Welcome to half-marathon central - with easy-to-follow schedules, nutrition advice, fundraising tips and popular Q+As, plus our brand-new weekly newsletters, you're in the right place for all our very best half-marathon advice.

Our Essential Weekly Newsletter

Our brand-new free, weekly half-marathon email will keep you on top of your training, and on course for a best-ever race-day performance. It runs from the end of June to September, and its 12-week training schedule is aimed at this year's Great North Run - September 20, 2009.

Training Schedules

• Our classic half-marathon schedules run for 10 weeks, cover three broad bands of runner and assume you are used to training at least four times a week.


• Our Garmin-ready schedules run for 12 weeks, cover a wider range of target times and can be downloaded in one file to your Garmin Forerunner 205, 301, 305 or 405. The schedules include target paces, heart rates and session notes, and you can modify your target time and rearrange sessions to suit your goals and commitments.


• Our ultimate half-marathon schedules are more detailed than the classic schedules, and include short-term targets every few weeks.

Classic 10-Week Schedules	Garmin-ready 12-Week Schedules	Ultimate 12-Week Schedules (RW+)
Sub-1:25	Sub-1:30	Sub-1:20
1:25 - 1:50	Sub-1:40	Sub-1:30
1:50 +	Sub-1:50	Sub-1:45
	Sub-2:00	Sub-2:00
	Sub-2:15	Sub-2:15
		Sub-2:30
See schedules	See schedules	See schedules

Alternatively, if you're a first-time racer, you may like to try our no-nonsense Get You Round Schedule - it starts with around two hours a week over three run-walk sessions, and is designed to help you train just enough to enjoy the race and finish with a smile on your face.

Of course, if none of these schedules suit, you could always use our interactive SmartCoach tool to create your own tailor-made schedule. Simply input a selection of details and SmartCoach will equip you with a fully personalised training plan, designed to fit your preferences and lifestyle.

Expert Advice

From pace-setting to speedwork, threshold running to tapering, these two expert half-marathon guides cover everything you need to be thinking about before (and during) your assault on 13.1 miles:

Nutrition Basics

Fuelling your body with the right food will not only boost your energy levels, it will also improve your endurance and help your body recover faster between sessions - vital if you're stepping up your training for a target race.

• Nutrition Basics
  Is nutrition too complicated? These 10 simple commandments are guaranteed to make you healthier, fitter and faster.


• Eating And Training: How To Time It Right
  If you can coordinate your appetite with your training, you'll become a more effective runner.


• 60-Second Guide: Nutrition On The Run
  What to eat and drink before, during and after a run.


• The Dos and Don'ts of Race Nutrition (non-subscriber preview)
  Tasty tips and easy recipes to help you plan your perfect race build-up diet.
  

Fundraising Focus

Real Runners, Real Conversations

Tap the knowledge of thousands of other runners in our busy, friendly forums. Among the many conversations taking place, you'll find plenty of people looking toward their next half-marathon.