Runner's World Half-Marathon Plan for Intermediate Runners - 14 Weeks
14 weeks - $24.99
Total Miles: 470
Total Miles: 470
This 14-week plan was designed by the experts at Runner’s World for those who have been running consistently for several years and regularly log an average of 25 to 30 miles per week. It’s geared for those who may have finished a half-marathon and now want to finish faster. It features two days of rest and five days of running each week, including hill work, tempo runs, and a long run that starts at seven miles and peaks at 13 miles. Not the right plan for you? Check out Runner’s World’s training plans for beginners and advanced runners.
After purchase, your plan will be available in your own private online training log account. You'll enjoy these benefits and more:
Sample workouts:
Workout #1 : Day Off
Week 1 REST
Welcome to week one of the half-marathon training plan for intermediate runners. This program is designed to build strength and stamina so that you can hold a faster pace for a longer distance. Each Monday, you’ll get a note describing your training for the week ahead. And every day, you'll get an e-mail reminding you about the workout for the day. As you train, tap into The Loop, our online community at runnersworld.com/theloop, where you’ll find tips on training, nutrition, and injury prevention, and you can connect with other runners and the editors of Runner's World. During the first month of training, you’ll have two short midweek runs, two rest days, one hilly run, and a long run on the weekend. Later in the program, the hill work is replaced with quality workouts designed to build aerobic strength—hill repeats and mile repeats. Then you'll head into the race taper. Your training program kicks off with a rest day. Mondays are always reserved for rest so you can recover from your long run and save your energy for the week ahead. Ideally, you won’t exercise at all on these days. But it’s okay to do a no-impact activity like yoga, stretching, or swimming. Whatever you do, just take it easy. Here's a guide to this week's workouts: REST DAYS: Ideally, on rest days you should do no exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. EASY DAYS: Keep a comfortable, conversational pace, about one to two minutes slower than your 5-K pace. Or you can cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer. CROSS-TRAINING: Limit cross-training to rest days and easy days. On easy days, cross-training should involve sustained aerobic activity, like cycling or using an elliptical trainer, for the same amount of time you’d spend on the day’s mileage. On rest days, do a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. HILLS: Run the mileage for the day on any hilly route. The hills build leg and lung power. They’ll provide the foundation you need for speedwork later on in training. LSD: This is a long, slow distance run to build endurance. These should be done at an easy, conversational pace, one to two minutes slower than your goal race pace. Have technical questions? Write to rodale@peaksware.com To get coaching and access to RW Experts on training, nutrition, and injury-prevention, join the Runner's World Challenge. Find out more at runnersworldchallenge.com.
Welcome to week one of the half-marathon training plan for intermediate runners. This program is designed to build strength and stamina so that you can hold a faster pace for a longer distance. Each Monday, you’ll get a note describing your training for the week ahead. And every day, you'll get an e-mail reminding you about the workout for the day. As you train, tap into The Loop, our online community at runnersworld.com/theloop, where you’ll find tips on training, nutrition, and injury prevention, and you can connect with other runners and the editors of Runner's World. During the first month of training, you’ll have two short midweek runs, two rest days, one hilly run, and a long run on the weekend. Later in the program, the hill work is replaced with quality workouts designed to build aerobic strength—hill repeats and mile repeats. Then you'll head into the race taper. Your training program kicks off with a rest day. Mondays are always reserved for rest so you can recover from your long run and save your energy for the week ahead. Ideally, you won’t exercise at all on these days. But it’s okay to do a no-impact activity like yoga, stretching, or swimming. Whatever you do, just take it easy. Here's a guide to this week's workouts: REST DAYS: Ideally, on rest days you should do no exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. EASY DAYS: Keep a comfortable, conversational pace, about one to two minutes slower than your 5-K pace. Or you can cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer. CROSS-TRAINING: Limit cross-training to rest days and easy days. On easy days, cross-training should involve sustained aerobic activity, like cycling or using an elliptical trainer, for the same amount of time you’d spend on the day’s mileage. On rest days, do a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. HILLS: Run the mileage for the day on any hilly route. The hills build leg and lung power. They’ll provide the foundation you need for speedwork later on in training. LSD: This is a long, slow distance run to build endurance. These should be done at an easy, conversational pace, one to two minutes slower than your goal race pace. Have technical questions? Write to rodale@peaksware.com To get coaching and access to RW Experts on training, nutrition, and injury-prevention, join the Runner's World Challenge. Find out more at runnersworldchallenge.com.
Workout #2 : Run
6 MILES EASY
Run at a relaxed pace today, or cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer for the same amount of time that you’d run. Just don’t go so hard that you’re sore tomorrow.
Run at a relaxed pace today, or cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer for the same amount of time that you’d run. Just don’t go so hard that you’re sore tomorrow.
Workout #3 : Run
4 MILES EASY
Keep a comfortable, conversational pace, about one to two minutes slower than your 5-K pace. Or you can cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer.
Keep a comfortable, conversational pace, about one to two minutes slower than your 5-K pace. Or you can cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer.
Workout #4 : Run
7 MILES HILLS
Run today’s mileage on any hilly route.
Run today’s mileage on any hilly route.
Workout #5 : Day Off
REST
Ideally, on rest days you should do no exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming.
Ideally, on rest days you should do no exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming.
Workout #6 : Run
6 MILES EASY
Run at a relaxed pace today, or cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer for the same amount of time that you’d run. Just don’t go so hard that you’re sore tomorrow.
Run at a relaxed pace today, or cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer for the same amount of time that you’d run. Just don’t go so hard that you’re sore tomorrow.
Workout #7 : Run
7 MILES LSD
This is a long, slow run to build endurance. Run at an easy, conversational pace, one to two minutes slower than your goal race pace. Have technical questions? Write to rodale@peaksware.com To get coaching and access to RW Experts on training, nutrition, and injury-prevention, join the Runner's World Challenge. Find out more at runnersworldchallenge.com.
This is a long, slow run to build endurance. Run at an easy, conversational pace, one to two minutes slower than your goal race pace. Have technical questions? Write to rodale@peaksware.com To get coaching and access to RW Experts on training, nutrition, and injury-prevention, join the Runner's World Challenge. Find out more at runnersworldchallenge.com.
Workout #8 : Day Off
Week 2 REST
This is week two of training. Race day is 12 weeks away. Your training will follow the same pattern as last week, with three days of easy running, one day on hills, and two days of rest. Your long run will stretch up to 10 miles. Here's a guide to this week's workouts: REST DAYS: Ideally, on rest days you should do no exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. EASY DAYS: Keep a comfortable, conversational pace, about one to two minutes slower than your 5-K pace. Or you can cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer. CROSS-TRAINING: Limit cross-training to rest days and easy days. On easy days, cross-training should involve sustained aerobic activity, like cycling or using an elliptical trainer, for the same amount of time you’d spend on the day’s mileage. On rest days, do a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. HILLS: Run the mileage for the day on any hilly route. The hills build leg and lung power. They’ll provide the foundation you need for speedwork later on in training. LSD: This is a long, slow distance run to build endurance. These should be done at an easy, conversational pace, one to two minutes slower than your goal race pace. Have technical questions? Write to rodale@peaksware.com To get coaching and access to RW Experts on training, nutrition, and injury-prevention, join the Runner's World Challenge. Find out more at runnersworldchallenge.com.
This is week two of training. Race day is 12 weeks away. Your training will follow the same pattern as last week, with three days of easy running, one day on hills, and two days of rest. Your long run will stretch up to 10 miles. Here's a guide to this week's workouts: REST DAYS: Ideally, on rest days you should do no exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. EASY DAYS: Keep a comfortable, conversational pace, about one to two minutes slower than your 5-K pace. Or you can cross-train on a bike or an elliptical trainer. CROSS-TRAINING: Limit cross-training to rest days and easy days. On easy days, cross-training should involve sustained aerobic activity, like cycling or using an elliptical trainer, for the same amount of time you’d spend on the day’s mileage. On rest days, do a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. HILLS: Run the mileage for the day on any hilly route. The hills build leg and lung power. They’ll provide the foundation you need for speedwork later on in training. LSD: This is a long, slow distance run to build endurance. These should be done at an easy, conversational pace, one to two minutes slower than your goal race pace. Have technical questions? Write to rodale@peaksware.com To get coaching and access to RW Experts on training, nutrition, and injury-prevention, join the Runner's World Challenge. Find out more at runnersworldchallenge.com.
Workout #9 : Run
6 MILES EASY
It's important to keep your easy days easy throughout training so that you have the energy and fitness to give your all to the quality workouts, like tempo runs and long runs. In order to do that, it's a good idea to learn the best target pace for all your runs on the schedule. If you have run a race within the past six months, plug that time into our training calculator at runnersworld.com/tools. Look at the "training paces" to find your pace for each of the runs on the schedule. If you don't have a recent race time, do a one-mile time trial. Here's how: Go to a track or any one-mile stretch of road. After a 10-minute warmup, time yourself while running four laps (or one mile) as fast as you can. Note your time, then cool down with 10 minutes of walking and jogging. Plug your time into the training calculator.
It's important to keep your easy days easy throughout training so that you have the energy and fitness to give your all to the quality workouts, like tempo runs and long runs. In order to do that, it's a good idea to learn the best target pace for all your runs on the schedule. If you have run a race within the past six months, plug that time into our training calculator at runnersworld.com/tools. Look at the "training paces" to find your pace for each of the runs on the schedule. If you don't have a recent race time, do a one-mile time trial. Here's how: Go to a track or any one-mile stretch of road. After a 10-minute warmup, time yourself while running four laps (or one mile) as fast as you can. Note your time, then cool down with 10 minutes of walking and jogging. Plug your time into the training calculator.