Intermediate Half Marathon Training Plan: 12 Weeks for 1:30 to 2:00
A 12-week intermediate half marathon plan for 1:30 to 2:00 runners: five runs a week, peak 53 km, threshold work and 18 km long runs. Free, from your race.
An intermediate half marathon plan runs 12 weeks at five runs a week, peaks at about 53 km, and is built on threshold running. It fits runners whose fitness predicts a 1:30 to 2:00 half: roughly a 19:30 to 26:00 5k, or a 10k between about 41 and 54 minutes. Sub-1:45 sits in the middle, sub-1:30 at the fast edge.
The 12 weeks
Sample plan · Intermediate half marathon
12 weeks, 5 runs a week, peak 53 km, longest run 18 km. Built for a recent 5k of 21:00 (VDOT 47.0). 81 % of the running is easy.
| Week | Km | Key sessions | Long run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Base | 35 | Easy running only | 12 km long run |
| 2 Base | 38 | Easy running only | 14 km long run + strides |
| 3 Base | 40 | Tempo run: 15 min T | 14 km long run |
| 4 Base, recovery | 32 | Progression run: 11 min M · 11 min T | 11 km long run |
| 5 Build | 44 | Cruise intervals: 3 × 1.6 km T (1 min jog); Long intervals: 4 × 3 min I (3 min jog) | 15 km long run |
| 6 Build | 49 | Tempo run: 20 min T; 30/15 sets: 2 × (13 × 30 s I / 15 s jog), 3 min between sets | 17 km progressive long run |
| 7 Build | 53 | Broken tempo: 2 × 12 min T (2 min jog); 5k time trial | 18 km long run |
| 8 Build, recovery | 42 | Progression run: 18 min M · 18 min T; 1000 m repeats: 3 × 1000 m I (400 m jog) | 14 km long run |
| 9 Peak | 52 | Half-marathon pace reps: 2 × 3 km race pace (2 min jog); Long intervals: 3 × 3 min I (3 min jog) | 18 km long run with marathon-pace finish |
| 10 Peak | 52 | Race-pace run: 5 km race pace; 30/15 sets: 2 × (13 × 30 s I / 15 s jog), 3 min between sets | 18 km progressive long run |
| 11 Peak | 52 | Half-marathon pace reps: 2 × 3 km race pace (2 min jog); Hill repeats: 8 × 75 s I (2 min jog) | 18 km long run with marathon-pace finish |
| 12 Taper | 29 + race | Sharpener: 4 × 2 min race pace (2 min jog); race day | None, race week |
- Base, weeks 1 to 4. From 35 to 40 km a week, long runs of 12 to 14 km. Threshold starts in week 3 with a 15-minute tempo.
- Build, weeks 5 to 8. Up to 53 km. Threshold every week (cruise intervals, a 20-minute tempo, 2 × 12 minutes broken tempo, an 18-minute marathon-pace plus 18-minute threshold progression), plus short VO2max work. A 5k time trial in week 7.
- Peak, weeks 9 to 11. Half-marathon pace joins: 2 × 3 km, a continuous 5 km, 2 × 3 km. Long runs of 18 km finish with 4, 6, then 9 km at marathon pace.
- Taper, week 12. Volume cut to about half, inside the 41 to 60 % range Bosquet's meta-analysis found works best. Four 2-minute race-pace pickups, then race day.
Who counts as intermediate
The level comes from Jack Daniels' VDOT, one number from a recent race that sets every training pace. Intermediate means a predicted half of 1:30 to 2:00, roughly VDOT 36.5 to 51. A 1:45 half is VDOT 42.6 and a 1:30 half is VDOT 51.0. The sample runner has a 21:00 5k, VDOT 47, which predicts 1:36:28.
| Half marathon finish | Race pace | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:30 | 4:16 | 4:49–5:47 | 4:27 | 4:11 | 3:50 |
| 1:45 | 4:59 | 5:34–6:39 | 5:10 | 4:50 | 4:26 |
| 2:00 | 5:41 | 6:18–7:31 | 5:52 | 5:29 | 5:02 |
Look at the race pace and threshold columns. They are only 5 to 12 seconds per km apart.
Why threshold is the half-marathon workout
Daniels defines threshold pace as the pace you could hold for about an hour in a race. An intermediate half marathon lasts 90 to 120 minutes, so race pace sits just below threshold. That makes every threshold session close to race-specific. For the sample runner, a 20-minute tempo at 4:28 per km is only 7 seconds per km faster than the 4:35 of a 1:36 half.
The plan uses four threshold formats and rotates them, so the stimulus stays the same while the session changes:
- Cruise intervals, 3 × 1.6 km with a minute of jogging. Easier to hold on pace than a continuous run.
- Tempo runs of 15 to 20 minutes continuous.
- Broken tempo, two long threshold blocks with a short jog between.
- Progression runs, marathon pace straight into threshold.
Around them, 81 % of the running is easy, close to the 80 % Seiler found in well-trained endurance athletes. Casado (2021) found world-class distance performance is best predicted by the volume of easy running plus deliberate practice of tempo and short intervals. The same two ingredients carry this plan, at a smaller scale.
Your own plan, in a minute
The sample is one runner. The half marathon training plan generator takes your recent race, your weeks, your running days and your long-run day, and paces every session for you. Add a goal like 1:29:59 and it shows the gap to your prediction. The paces update when you enter the week-7 time trial. Free, no email, PDF included.
FAQ
What 5k time do I need for a sub-1:30 half marathon? About 19:36, VDOT 51. A 10k of 40:39 predicts the same half.
How many kilometres a week for a 1:40 half? This plan peaks at 55 km on five days. A 1:40 half is VDOT 45, inside the intermediate band, so the same volume applies.
How long should the long run be for a half marathon? 18 km in this sample, about 95 minutes. The plan caps it at 35 % of the week and 22 km, so peak-phase long runs are 85 % of the race distance.
Should I run intervals or tempo runs for a half marathon? Both, but tempo first. Threshold appears every week from week 3. VO2max intervals come in smaller doses and keep the top end honest.
Only need your training paces? Enter a recent race:
VDOT
49.8
score de forme à la course de Daniels
| Zone | Plage | Ce que cela développe |
|---|---|---|
| E | Facile / Long 4:54–5:53 /km | Base aérobie, capillaires, métabolisme des graisses ; l'essentiel du volume hebdomadaire. RPE 3–4, conversationnel. |
| M | Marathon 4:26–4:51 /km | Endurance et économie spécifiques au marathon. RPE 5–6, régulier. |
| T | Seuil 4:16–4:28 /km | Seuil lactique ; tempo et intervalles « cruise » confortablement difficiles. RPE 7, effort de course ~1 h. |
| I | Intervalle 3:51–4:01 /km | VO₂max ; répétitions intenses de 3–5 min. RPE 9, difficile. |
| R | Répétition 3:19–3:42 /km | Vitesse, économie et puissance de course ; répétitions courtes et rapides avec récupération complète. RPE 9–10, rapide et contrôlé. |
E · Facile / Long. Base aérobie, capillaires, métabolisme des graisses ; l'essentiel du volume hebdomadaire. RPE 3–4, conversationnel.
M · Marathon. Endurance et économie spécifiques au marathon. RPE 5–6, régulier.
T · Seuil. Seuil lactique ; tempo et intervalles « cruise » confortablement difficiles. RPE 7, effort de course ~1 h.
I · Intervalle. VO₂max ; répétitions intenses de 3–5 min. RPE 9, difficile.
R · Répétition. Vitesse, économie et puissance de course ; répétitions courtes et rapides avec récupération complète. RPE 9–10, rapide et contrôlé.
- Votre VDOT de 49.8 est un nombre unique qui résume votre forme actuelle à la course (une « VO₂max » ajustée pour l'économie de course). Toutes vos allures d'entraînement en découlent.
- Le VDOT provient d'une course ou d'un contre-la-montre récent et intense. Utilisez un résultat couru à fond, idéalement sur 5 km ou plus ; un semi-marathon ou un 10 km donne l'estimation la plus stable.
- Basculez le sélecteur d'unités pour lire les allures au mile. À mesure que vous progressez, recourez ; votre VDOT et toutes les allures se mettront à jour.
- Ce sont les allures d’entraînement distinctes de Daniels (E, M, T, I, R), pas des zones continues : on court à chaque allure dans un but précis. Les écarts entre les allures les plus dures (T, I et R) sont intentionnels, pas un bug.
Un PDF de vos résultats, avec un QR code pour les rouvrir à tout moment.
More in this series: the beginner, advanced and sub-elite half marathon plans, the intermediate 10k plan and the intermediate marathon plan.
Sources
- Casado et al. 2021, predictors of world-class long-distance performance
- Seiler 2010, training intensity distribution
- Bosquet et al. 2007, tapering meta-analysis
Cover image: TrainingZones.