How to train for a half marathon

Running at an Even Pace

After a 20-30 minute warm-up, continue to run at full-marathon intensity. The intensity should be somewhere between an easy run and a paced run. Most runners tend to overwork the easy run. Uniform running should be an aerobic workout, not a mixed or anaerobic workout; it tires you out by running consistently, not by speed.

Relax and run for 20 to 30 minutes after training to ensure that the total training time is between 90 minutes and two hours. The first week of practicing even running distance of 2 to 3 miles per session, the next week add 2 miles each week, and keep adding up to 8 to 10 miles per session. Physiologically, running at an even pace makes you stronger, which ensures that you stick with it well through the second half of the half-marathon.

Equalizing and intervals

After the same warm-up as the equalizing run, you can either run a continuous paced run at half-marathon pace, or you can complete this paced run in segments, with a recovery interval between each segment, which is known as a paced interval run. In a paced run, you should gradually accelerate to a 10km race pace; for a paced intermittent run, you should also gradually increase to a 10km race pace for the last few repetitions of the run.

Start with a total of 2-3 miles and gradually increase to 5-6 miles. Since this workout is primarily at half-marathon pace, it's necessary to help you get the feel of a half-marathon pace for a race. In Martin's case, I train a combination of paced runs and paced intervals. I even combined the even pace runs mentioned above with matched pace runs to simulate the ever-increasing level of subjective effort required for a half-marathon race.

Prepared. Training

It's important to note that before starting these half-marathon-specific workouts, he had already completed the 13-week base training phase: building up the mileage, aerobic threshold, and leg speed that he could run. In addition, he had five weeks of speed-improvement training beforehand, at paces ranging from 5k to 10k race pace. (For example, repeats of 1-mile workouts at 10K race pace, as well as other traditional speed workouts.) This prep training was integral to his completion of the demanding half-marathon.

Hill repeats

I can't say I know enough about hill training for half-marathoners. With a steady and consistent running workout in half-marathon training, repetitive hill running workouts are the best way to train to improve aerobic capacity and lactic acid tolerance (the ability to remove lactic acid from the bloodstream).

These adaptations can be accomplished with standard track repetitions, but I feel that training with hill repeats keeps the legs from becoming too monotonous and avoids injuries caused by running too many times at too fast a pace. After warming up sufficiently, you can do short running hill repeats (6% to 10% incline for 45 to 60 seconds) or medium running hill repeats (4% to 6% incline for 90 to 120 seconds).

Go uphill with effort but with proper restraint; go downhill with a recovery jog. If there is a flat area at the top or bottom of the hill, do a short stride as leg speed training. Hill running drills are always in the training program, plus, because they are high-intensity sessions (especially at the 7,000-foot elevation training location we were at), these hill running drills help with the guts to run flush with the power runners.

Long Distance Running

Running one long distance a week for 2 to 2.5 hours over the course of a year. For him, he could do an easy 18 to 20 mile run in that time. As the race approached, however, I had him start speeding up in the last few miles of each long distance as a supplement to his endurance training.