Summit Half-Marathon Plan (Beginner), by Leighton Wells, PhD (Sport Science)
Summit Half-Marathon Plan (Beginner), by Leighton Wells, PhD (Sport Science)
Structured Workouts automatically sync with compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time.
Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Length
14 Weeks
Structured Workouts automatically sync with compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time.
Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Plan Description
Go to sample weeks and training-load structure ↓
You can run a few times a week, and a half-marathon is the goal. This is a patient 14-week build to your first strong half: you get to the line fit, healthy and confident, not just hanging on. A first half is built on a deep easy base and long runs grown gently by time, not a punishing pile of miles. Not racing regularly yet? Build a base with the 10K plan first.
WHAT'S IN EVERY SUMMIT PLAN
Coaching built in, not just a list of workouts.
Targets are set from your own heart rate, so they scale to you, not a generic chart.
Most of your running kept genuinely easy, with a smaller, sharper share of hard work. Endurance research links the fastest marathon and half-marathon times to more easy running, not more hard.
Every interval downloads to your device and guides you in real time.
Plain English, every Monday: what matters most and what to drop when life is loud.
Full, reduced and minimum, so a hard work or family week never derails the plan.
The reasoning behind every session, with every term defined in full.
THE INTENSITY THAT GETS YOU THERE
Most of your running, easy.
A big aerobic base with a smaller, sharper dose of hard work. The distribution the research ties to the strongest endurance results.
Polarised training has the strongest evidence, so these plans are built that way. Pyramidal training is also effective, so in one-to-one coaching the balance is tailored to your stage of training and your life load.
Endurance research links the fastest marathon and half-marathon times to more easy running, not more hard (Muniz et al., 2024, Sports Medicine →).
Dr Leighton Wells
PhD · MAppSpSci · TrainingPeaks Level 2 · 7× Ironman finisher · research on 34,731 training sessions
HOW IT IS BUILT
What it is built on
Built the way a first half should be: a patient, mostly-easy aerobic base, the long run grown gently by time rather than ego, and just enough sharper work to teach your legs race effort.
Roughly four of every five kilometres stay genuinely easy and conversational. A little half-marathon-pace work in the back half of the long run, late in the plan, rehearses race effort without overreaching.
The plan opens with an orientation week and a benchmark week, peaks about three weeks out, then tapers cleanly. Strength keeps you durable, and every run is anchored to your own threshold, your LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate), set from a 5 km field test. It is built to the same standards behind every Summit run plan.
THE SUMMIT COACHING CYCLE
Coach yourself the way we would.
This is the rhythm we run in one-to-one coaching, and we encourage you to run it yourself when self-coaching. The plan prescribes the training; you measure, monitor and manage, week to week, and each step feeds the next.
The plan designs each week with intent, built on the method above.
Capture every session, and just as important, how it actually felt.
Watch the trends, your fatigue and your life load, not just one session.
Adjust, progress or back off, then it feeds into the next week.
THE AUTHORITY BEHIND YOUR PLAN
Published in leading sport-science journals.
Teaches coaching, training load and exercise science in university sport-science programs.
For AusTriathlon and TrainingPeaks.
Presented at the ECSS 2025 congress in Rimini, a leading global meeting.
ENDURANCE RESULTS FROM SUMMIT ATHLETES
Real results, from real endurance athletes.
“I reduced my Ironman 70.3 PB by 50 minutes in less than 12 months with Leighton, and he coached me to my first Ironman finish.”
Andrew Hyde · First Ironman finish“Exceptional, personalised service. Leighton provides great insights and really knows what endurance training is all about. I reduced my Ironman 70.3 time by 40 minutes.”
Scott Hunter · Ironman 70.3 athleteBefore you start
You should be able to run a few times a week and cover about 30 to 40 minutes continuously. Newer than that? Start with the 10K plan and step up when you are ready. The plan opens with an orientation week to settle in and set up your watch, then a benchmark week that sets your zones from a 5 km field test, so nothing in the build is guesswork.
FROM PLAN TO COACHING
A plan gives you the structure. Coaching adds the person reading the data.
Buy this plan, and if you later move to one-to-one coaching with Dr Leighton Wells, your first month is free. We pick up from where the plan has taken you, with your training built and adjusted around you, week to week.
Free email support, with every plan
Stuck on a session, or a term in the plan? Email leighton@summittriathloncoaching.com.au and ask. You get a real answer from a real coach, not a help desk.
GO DEEPER
The standards this plan is built on: The Anatomy of a Marathon Build →
The science behind how I coach: the Summit method →
Delivered through TrainingPeaks and loads into your calendar from your chosen start date. Train to your own limits and seek medical advice before starting a new program.
How it Works
Load Your Plan
Quickly view upcoming workouts in the TrainingPeaks app.
Workout and Analyze
Upload completed workouts from your favorite tracking app or device.
Track Your Progress
Get feedback, stay on top of your training and perform at your best.
Training Plan Sample Week
Stats
Average Weekly Breakdown
| Workouts | Weekly Average | Longest Workout |
|---|---|---|
|
Run
x4
|
03:09:00 | 01:50:00 |
|
Strength
x1
|
00:38:00 | 01:00:00 |
| Workouts Per Week | Weekly Average | Longest Workout | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
03:09:00 | 01:50:00 | |
|
|
00:38:00 | 01:00:00 |
Training Load By Week
- This plan includes a Free Basic TrainingPeaks Account.
- Access your training plan anywhere on the TrainingPeaks mobile and desktop apps.
- Track your performance with robust data tracking and detailed graphs.
- Plan for your event in the TrainingPeaks calendar.
- Track your weight, sleep, hours, fatigue and stress while you train.
- Completed workouts sync with popular apps like Garmin and Wahoo. Learn More
- If plan includes Structured Workouts, then planned workouts sync to compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time. Learn More
Refund Policy
This plan is protected by our Refund Policy and may, with the author's approval, be exchanged for a plan of equal value from the same author.
Still have questions about this plan?
Bundle Premium—
Save 20%
Premium unlocks smarter training with advanced analytics, TrainingPeaks Virtual, and Structured Strength to give you deeper insights and data-backed results.
$107.99 USD for the first year, billed yearly.
Bundle Premium—
Save 25%
Premium unlocks smarter training with advanced analytics, TrainingPeaks Virtual, and Structured Strength to give you deeper insights and data-backed results.
$101.24 USD for the first year, billed yearly.
Bundle Premium—
Save 20%
Premium unlocks smarter training with advanced analytics, TrainingPeaks Virtual, and Structured Strength to give you deeper insights and data-backed results.
$107.99 USD for the first year, billed yearly.