8-Week Half Marathon Training Plan
This plan is for regular runners aiming for peak performance on race day. If you want a personal best, our plan will help you succeed.
Key Features of the Plan
- 4-5 runs per week, each around an hour long.
- 1 strength session per week targeting core, hips, glutes, and legs to maximize power and prevent injury.
- Balance of long runs, tempo runs, intervals, and easy runs.
- Guidance is provided on which sessions can be swapped for club runs, allowing you to maintain your social runs.
- Structured to fit into a busy lifestyle, while maximizing training efficiency.
Recommended Starting Ability
- Run comfortably for at least an hour and a half.
8-Week Structured Progression
For this advanced plan you should already be able to run for an hour and a half. The plan is divided into two blocks, each designed to ensure steady progress:
- Block 1 (Weeks 1-5): Speed & Base Endurance
The first five weeks focus on building a solid endurance foundation while integrating speed work. Steady runs lay the groundwork for more intense sessions, while speed workouts sharpen your pace for the challenges ahead.
- Block 2 (Weeks 6-8): Race Pace & Peaking
The final three weeks shift focus to race pace and peaking. Increase the duration of your race pace efforts while maintaining high intensity. Tapering towards the end ensures you’re fresh, strong, and confident on race day.
Overcoming Race Pace Challenges
Race pace is tough to maintain, but our plan includes sessions specifically designed to build confidence and stamina, making race day pace feel natural.
Staying Motivated
To keep you engaged, we’ve varied the workouts and added strength sessions to build resilience, ensuring you stay motivated while maintaining continual progression.
Seamless Integration
Our plan integrates with smartwatches for live tracking and provides a full training calendar to monitor progress.
About Me
Hi, I’m Chris, head coach at Efficient Endurance. With years of experience coaching runners, I’m passionate about maximizing efficiency and cutting out wasted training time. Whether it’s your first half marathon or you’re aiming for a personal best, I’m here to make your training as effective as possible.
Check out our other Half Marathon Training Plans Here
Ready to Overcome Your Challenges?
This plan gives you the confidence to tackle your half marathon with clear guidance for every session. You’ll always know what you're working on and why.
Ready to take your training to the next level? Let’s get started today and run with purpose!
Efficient Endurance provides structured coaching for committed professionals preparing for long-distance events. I remove the decision load of training through clear planning and consistent accountability. My science-informed approach ensures sustainable progression for Ironman, marathons, and triathlons. I also have 10 years of experience as a professional swim coach at the top levels, offering technical depth that ensures efficiency in the water and confidence on race day.