Training plans and race-day pacing

Half Marathon Training Plan Generator

Choose plan length, running days, level and a goal time to get a complete half marathon plan.

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A half marathon training plan is a week-by-week schedule of runs that builds your distance and endurance until you can cover 21.1 km (13.1 miles) on race day. This free tool creates one for you in your browser. Choose the race, plan length, runs per week and level, and it builds every week with the run type, distance, and the pace or effort for each day. It needs no account or sign-up. The page opens with a 14-week plan for an intermediate runner at 4 runs a week, and a goal time adds a box of training paces above the weeks. Plan lengths run from 8 to 20 weeks, and every plan ends with a 2-week taper before race day. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on a server. Try different settings to see how the whole plan changes, from a first half marathon to a faster goal.
Half marathon training plan example

How to use the half marathon training plan tool

  1. Set Race to half marathon.
  2. Set Plan length in weeks. For a half marathon, choose 8 to 20 weeks. The page opens at 14.
  3. Set Runs per week to 3, 4, 5 or 6 days.
  4. Set Level to Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.
  5. Optionally, enter a Goal time. With one, you get a box of training paces. Without one, each run is described by effort.
  6. Optionally, enter a Race date. Week 1 then starts on a Monday, and the race falls on that day.
  7. Choose Units, miles or km.
  8. Read the summary line, then go through the week boxes. Each day shows the run type, distance and pace or effort, and each week shows its phase and total.

Above the plan, Print prints only the plan, and Download PDF saves a text PDF of the whole plan made in the browser. Add to calendar (.ics) creates one all-day event per run, for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Copy link keeps your exact settings in the page address, so you can share or bookmark the result. The miles/km switch changes every pace and distance, and the browser remembers your choice. Changing the level from intermediate to beginner lowers the longest-run cap from 21 km to 19 km and rebuilds the whole plan. Use Copy link to keep each version you try, so you can compare them later.

How long does it take to train for a half marathon?

Half marathon plans on this tool run from 8 to 20 weeks, and the page opens with 14. Length controls how gradually your distance grows, because no week goes more than 10% above the largest earlier week. Every fourth week is a cutback week at about 80% of the load.

The plan moves through base, build and race-specific phases, then a 2-week taper. The base phase covers the first 40% of the build, with easy runs, strides and hill repeats. The build phase covers the next 40%, with tempo runs and intervals. The race-specific phase covers the last 20%, with race-pace running. In the 14-week intermediate example with 4 runs a week, the peak week is 29 mi (46.5 km).

How many days a week should I run for a half marathon?

You can choose 3, 4, 5 or 6 runs a week. The long run can take at most 45% of the week’s distance on 3 days, 40% on 4 days, 35% on 5 days and 30% on 6 days. Hard sessions such as hills, tempo, intervals and race-pace runs are never placed the day before or after the long run. Easy runs are at least 3 km. A 12-week beginner plan with 3 runs a week gives 36 runs in total, and the 14-week intermediate example with 4 runs a week gives 56.

What should my longest run be before a half marathon?

On this tool, the longest run is capped at 19 km for beginner plans, 21 km for intermediate and 24 km for advanced. In the 14-week intermediate example, the longest run is 11.5 mi (18.5 km).

Is there a half marathon training plan for beginners?

Yes. Set Level to Beginner. Beginner long runs are capped at 19 km, and the plan still moves through base, build, race-specific and taper phases. In the 12-week, 3-run beginner example with a 2:30:00 goal, the peak week is 17.5 mi (28 km), and the longest run is 8 mi (12.5 km).

How are training paces worked out?

If you enter a goal time, the tool calculates your paces from it using the Daniels & Gilbert (1979) equations and its own zone definitions. Easy runs are 15 to 30% slower than marathon-equivalent pace, and long runs are 10 to 25% slower. Threshold is the pace you could race for about 60 minutes, and interval pace is the pace you could race for about 10 minutes.

Without a goal time, the plan describes each run by effort instead, such as “easy, conversational effort.”

Can I add the plan to my calendar?

Yes. The Add to calendar (.ics) button creates one all-day event per run, for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. If you enter a race date, each event falls on its planned day, and the race falls on race day. Without a race date, the plan starts next Monday.

What is a taper for a half marathon?

A taper is the reduction in training before race day, so your legs recover. This plan tapers for 2 weeks, while a 5K or 10K tapers for 1 week and a marathon tapers for 3 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Can I save my plan?

Saving plans is listed as coming soon, so it is not available yet. For now, Copy link keeps your exact settings in the page address, and Download PDF or Print gives you a copy of the whole plan.

Do I need a goal time?

No. The goal time is optional. Without one, each run gets an effort description. With one, every run gets a pace range per mile or km.

What happens if I change a setting?

The whole plan is regenerated from your inputs. Changing the plan length, runs per week or level changes every week, not just the ones you edit.

Can I move a run I miss, or get reminders?

Not yet. Moving missed runs, calendar sync and reminders are coming soon. Everything on the page stays free.

Is this medical advice?

No. Build up gradually, and ask a doctor before you start if you have a health condition.

Does the plan work on a phone?

Yes. On a small screen the seven days of each week are shown as a list, one day under the other.

How is the plan made?

The tool generates each plan with code from your inputs, following the public rules on the methodology page. It is not copied from a coach or a book.

Can I use the plan commercially, for example with runners I coach?

Yes. Plans, PDFs and calendar files you make here are free to use for any purpose, including handing them to runners you coach, with no credit needed. You may not copy the generator or the site itself; see the terms.