If one of your goals this year is to run a half marathon, you may be starting to think about how to train for your race. Once you select a race you will need to plan out your training. You want to give yourself plenty of time to train, especially if you are new to running or if you recently took time off. If you are wondering how long you need to train for a half marathon, I’ll explain some of the nuances around that in this article. The amount of time you need to train for a half marathon will be different for everyone and will depend on your fitness, experience, and goals.
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The standard amount of time to train for a half marathon is about 8-16 weeks. In order to decide how much time you should take to train it’s important to look at your own individual training needs.
How long will it take a new runner to train for a half-marathon?
If you are completely new to running, you will want to get started with building a base before starting to train. This may take a couple of months. Once you are regularly running about 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes you can transition to half marathon training. You will want to make sure that your plan starts with similar mileage to what you have been doing. If it is going to be a big jump, give yourself a few more weeks to increase your running before following the plan.
For new runners you will want to give yourself 16-20 weeks to train. This will allow you to build your mileage slowly and take cut-back weeks throughout your training. You also want to be able to get your mileage high enough that you are well-prepared for the race.
How long should intermediate runners spend training for a half marathon?
If you have some experience running already you won’t need to spend as much time training. However, if you have taken time off or your mileage is very low you will want to spend some time base-building before you start training. It’s important to not make a huge jump in your mileage at the beginning of your training cycle.
If you have already been running regularly and have a solid base, your training plan may be impacted by your goals. For example, if you already run 12-13 miles on the weekends and just want to run the race for fun, you won’t need to put in much training. if you are looking to get faster or run a PR you will be looking at training for about 10-12 weeks. This will give you time to work on speed and get in half marathon specific workouts.
How long do advanced runners need to train for a half marathon?
Advanced runners may have already completed many half marathons and may regularly run the distance of a half marathon as their weekly long run. However, there are a few things for advanced runners to keep in mind. If you just ran a goal race, you will want to take time to recover and then spend some time in a maintenance phase before jumping into hard training again. For advanced runners who run a lot of marathons, you will want to focus more on speed and half marathon specific workouts during half marathon training.
While advanced runners may only need 6-8 weeks to train for a half marathon, giving yourself more time will allow for more quality workouts. If you haven’t been doing speedwork you will want to make sure you are prepared for the demands of those workouts before adding them into your routine.
Final thoughts
As you can see, the timeline for training for a half marathon really depends. It’s always nice to give yourself a little extra time in case you need to miss some workouts. Remember that it’s important to have cutback weeks and a taper in your plan. Find a good plan that progresses your workouts appropriately and allows time for recovery throughout training and before your race.
While having a personal running coach will provide you with the most individualized training, I have a few training plans that are available for purchase. If you are creating your own training plan you may want to check out these half marathon workouts.
I also have a race preparation resource guide for runners who would like more support but do not want to work with a coach.This guide will walk you through the training process with everything you need to know. It includes training plans for the 5k, 10k, half-marathon and marathon so you can use this for multiple races of different distances!
You may also like:
Why and How to Run a 5k Time Trial to Test Your Fitness
Create Tiny Habits to Take Your Running to the Next Level
What Everyday Runners Can Take Away from Strava Data on Marathon Training
How long do you usually spend training for a race?
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, and Runs with Pugs to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
These are great guidelines for training. It is so individual. For me, the longer the better to make sure I have a good base.
I am a firm believer in taking a little longer to train. That way, I’m comfortable, and it gives time for any adjustments or “surprises.”
Great information! It’s true that it depends on where you are with your running. I used to stay very fit so all I needed was a little speed work to prepare. Now I think I’d need a few months to get ready. 🙂