Free Half Marathon training plans
Compare Half Marathon plans by your starting point, the number of weeks and the days you can train. Complete schedules are free to follow here. Method overviews explain a plan and link to its official source.
Beginner
Hal Higdon — Half Marathon Novice 1
The classic 'finish your first half' plan: 12 weeks, no speedwork, just steadily building your long run to race-ready.
12 weeks / 4 days a week
Read the method and find its official source
Intermediate
Hal Higdon — Half Marathon Intermediate 1
A step up from Novice: adds pace runs and longer long runs for runners who want to race the half, not just finish it.
12 weeks / 5 days a week
Read the method and find its official source
Half Marathon training guides
Running Training Paces Explained: Easy, Tempo, Interval
What easy, marathon, threshold (tempo), interval, and rep paces mean, why they matter, and how to find your own paces from a recent race time.
How to Run in the Heat: Summer Running Tips That Actually Work
Adjust running in hot weather without fixed pace formulas, plan access to fluids, and recognize heat illness warning signs.
The Run/Walk Method: How to Use Planned Walk Breaks
How to choose and practice run/walk intervals, use them in races and understand the limits of claims about speed and injury prevention.
Negative Splits: How to Run the Second Half of a Race Faster
What negative splits mean, how to calculate equal-distance halves and how to practice pacing without assuming a faster second half always gives the best result.
What Is a Tempo Run? Effort, Pace and Workout Examples
Understand threshold-style tempo runs, distinguish them from marathon-pace sessions and use pace estimates without treating them as exact prescriptions.
Hill Training for Runners: Repeats, Strides and Planning
How hill repeats and short uphill efforts differ, what research supports and how to account for their workload in a running plan.
Heart Rate Training for Runners: Zones, Benefits, and How to Start
How to use heart rate zones to pace your training, why most runners run too hard on easy days, and how a monitor improves every distance.
How to Run in Cold Weather: Winter Running Tips That Actually Work
How to dress for cold runs, adjust your warm-up and pacing, stay safe on ice, and keep training moving through winter without missing a beat.
Interval Training for Runners: VO2max Workouts That Make You Faster
How to do interval training as a runner — the right effort, recovery, and frequency to build VO2max without burnout or injury.
How to Fuel for Long Runs
What to eat before, during and after a long run, with carbohydrate targets, a worked gel example, hydration guidance and original sources.