels 18-week training programme (2Q session, low weekly mileage of 40-50miles) leading me to 3:09:58. (chuffed!!!)
I now want to revisit the shorter distances and aim for sub-40mn 10k and sub-90mn half. Which distance should I focus on? Would you use Vdot paces on your programme? Thanks!
Hi, I(15yo) Just ran 13.1 miles in 1.27 without training
Nobody asked
Or cares.
The ego is strong with this one… much to learn..
Focus on the 10k first, develop a bit more speed. That is going to become useful for the half marathon. 3:10 in the marathon is solid! Maybe try the magic 38 mins mark for the 10k and go from there to the half and in a couple of years try to run the 42k in 3h.
Hi Matt,
I just completed the 4th cycle of the 1:45 Half Marathon and did 1:44:56 nice plan really got the desired results, do you think I can continue with 1:30 plan or should I continue with 1:45 or improve my 10K before moving to 1:30 HM