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🏁 8 weeks ⚡ Speed Tuesdays 👟 Long Saturdays

8-Week Half Marathon Plan

A simple, pace-inclusive plan built around our two anchors: Tuesday speed workout and Saturday long run. Easy runs support recovery and consistency.

View the plan → Questions? Contact us ↗
Run days
4–5 / week
Intensity
Effort-based
Quick notes
Pace guide
😌
Easy
Conversational. You could talk in full sentences.
🧱
Long
Easy → steady. Practice fueling if > 75–90 minutes.
⚡
Speed
Controlled hard. Never all-out; finish feeling strong.
Group schedule Target races
Race expectations

Half marathon finish time targets

These ranges reflect realistic outcomes for runners who complete this 8-week plan consistently. They assume you already have a basic running base (see level guidance below), fuel appropriately for long runs, and run in normal race conditions.

Level 1 — Finish & build confidence

Target finish: 2:25 – 2:50

Approx race pace: ~11:05–13:00/mi

Best for first-time half marathoners. Run/walk is totally fine.

Level 2 — Steady performance

Target finish: 2:00 – 2:20

Approx race pace: ~9:10–10:40/mi

For runners with a solid base who can run continuously for ~60–90 minutes.

Level 3 — Race-focused

Target finish: 1:40 – 2:00

Approx race pace: ~7:40–9:10/mi

For runners who already train 4–5 days/week and can handle longer tempo work.

Pace guide

Specific target paces by workout type

These are actual target pace ranges for each level. All paces are minutes per mile. Use the slower end on tired days.

New to these workouts? Learn how to run tempo, intervals, fartlek, hills, and strides →

Level 1 — Finish & build confidence

Target finish: 2:25–2:50

  • Easy: 12:15–13:45
  • Long: 12:00–13:30
  • Steady: 11:15–12:15
  • Tempo / Threshold: 10:45–11:30
  • Intervals: 10:00–10:45
  • Strides: ~9:15–9:45
  • Hills: Effort-based, strong form
  • Fartlek: Controlled-hard effort

Level 2 — Steady performance

Target finish: 2:00–2:20

  • Easy: 10:45–12:00
  • Long: 10:30–11:45
  • Steady: 9:45–10:30
  • Tempo / Threshold: 8:50–9:30
  • Intervals: 8:10–8:50
  • Strides: ~7:55–8:30
  • Hills: Effort-based, strong form
  • Fartlek: Controlled-hard effort

Level 3 — Race-focused

Target finish: 1:40–2:00

  • Easy: 9:45–11:00
  • Long: 9:30–10:45
  • Steady: 8:45–9:30
  • Tempo / Threshold: 7:50–8:30
  • Intervals: 7:15–7:55
  • Strides: ~6:45–7:20
  • Hills: Effort-based, strong form
  • Fartlek: Controlled-hard effort
How to

How to run each workout (warm-up, cool-down, recovery)

Use this guide to execute workouts correctly — not just hit paces. Unless otherwise stated, quality sessions include a warm-up and cool-down.

Warm-up (all quality days)

  • 10–15 min easy jog to get warm and loose
  • Optional drills: leg swings, skips, high knees
  • Before faster work: 2–4 × 20s strides (easy jog between)

You should feel warm and ready — never rushed.

Cool-down (all quality days)

  • 10–15 min easy jog to bring effort down gradually
  • Finish feeling relaxed, not depleted
  • Light stretching after (calves, hips, hamstrings)

Hill reps (Hills)

  • Effort: strong but controlled (≈ 5K–10K effort)
  • Focus: form & power, not sprinting
  • Recovery: easy jog/walk downhill until breathing settles

Short hills build strength; keep posture tall and cadence quick.

Tempo / Threshold (T)

  • Effort: “comfortably hard” — short phrases only
  • Continuous tempo: steady focus the whole time
  • Broken tempo: 2–5 min easy jog between segments

Start controlled and finish strong — not gasping.

Intervals (Int)

  • Effort: hard but repeatable
  • Goal: consistent reps (no big fall-off)
  • Recovery: easy jog ~equal or slightly shorter than work

If pace drops sharply, the reps are too fast.

Fartlek

  • On segments: controlled-hard (≈ 10K–5K effort)
  • Off segments: truly easy jogging
  • Recovery: time-based (e.g., 1 min on / 1–2 min off)

Great for learning effort without obsessing over splits.

Marathon pace (MP)

  • Effort: steady and aerobic — sustainable
  • Talk test: short phrases OK
  • Recovery: 3–5 min easy jog if broken into sets

MP builds endurance with lower fatigue than harder workouts.

Strides (Str)

  • Effort: fast but relaxed (smooth acceleration)
  • Duration: 15–25 seconds
  • Recovery: full easy jog back to relaxed breathing

Strides should leave you feeling better, not tired.

Rest between hard days

  • Don’t stack quality days back-to-back
  • Easy runs should feel easy enough to recover
  • If you’re fatigued: shorten volume first, keep effort honest

Goal: finish workouts feeling like you could do one more rep.

Training plan

Week-by-week workouts

Each week includes a Tuesday quality session, a Saturday long run, plus easy/support mileage. If you feel overly fatigued, drop the optional day first. New to workouts like tempo, intervals, fartlek, hills, or strides? See how to run each one →

Choose a target
Pick the level that matches your current easy-run pace and weekly consistency.
Which level should I choose? (tap to expand)

Before you start: This 8-week plan assumes you already have a basic running base. If you’re brand-new to running, build up first (consistent easy runs for 6–8 weeks).

A good baseline for any level is being able to complete a 6–8 mile long run comfortably (run or run/walk) and running at least 3 days/week.

Level 1 (Finish-focused)
  • Running 3 days/week consistently
  • Longest recent run: ~6 miles (run/walk OK)
  • Comfortable easy effort (conversation pace)
  • Goal: finish strong and feel good afterward
Level 2 (Steady performance)
  • Running 3–4 days/week consistently
  • Longest recent run: ~8–9 miles
  • Can run continuously for ~60–90 minutes
  • Goal: steady pacing with a strong finish
Level 3 (Race-focused)
  • Running 4–5 days/week (including workouts)
  • Longest recent run: ~9–10 miles
  • Comfortable with tempo/threshold work
  • Goal: race the half marathon (not just finish)
If you’re unsure: start one level easier. Consistency beats forcing a pace you can’t recover from.

Level 1 (target finish: 2:25–2:50)

WU warm-up CD cool-down EZ easy LR long run XT cross-train Str strides T threshold Int intervals Hills hill reps Fartlek speed play MP marathon pace
Week #DateMonTue (Workout)WedThuFriSatSunWeekly miles
1Apr 13, 2026 Rest Fartlek 6×30s EZ 3 EZ 3 + 4×15s Str Rest LR 6 EZ 2 20
2Apr 20, 2026 Rest Hills 8×20s EZ 3 Steady 3 Rest LR 7 EZ 2 21
3Apr 27, 2026 Rest Fartlek 8×45s EZ 3 EZ 3 + Str Rest LR 8 EZ 2 22
4May 4, 2026 Rest T: 2×8m EZ 3 EZ 4 Rest LR 9 EZ 2 24
5May 11, 2026 Rest Int: 6×2m EZ 4 EZ 3 + Str Rest LR 10 EZ 2 26
6May 18, 2026 Rest T: 20m EZ 4 EZ 4 Rest LR 8 EZ 2 22
7May 25, 2026 Rest HMP: 2×10m EZ 4 EZ 3 + Str Rest LR 7 EZ 2 17
8Jun 1, 2026 Rest EZ 3 EZ 2 EZ 2 + Str Rest Shakeout 2 — 11

Level 2 (target finish: 2:00–2:20)

WU warm-up CD cool-down EZ easy LR long run XT cross-train Str strides T threshold Int intervals Hills hill reps Fartlek speed play MP marathon pace
Week #DateMonTue (Workout)WedThuFriSatSunWeekly miles
1Apr 13, 2026 Rest Hills 10×30s EZ 4 EZ 4 + Str Rest LR 8 EZ 3 23
2Apr 20, 2026 Rest Fartlek 8×1m EZ 4 T: 2×10m Rest LR 9 EZ 3 26
3Apr 27, 2026 Rest Int: 6×800 EZ 5 EZ 4 + Str Rest LR 10 EZ 3 28
4May 4, 2026 Rest T: 25m EZ 5 HMP: 4 Rest LR 11 EZ 3 30
5May 11, 2026 Rest Int: 5×1K EZ 5 EZ 5 + Str Rest LR 12 EZ 3 32
6May 18, 2026 Rest T: 2×12m EZ 5 HMP: 5 Rest LR 9 EZ 3 28
7May 25, 2026 Rest HMP: 4 EZ 4 EZ 3 + Str Rest LR 8 EZ 3 22
8Jun 1, 2026 Rest EZ 4 EZ 3 EZ 2 + Str Rest Shakeout 2 — 11

Level 3 (target finish: 1:40–2:00)

WU warm-up CD cool-down EZ easy LR long run XT cross-train Str strides T threshold Int intervals Hills hill reps Fartlek speed play MP marathon pace
Week #DateMonTue (Workout)WedThuFriSatSunWeekly miles
1Apr 13, 2026 Rest Hills 12×30s EZ 6 EZ 5 + Str Rest LR 9 EZ 4 29
2Apr 20, 2026 Rest Fartlek 10×1m EZ 6 T: 3×8m Rest LR 10 EZ 4 34
3Apr 27, 2026 Rest Int: 6×1K EZ 6 HMP: 5 Rest LR 11 EZ 4 35
4May 4, 2026 Rest T: 30m EZ 6 EZ 6 + Str Rest LR 12 EZ 4 35
5May 11, 2026 Rest Int: 8×800 EZ 7 HMP: 6 (7) Rest LR 12 EZ 4 38
6May 18, 2026 Rest T: 2×15m EZ 6 EZ 6 + Str Rest LR 10 EZ 4 34
7May 25, 2026 Rest HMP: 5 EZ 5 EZ 4 + Str Rest LR 10 EZ 4 28
8Jun 1, 2026 Rest EZ 5 EZ 4 EZ 3 + Str Rest Shakeout 2 — 14
Race Day
Bamk of America 13.1 - Chicago Half Marathon — June 7, 2026
Start controlled. Settle in. Finish strong. Trust the work you put in.
Extras

Beginner tips that work

Keep it simple. Keep it consistent. Stack good weeks.

🧊

Warm up + cool down

Before speedwork: easy jog + drills. After: easy jog + light stretching.

🛌

Recovery is training

Sleep, hydration, and easy days are where fitness “sticks.”

🧠

Effort over pace

Weather, sleep, stress: pace changes. Effort keeps training honest.