Training plans / Half Marathon

14-Week Advanced Half Marathon Training Plan

The complete schedule — every workout, every recovery week, the taper — generated by the same open-source engine that powers the RunPlan app.

Is this the right plan? For experienced runners: 5 runs a week from day one, week 1 already at 3.7 hours with a 60-minute long run. Pick it if that first week reads like a normal week, not a stretch.

Wrong level? Same race as a 14-week beginner plan or a 14-week intermediate plan.

14
weeks
5
runs / week
65
workouts
8.1h
peak week (W11)
base · 3wspeed · 4wpeak · 5wtaper · 1w

Half Marathon training paces

The workouts below carry zones (Z2, Z4…) instead of fixed paces, because pace is personal — it should come from a race you’ve run, not a table. Enter one and the whole plan gets paces:

A race you’ve run recently
::
  • Easy & long runsZ1–Z2
    5:15/km
  • Steady & marathon paceZ3
    4:45/km
  • Threshold & tempoZ4
    4:28/km
  • Intervals & repetitionsZ5
    4:09/km

At this fitness, a trained-for half marathon lands around 1:36:28 (4:34/km) — that is the race this plan is building you toward.

Prefilled with a typical result — enter your own race above.

Repetition paces, mile splits and equivalent times for every distance live in the full training pace calculator.

The full 14-week schedule

Free export:
    • Ladder Intervals (10 segments)~28 min
      Warm-up 5min · 0:45/1:30/2:15/3:00/3:45/4:30 @ Z4 (30s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Long Run~60 min
    • Progression Run~47 min
      Warm-up 3min · 35:00 @ Z3 · 6:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 3min
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~39 min
      35:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Hill Repeats (10 x 75s)~50 min
      Warm-up 10min · 10 × 1:15 @ Z4 (1:45 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Long Run~60 min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~54 min
      50:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Mile Repeats (6 x 1mi)~74 min
      Warm-up 10min · 6 × 6:00 @ Z4 (3:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Long Run~85 min
    • Easy Run~80 min
    • Medium-Long Run~60 min
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Ladder Intervals (12 segments)~61 min
      Warm-up 5min · 1:30/1:45/2:00/2:15/2:30/2:45/3:00/3:15/3:30/3:45/4:00/4:15 @ Z5 (90s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Mile Repeats (4 x 1mi)~56 min
      Warm-up 10min · 4 × 6:00 @ Z4 (3:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Long Run~60 min
    • Progression Run~47 min
      Warm-up 3min · 35:00 @ Z3 · 6:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 3min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~39 min
      35:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Hill Repeats (12 x 90s)~62 min
      Warm-up 10min · 12 × 1:30 @ Z4 (2:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Mile Repeats (6 x 1mi)~74 min
      Warm-up 10min · 6 × 6:00 @ Z4 (3:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Progressive Long Run~100 min
      60:00 @ Z2 · 40:00 @ Z3
    • Easy Run~80 min
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Time Trial (25min)~45 min
      Warm-up 10min · 25:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 10min
    • Threshold Run (3 x 10min)~47 min
      Warm-up 10min · 3 × 10:00 @ Z4 (60s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Long Run~60 min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~54 min
      50:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Hill Repeats (12 x 90s)~62 min
      Warm-up 10min · 12 × 1:30 @ Z4 (2:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Threshold Run (3 x 10min)~47 min
      Warm-up 10min · 3 × 10:00 @ Z4 (60s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Progressive Long Run~100 min
      60:00 @ Z2 · 40:00 @ Z3
    • Medium-Long Run~95 min
    • Easy Run~80 min
    • Ladder Intervals (12 segments)~61 min
      Warm-up 5min · 1:30/1:45/2:00/2:15/2:30/2:45/3:00/3:15/3:30/3:45/4:00/4:15 @ Z5 (90s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Threshold Run (3 x 10min)~47 min
      Warm-up 10min · 3 × 10:00 @ Z4 (60s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Fast Finish (30min @ MP)~100 min
      70:00 @ Z2 · 30:00 @ Z3
    • Easy Run~80 min
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Time Trial (25min)~45 min
      Warm-up 10min · 25:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 10min
    • Race Rehearsal (15min @ HMP)~85 min
      56:40 @ Z2 · 17:00 @ Z3 · 11:20 @ Z2
    • Medium-Long Run~75 min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~54 min
      50:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Easy Run~55 min
    • Intervals (8 segments)~36 min
      Warm-up 5min · 8 × 2:00 @ Z5 (90s jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Easy Run~80 min
    • Fast Finish (30min @ MP)~100 min
      70:00 @ Z2 · 30:00 @ Z3
    • Progression (3x20)~66 min
      Warm-up 3min · 20:00 @ Z2 · 20:00 @ Z3 · 20:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 3min
    • Mile Repeats (6 x 1mi)~74 min
      Warm-up 10min · 6 × 6:00 @ Z4 (3:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Race Rehearsal (25min @ HMP)~110 min
      62:51 @ Z2 · 26:11 @ Z3 · 20:57 @ Z2
    • Medium-Long Run~105 min
    • Medium-Long Run~100 min
    • Medium-Long Run~95 min
    • Time Trial (40min)~60 min
      Warm-up 10min · 40:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 10min
    • Threshold Run (3 x 12min)~55 min
      Warm-up 10min · 3 × 12:00 @ Z4 (2:00 jog) · Cool-down 5min
    • Long Run~60 min
    • Easy Run~80 min
    • Mile Repeats (6 x 1mi)~74 min
      Warm-up 10min · 6 × 6:00 @ Z4 (3:00 jog) · Cool-down 10min
    • Long Run~60 min
    • Progression Run~47 min
      Warm-up 3min · 35:00 @ Z3 · 6:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 3min
    • Easy Run~45 min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~39 min
      35:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Progression Run~47 min
      Warm-up 3min · 35:00 @ Z3 · 6:00 @ Z4 · Cool-down 3min
    • Easy + Strides (4 x 25s)~39 min
      35:00 @ Z2 · 4 × 0:25 @ Z5 (60s jog)
    • Easy Run~25 min

How this half marathon plan is built

Weekly running time starts around 1.9 hours and peaks at 8.1 in week 11, with 5 recovery weeks spaced through the build. The longest single run is 110 minutes, in week 11 — then the taper brings you to the start line fresh.

This plan is generated by RunPlan's open-source training engine, which encodes the classic coaching canon: Jack Daniels' pacing and intensity distribution, Pete Pfitzinger's long-run progressions, and Hal Higdon's instinct for plans a normal person can finish. The structure is periodized — base, sharpening, peak, taper — with deload weeks on a regular cadence and weekly load ramps kept inside safe bounds. The advanced version trains close to the classic book schedules: higher volume, regular quality, race rehearsals, and long runs that respect Pfitzinger more than your calendar. For the half marathon, threshold work and a steady long-run build share the load — the race rewards a big engine and the discipline to hold it.

You can read the actual generator on GitHub — this exact schedule is its output, not an editor’s spreadsheet. The deeper story is in how the plans actually work.

What you’ll be running

  • Easy runs22
  • Long runs15
  • Tempo & threshold10
  • Intervals & hills7
  • Other quality6
  • Race rehearsals & time trials5

Common questions

How many days a week does this half marathon plan require?

5 runs per week for 14 weeks — 65 workouts in total. The biggest week is week 11 at about 8.1 hours of running.

What is the longest run in this half marathon plan?

110 minutes, in week 11. The long run builds gradually and is cut back on recovery weeks — you never jump to the peak, you arrive at it.

How many hours a week does it take?

Between about 1.9 and 8.1 hours of running, depending on the week — the plan ramps up through the build and drops sharply in the taper and on the 5 built-in recovery weeks.

Can I download this plan as a PDF or add it to my calendar?

Yes, free: print or save the full schedule as a PDF, download it as a .ics calendar file anchored to your start date, or export a CSV — the buttons are right above the schedule. The app runs the same plan from your Apple Watch, with your paces and haptic cues.

What paces should I run these workouts at?

Enter a recent race result in the paces block on this page — every zone in the plan gets a pace, plus a projected half marathon time. Deriving paces from a result you have actually run (Daniels' VDOT method) beats copying a table; the app does the same automatically and re-derives them as you get fitter.

Is this plan really free?

Yes. This page shows the real plan, generated by the same open-source engine the RunPlan app uses. The app itself is also free — no subscription, no locked weeks — and runs every workout from your Apple Watch with live intervals and pace targets.

What if I miss a week?

Do not try to make missed volume up — that is how injuries happen. Rejoin the plan where the calendar says you are, and treat the first week back as easier than written. Recovery weeks are built in on a regular cadence, which absorbs most real-life interruptions.

Related plans

Every workout of this plan on your Apple Watch — live intervals, your paces, haptic cues. Free.

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