Half-Marathon for beginners

This plan will get you in shape by the time the starting gun fires with this 10 week training plan

Get ready for your first Half-Marathon

This plan is perfect for you if you’re not a regular runner but you’ve taken the plunge and signed up for a half-marathon that’s in ten weeks time or you just want to push to the next level. This ten-week plan will gradually build you up in your training that will help you avoid getting injured.

Your 10 week Half-Marathon training Plan

Four sessions a week, but many of these will be short, or a mix of running and walking

Week 1

Monday (wk1)

2 x 8min run with 4min walk between to recover

Wednesday (wk1)

10-15min continuous running

Friday (wk1)

2 x 12min run with 4min walk between to recover

Sunday (wk1)

10-15min run

Week 2

Monday (wk2)

2 x 10min run with 4min walk between to recover

Wednesday (wk2)

14-18min continuous running

Friday (wk2)

2 x 15min run with 2-3min walk between to recover

Sunday (wk2)

10-15min run

Week 3

Monday (wk3)

2 x 12min run with 3min walk between to recover

Wednesday (wk3)

20-24min run

Friday (wk3)

2 x 15min run with 2-3min walk between to recover

Sunday (wk3)

15-18min run

Week 4

Monday (wk4)

2 x 15min run with 2min walk between to recover

Wednesday (wk4)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
6 x 90sec at a steady pace, with 90sec walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk4)

15min run

Sunday (wk4)

20-35min run

Week 5

Monday (wk5)

2 x 15min runs with 1min walk between to recover

Wednesday (wk5)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
5 x 2min at a steady pace, with 2min walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk5)

15-18min run

Saturday (wk5)

Run your local 5K parkrun and set a benchmark time, with a 5min warm up and a 5min warm down. If you can’t make a parkrun, head out for a 5k run and give it all you’ve got.

Week 6

Monday (wk6)

30-35min run

Wednesday (wk6)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
4 x 3min at a steady pace, with 2min walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk6)

20min run

Sunday (wk6)

45-60min run

Week 7

Monday (wk7)

35-40min run

Wednesday (wk7)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
5 x 4min at a steady pace, with 2min walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk7)

20-25min

Sunday (wk7)

55-75min run

Week 8

Tuesday (wk8)

35-40min run

Wednesday (wk8)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
7 x 1km at a high pace (aim for your 5k parkrun pace), with 2-3min walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk8)

20-25min

Sunday (wk8)

If you can’t book a 1ok event, head out for a 10k run and give it all you’ve got.

Week 9

Tuesday (wk9)

35-40min run

Wednesday (wk9)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
3 x 3km at the pace you ran the 10K at the weekend, with 5min walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk9)

20-25min run

Saturday (wk9)

75-90min run. Take two to three 1min walking breaks to help you hit the target run time.

Week 10

Monday (wk10)

25-30min run

Wednesday (wk10)

5min warm-up at an easy pace
10 x 1min at a high pace, with 90sec walk to recover in between efforts
5min warm-down at an easy pace

Friday (wk10)

15-25min run

Sunday (wk10) 🏁

Congratulations! You’ve made it to Race day! 5min warm up before the event

Top tips

Please make sure you rest on the days you have nothing in your plan, this is really important. Also, stretch on these days, foam rollers are great to give your muscles a really good stretch. Hydrating yourself properly is also something to take seriously when you start increasing your miles. Check out the article below by our very own FRC member, Lil Diamond to find out more.

How to hydrate