RW's 10-week sub-1:50 half-marathon schedules
Classic schedules for the half
Posted: 7 May 2000
by Bruce Tulloh
This time range takes you up to a regular 40 miles a week, though many runners would still be able to do themselves justice by substituting one easy run for a rest day and running closer to 35 miles a week. The key here is to get used to good-quality sessions, particularly repetition runs, where you are running fast (at about 10K pace) for several minutes at a stretch.
Slightly less strenuous are the ‘zapping’ sessions, which are a type of interval training. You put in a fast burst lasting either 30 seconds or one minute, then drop to a steady jog to recover for the next one. If you don’t like using a watch, you can base the burst on a certain number of strides; 50 double strides are equivalent to a 30-second burst.
You’re allowed one low-mileage week to let your body absorb the training. This can be taken at any point in the schedule, but it’s best to do it when you have a race at the end of the week.
What you do in the last two weeks depends very much on how your body has reacted to Weeks 7 and 8. If you’re feeling tired, take Week 9 very easily. The Week 10 schedule is very light, and by the time the race comes around, you should be fully recovered and feeling bouncy.
The most useful thing you can do in these weeks is to get your pace judgement right. Work out the pace you need to achieve your best possible race time. Practise this over a measured mile, in your racing shoes, so that you know what it feels like. The first mile of your race should not be faster than this. The closer you can get to level pace, the more efficiently you will be running.
| | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| WEEK 1 | 5M easy | 5M, a little faster than Mon | 5M, inc 15 mins of 30 secs fast, 60 secs jogging | 5M easy, off-road | Rest | 5M easy, inc some strides | 7-8M easy |
| WEEK 2 | 4M easy | 6M steady, on a hilly course | 5M, inc 16 mins of 1 min fast, 1 min jogging | 5M easy | Rest | Warm up, then 3M fast (timed). Warm down | 7-8M easy |
| WEEK 3 | 4M easy | 6M steady, finishing faster | 4M easy | Warm up, then 8 x 90 secs fast, 90 secs slow | Rest | Warm up, then 4 x 800m (or 4 x 3 mins), with 3-min recovery jogs | 7-8M slow |
| WEEK 4 | 4M easy | 6M, fairly fast | Repetitions: 4 x 3 mins fast, with 2-min recoveries | 5M easy | Rest | 1M jog, then 5M fairly fast, then 1M jog | 10M slow |
| WEEK 5 | 5M easy, off-road | 6M, starting slow, finishing faster | 3 x 5 mins fast, with 5-min jog recoveries | 5M easy, inc 6 x 150m fast strides | Rest or 3M jog | 2M slow, then 1M fast, then 2M slow | Warm up, then 10K race or 5M pace run (timed) |
| WEEK 6 | 5M easy | 5M, inc 16 x 1 min fast, 1 min slow | 2 x 2M (approx), timed, at threshold pace | 5-6M easy | Rest or 3M jog | 1M easy, then 4-5M fairly fast, then 1M jog | 10M steady |
| WEEK 7 | 5M easy, off-road if possible | Rest | 8M, fairly fast | 4M easy | Rest or 3M jog | 4M on grass, inc 6 x 200m strides | Warm up, then 10K race. Warm down |
| WEEK 8 | 5M easy, off-road | 6M steady, inc bursts up hills | 3 x 1M (or 3 x 5 mins), with 5-min recoveries | 5M easy | 5M easy | 6-7M, inc 10 x 30 secs fast, 30 secs slow | 10-12M steady |
| WEEK 9 | 5M easy | 5M, inc 16 x 1 min fast, 1 min slow | Warm up, then 2 x 2M (approx), timed, at threshold pace | 5-6M easy | Rest or 3M jog | 1M easy, then 4-5M fairly fast, then 1M jog | 10M steady |
| WEEK 10 | 5M easy | 6-7M at a comfortable pace | Warm up, then 2M at race pace, then 2M jog | 5M easy, inc 6 x 30 secs fast | Rest | 3M, in race kit | Race day |
Half-Marathon Race Preparation
Although nothing like as taxing as a full marathon, the 21K distance does need to be treated with respect, particularly if the weather is hot. You should finish your breakfast three hours before the start, but there is nothing wrong with drinking tea, coffee, water or squash up to an hour before the start, and if it is really hot, I suggest drinking half a pint of water five minutes before the start. Don’t drink half an hour before the start, or you’ll be bursting for a pee while waiting for the gun!
If you’re aiming to run fast, you should go through a gentle warm-up routine during the 20 minutes leading up to the start – jogging, stretching and striding. If you’re doing an event with a large field, you’ll probably find yourself running very fast in the first mile, so try to keep warm and loose during the final few minutes when you are wedged in the crowd.
Discuss this story
If your last half was 90 mins, and on Friday you did a 13 mile run in 90 mins, the I don't think you need worry too much about beating your previous best.
You obviously have the aerobic stamina, so if you are looking to do a much better time, I think, given that you only have 4 weeks, then 10 mile long runs, trying to do negative splits, would be the best bet.
Also, use some of your runs to practice pace, so that you don't set off too fast, and bomb out. On race day, *really* concentrate on holding a bit back in the first 5 miles, then you should have enough left for a faster finish.
Good luck!
(Although I admit Big Tim is a much faster, much more experienced runner than I will ever be, so his advice is probably well worth listening to!)
Posted: 17/10/2005 14:48
ok so there is no such thing as a 4 week half marathon schedule but is there an 8 week one? I generally run about 10k as part of triathlon training so just looking to build up the distance but am also very unfit at the mo (relatively speaking). not too worried about finish time as just trying to kick start pre-season training but somewhere around 1.40-50 would be nice...
Posted: 08/01/2009 10:21
I really struggle to understand some of these training schedules sometimes. I ran a marathon at the end of September, and while I can appreciate that the optimum training regime for the marathon has 3-4 runs a week, I ended up with shin splints and ended up doing one long run a week. And got round comfortably, I should add. But for a decent half marathon (say 1:40), I really fail to see why 40 miles per week is required; in fact, I would suggest that it's somewhat unhelpful, potentially encouraging people to overtrain and cause longer-term injury. Personally, I'm fairly certain that a decent time can come from doing 20-25 miles a week - 3 runs of 4, 7 and 9-13 miles for intervals, 'limit' and long runs; and feel that the black and white approach to training of 'sub 1:50? you want to run 40 miles a week mate' vs 'you don't have the time to run 40 miles a week? Well, better resign yourself to a 2hr30 half marathon' doesn't do anyone any favours.
Posted: 03/12/2009 15:55
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