16-week half marathon training plan

A 16-week half marathon training plan takes a club runner on 35 km a week with a 52-minute 10 km from where they are to race day in 17 weeks, building to 56 km in the biggest week. It spends 7 weeks in base, 6 weeks in build, 2 weeks in peak, 1 week in taper, with 3 lighter weeks to absorb the work, on 6 days a week.

Build my half marathon plan — free

Built from your own numbers and your own week. The first week is free.

Is 16 weeks enough?

16 weeks is a comfortable length for a half marathon. There is room for a proper base before the harder work, lighter weeks to absorb it, and a taper that leaves you fresh rather than flat.

What the weeks are for

Base	7 weeks — aerobic volume, mostly easy, the foundation everything else stands on
Build	6 weeks — the harder sessions arrive and volume keeps climbing
Peak	2 weeks — the biggest, most race-specific weeks
Taper	1 week — volume drops, intensity stays, you arrive fresh
Lighter weeks	3, roughly every fourth week
Total	745 km, 106 hours

The 17 weeks

Generated for a club runner on 35 km a week with a 52-minute 10 km.

Week	Phase	Volume	Load
1	Base	35 km	207
2	Base	38 km	226
3	Base	41 km	240
4	Base · down	28 km	166
5	Base	45 km	258
6	Base	48 km	275
7	Base	51 km	289
8	Build · down	35 km	205
9	Build	54 km	314
10	Build	53 km	318
11	Build	48 km	299
12	Build · down	41 km	248
13	Build	50 km	308
14	Peak	54 km	320
15	Peak	56 km	335
16	Taper	42 km	245
17	Race · race	26 km	215

The biggest week, session by session

Week 15, peak phase — the heaviest week of the block.

Monday	Easy run — 0h52, 7.3 km
Tuesday	Threshold — 2 × 10 min — 0h54, 8.1 km
Tuesday	Strength — lower body — 0h27
Wednesday	Easy run — 0h52, 7.3 km
Friday	Race pace — 6 km — 0h55, 8.4 km
Saturday	Easy run — 0h52, 7.3 km
Sunday	Long run with a fast finish — 1h56, 17.8 km

The paces

Pace band	Per kilometre
Easy — the ceiling, not the target	6:20
Marathon pace	5:42
Threshold	5:23
Interval (VO₂max)	4:52

Computed from VDOT 38.2, derived from that time trial using Jack Daniels' model. Your own numbers will differ — the plan builds these from a time trial you enter.

What this plan says out loud

Worth knowing

Some sessions have been cut to fit the time you said you have — 60 minutes on a weekday and 120 at the weekend. That is a real constraint and the plan respects it, but be aware the long session is the one that matters most: if you can find more time anywhere, find it on the weekend.

Worth knowing

On 6 days a week there is nowhere to put 28 km without prescribing runs nobody should be doing. The plan caps individual easy runs at 14 km and carries less volume than your target as a result. More days would do more for you than longer runs.

Worth knowing

Race day looks like about 1:55:18 on today's fitness — Run 1h 55. Assumes a flat course, reasonable conditions and a sensible first half.

Common questions

Is 16 weeks enough for a half marathon?

Yes, for most people who already exercise. We would choose at least 12 weeks, and this is 16.

How many days a week does it train?

6, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday in this example. You tell the plan which days you actually have, and it never puts two hard days back to back.

What is the longest session?

Long run, about 1h59 and 18 km. It is capped by share of the week, by absolute length, and by the time you say you have.

Can I use this if I train at altitude?

Yes, and you should say so when you build it. Paces and power are corrected for the difference between where you tested and where you train — in Johannesburg that is roughly 8%, or about 26 seconds a kilometre on an easy run for a 20-minute 5 km runner.

16-week half marathon training plan

What the weeks are for

The 17 weeks

The biggest week, session by session

The paces

What this plan says out loud

Common questions

Other half marathon plans

Goal times

South African races at this distance

Worth reading