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Intermediate Half Marathon Program

Posted Monday, 8 September, 1997
First things first: bookmark this page so that you can check on your progress. You can
also add daily run reminders to the Cool Running homepage as you roll through the
weeks of this training program (to do this, edit your start page preferences).
This program contains some speed workouts. (For more information on the types of
speed workouts, we lay it all out in "The Runner's Building Blocks"). A few quick notes
on how speedwork is described here:

The distance in parentheses below fartlek runs includes a mile each of warmup
and warmdown, in addition to your fartlek sessions. Don't know what a fartlek is?
Check out our page about "The Runner's Building Blocks".
Whenever you see a pace denoted as 5K pace or 10K pace, this refers to the speed
at which you estimate you could run a 5K or 10K on that given day.
When you read "4-5 hills," that means you should do 4-5 repeats at 5K pace on a
hill about 150 or 200 yards long. Long hills should be 400-600 yards long. If you
find it too tedious to run repeats on a single hill, you can also find a route that
incorporates the same number of hills, as long as the route is not very long.
When you read the notation "4 x 880s," that means you should run four repeats of
880 yards each (two laps on the track). The pace below tells you how fast you
should run them. For 880s, give yourself 2 minutes of rest between intervals; for
440s, give yourself 1-2 minutes.

All other workouts (including the long runs) should be run at an easy training pace -emphasis on "easy." Hold yourself back to a pace about 90 seconds or 2 minutes per mile
slower than your current 10K pace.
Finally, the pre-training schedule. You should be able to run this schedule for four to five
weeks without much discomfort before starting the half marathon program. If not, give
yourself some time to build up to that level gradually, or you may risk injury.
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
Pre- Off
Train

3M

5M

3M 5M 3M 7M

The schedule
The schedule peaks at about 40 miles per week. If you prefer metric distances, use our
distance-conversion calculator to convert to kilometers.
Week Mon.

Tue.

Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat.

Sun.

Off

4M

6M

4M 6M 3M

8M

Off

Fartlek
(5M)

3M

5M 6M 3M

9M

Off

5-6 Hills
5K-10K pace

3M

6M 6M 3M

10M

Off

Fartlek
(5M)

3M

6M 6M 3M

8M

Off 4-5 Long Hills 4M

5K-10K pace

6M 6M 3M

11M

Off

6 x 880s
5K-10K pace

4M

7M 7M 4M

8M

Off

3 x Mile
5K-10K pace

4M

7M 7M 3M

12M

Off

6 x 880s
5K pace

5M

7M 7M 4M

9M

Off

4 x Mile
5K-10K pace

4M

7M 7M 4M

14M

10

Off

6 x 880s
5K pace

5M

8M 8M 5M

15M

11

Off

5M

5M

8M 7M 4M

8M

12

Off

4M

4M

6M 4M 3M RACE DAY

The Runner's Building Blocks

A firm training foundation is built on
several core types of workouts. Try our
tips for building a balanced routine.

By Josh Clark
Variety may be the spice of life, but it's the bread
and butter of running, the key to improved speed
and performance. Unfortunately, most recreational
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runners do the same workout day in and day out.
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While the majority of your running should remain
in the realm of endurance training, the addition of
building-block speed and strength workouts injects freshness into what may be a stale
routine.
And it will almost certainly improve your performance. The reason is confirmed by
common sense: Varied workouts teach your body varied lessons. The long run teaches
endurance, track work trains "fast-twitch" muscles, hills teach strength, etc. A wellrounded mix of workouts will help you improve your running form, condition your body
to handle the discomfort of faster speed, give you a sense of appropriate pace, and build
your end-of-the-race kick to the finish.
While the specifics of every training program should be adapted to the specific needs of
the individual, the runner interested in improving performance should have a wellrounded program that includes some, if not all, of the following six building blocks:

Fartlek (for speed and pace)

Hills (for strength)
Tempo Runs (for speed and pace)
Intervals (for speed)
The Long Run (for endurance)
Easy run (for recovery)

Do you have to do all these specialized workouts? Of course not. You will find, however,
that at least some regular speed and strength workouts will improve your performance,
with the most dramatic improvement occurring when you first begin. Every single one of
these building-block workouts will improve some facet of your running, and the more
you incorporate into your routine the more improvement you will see. That said, be aware
that the benefits of speedwork will not show up immediately in your races, since it often
takes over a month for your body to become used to changes in training. Even then, it
usually takes about two weeks for your body to absorb a speed workout and translate it
into a resource to be tapped during a race. Be patient, and don't expect every session to
show an improvement in times. The fitter you get, the more difficult that becomes.
Always build conservatively.
Fundamentals>
If you are a beginning runner, you may want to hold off on introducing speedwork into
your routine. You should have an established base of at least 20 miles per week before

incorporating these "quality runs" into your schedule. It's also best to have at least a year
of running experience under your belt. The reason for both is that speedwork adds
considerable strain to your muscles and connective tissues. Without the necessary
mileage foundation, you may wind up injured rather than fast.
As with all your runs, you should start and finish your specialized sessions with easy
running, preferably longer than the typical ten or fifteen minutes you might do before
your normal training run. With all of these workouts, you're pushing your body close to
its limits, and it's unwise either to start or stop suddenly. Stretch well and give yourself 10
minutes of easy running, both before and after the workout.
Also keep in mind that it's important to keep moving between the "hard" portions of your
workout. All of the workouts discussed here involve the alternation of hard and easy
efforts. "Easy" means a slow pace, maybe a jog. But it does not mean walking, stopping,
or collapsing to the track and wheezing. If you need to do any of those things, you're
running the hard portion of the workout too fast. The old adage of "no pain, no gain" is
simply wrong. The idea is to push only a little bit harder than your normal training pace
to get the benefits; there will be some modest discomfort but certainly no pain. You
should always have the energy after each interval to continue running slowly during the
rest periods. By doing this, you keep your heart rate up, and as a result, you prevent blood
from pooling in your legs. Keep running, even if slowly: it's good for you.
Ideally, you should run each of the hard portions of the workout at approximately the
same pace per session. You should not feel exhausted by the end, but neither should you
feel like you're still full of energy. This helps teach you the value of pacing yourself in a
race by being aggressive but realistic in your starting pace.
The Building Blocks>
This section focuses on the three basic varieties of speed workouts (fartlek, intervals and
tempo runs), along with the benefits of each and the most productive ways to use these
tools. Meanwhile, don't forget to review our pointers for hill workouts.
Before we begin, though, a plug for the all-important cousin of the speed workout: the
easy run. Recovery (i.e. the easy run) is probably the most important piece of a good
training program, and it should not be dismissed. Too many runners, hellbent on
increasing speed and mileage, completely overlook the importance of the easy run, often
running themselves into injury. Your body needs a chance to rest, so make sure that
somewhere between those killer hill workouts and gutsy interval sessions you manage to
squeeze in some rest -- and plenty of it.
Fartlek>

It's true: fartlek is almost as fun to do as it is to say. "Fartlek" is Swedish for "speed play"
and consists of bursts of speed in the middle of a training run. Essentially, it's an
unstructured interval session, the track without the rules. Fartlek gets your legs used to a
variety of paces and in the process gives you an enhanced awareness of your ability to
keep up those paces at various distances.
After warming up, run at an easy training pace, throwing in bursts of speed for various
distances throughout the run. Vary the speed and times of the speed sections, from as
short as 15 seconds to as long as two or three minutes. Between these bursts, allow
yourself enough recovery time to match roughly 2/3 of the effort time. The recovery
pace, though, should be faster than the recovery jog you might do during intervals on the
track; keep it moving at an easy training pace.
It's a good idea to pick out a landmark -- a tree or a fire hydrant or a bend in the path -where a speed section will end before you start picking up the pace. In other words, you
have to know how far you are running for each section. Because the idea is to keep up a
constant pace until you reach that landmark, it is important to pace yourself at the
beginning. Don't tear off so fast that you can't keep up the pace through the end of each
speed section.
A fartlek session can be as easy or as difficult as you wish to make it. Use fartlek for
anything from a light recovery run to a grueling workout. As always, however, start out
easy. Your first fartlek sessions should contain distances and paces that you feel
comfortable with and that you feel you can gradually increase in future sessions. A
twenty to thirty-minute fartlek session should be adequate for most runners. There is very
little reason for them to go as long as an hour.
Intervals>
The track. While most elite runners get their start there, the great majority of runners
came to the sport by way of local roads, sidewalks and forest paths. For the average
runner, the track seems all too intimidating, almost scary. Fact is, though, the track is not
simply the domain of the elites. Any runner at any level can improve her performance
with a little help from the 400-meter oval. This is what intervals are about.
Interval sessions are the most formal of speed workouts in that the distances and target
paces are precisely fixed before you run. The idea is to run a series of relatively short
repetitions over distances from 220 yards to one mile, with rest periods of slower running
in between. Because of their very nature, intervals involve a shorter period of effort than
your usual run of, say, 45 minutes at a steady pace. This allows you to run much faster
than you usually do, adapting your body to higher demands and your leg muscles to faster
turnover. Over time, you become more physiologically efficient.
Because of the clearly measured distances, the track is an ideal place to do intervals, but
some may find the never-changing scenery to be, well, maybe just a little dull. In that

case, you should feel free to do your intervals on the road, using permanent landmarks to
measure distance.
The various distances, as you might guess, are each best suited to runners with specific
goals. The 220-yard run (1/2 lap, or 200 meters) is best for short-distance training (5K
and under) to improve speed. The 440 (one lap, or 400 meters) helps improve overall
conditioning at slower paces, and at faster paces is good final race preparation. The 880
(two laps, or 800 meters) is used to develop speed when training for races 10K and under
and to condition form and pace when training for longer races. Finally, the mile is used
most often to train for longer races, from 10K to marathon, to help improve pace
judgment and overall conditioning.
Tempo Runs>
This is hands-down the least complicated variety of speedwork. There are no distances to
keep track of, no split times to remember, no hassles. All you have to do is run faster than
your usual training pace, somewhere right around your 10K race pace. Unlike most
speedwork which consists of relatively short bursts of high effort, tempo runs call for a
single sustained effort. The result is that your body learns race economy: running at a fast
pace for relatively long periods of time. Tempo runs will give your top speed a boost, too.
By running nearly at race pace, your body becomes accustomed to running close to its
upper limit (though not exceeding it). In doing so, you actually increase that upper limit,
and you become gradually faster.
After your usual warmup routine, run at your easy training pace for at least ten minutes.
Then pick up the pace. As mentioned above, this speed should be right around your 10K
race pace (around 80%-85% of maximum heart rate, if you use a heart rate monitor). The
time, distance and pace of your tempo run, as with all phases of your running, depends on
both your ability and your goals. For the distance you choose (3 and 5 miles are popular
tempo distances), find a pace that is not so fast that you cannot sustain it for the distance,
but not so slow that you do not feel challenged toward the end. Tempo runs should be
tough, but not impossible. Depending on how you feel on any given day, how much
spring is in your legs, and how far you are running, your tempo pace may vary from
session to session. That's fine. The consistency that counts is the pace within each
session. Try to keep your speed level for the full length of each tempo run.
Don't worry too much about figuring out the exact distance of your tempo run. It's really
not terribly important. Three to six miles is probably a good range. The one value of
knowing how far you are running, though, is that you are able to gauge your
improvement over time. Still, this is easily done by doing most of your tempo runs on the
same route. You may not know the specific distance, but you can still compare your times
for that same fixed route.
Putting It All Together>

Now put this basic knowledge of speed workouts to work with our speed training
recommendations for various levels of ability and experience.
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