Half Marathon Training Plan: 12-Week Guide for All Levels

Few things stop a would-be half marathoner faster than opening a training plan and immediately feeling lost. Once you know what the major plans actually contain, picking one gets much simpler.

Distance: 13.1 miles / 21.1 km · Typical Duration: 12 weeks · Minimal Frequency: 3 days a week · Beginner Plans Available: Hal Higdon Novice 1

The table below compares five popular plans across their key structural variables.

Half marathon training plan for beginners

If you have never run 13.1 miles, Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 is the most referenced starting point online. The plan assumes you can already handle 3–4 mile runs when you begin Week 1 (Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan page). That baseline matters: if you cannot yet run 3 continuous miles, spend 4–8 weeks building to that distance before picking up the 12-week schedule.

A typical week in Novice 1 includes 2 rest days, 4 running days, and 2 cross-training or strength sessions. Long runs start at 3 miles in Week 1 and climb to 10 miles in Week 11, then taper to the race distance in Week 12 (Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan page). Cross-training days use cycling, swimming, or elliptical work to build aerobic capacity without adding impact stress. Walking breaks are built into long runs for newer runners to reduce injury risk from overuse (The Runner Beans plan overview).

For those who prefer walking over running, Hal Higdon also publishes a Walkers Half Marathon plan: 12 weeks, starting with 30-minute walks on weekdays and weekend walks from 3 miles up to 10 miles (Hal Higdon Walkers plan page). If 12 weeks feels too tight for a walk-based program, Higdon suggests extending to 18–24 weeks.

Novice 1 from Hal Higdon

Coach Hal Higdon has published free training plans for runners at every level since the 1970s. Novice 1 specifically targets first-timers: runners who have not raced 13.1 miles before and are starting with a modest base fitness. The plan is available directly from Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan page with no sign-up required, and it is one of the most downloaded beginner half marathon plans online.

Nike beginner options

Nike Running Club (NRC) offers half marathon training plans through its app, though detailed week-by-week breakdowns are not published publicly on the Nike website. Runner’s World reviews list Nike among the popular platforms alongside Hal Higdon, with app-guided plans that adapt to your pace and schedule (Runner’s World marathon plan reviews). Free users get access to guided runs; premium subscribers unlock personalised pacing and cross-training suggestions.

The practical gap: while NRC plans exist, finding a standalone 12-week Nike half marathon plan in PDF form outside the app is difficult. Most runners who want the Nike experience need to download the app and work within its structured programme.

Dublin City schedules

Dublin City Marathon publishes its own half marathon training schedule geared toward the October race. These schedules follow a 12–14 week structure with progressive long runs and tempo sessions. The key difference from Hal Higdon’s approach: Dublin’s plans typically include more group training cues and session-based guidance for runners training in Ireland’s climate. Schedules are available through the Dublin City Marathon website closer to race registration.

12 week half marathon training plan

Twelve weeks is the standard duration for half marathon plans across Hal Higdon, Runner’s World, and most major coaching platforms. The reason: 12 weeks provides enough time to build from a moderate base to the race distance while allowing a 1–2 week taper before the event.

In Hal Higdon’s Intermediate 1, the 12-week structure follows a predictable weekly pattern: 1 cross-training day, 5 run days, and 2 rest days (Hal Higdon Intermediate 1 plan page). Long runs climb from 4 miles in Week 1 to 12 miles in Week 11, then drop in the final week for the taper. That peak of 12 miles sits 1.1 miles short of the race distance, which is intentional: the final long run is followed by a recovery week, then the half marathon itself.

Runner’s World’s Sub-1:45 plan also runs 12 weeks but peaks earlier — Week 7 hits 13 miles, and Week 8 functions as a time trial where you race the half marathon distance to gauge fitness (Runner’s World Sub-1:45 plan on Scribd). This front-loaded peak is common in sub-goal time plans: you simulate the race distance while still fresh enough to execute proper pacing strategy.

Weekly progression

The progression pattern differs by plan emphasis:

• Hal Higdon Intermediate 1: steady aerobic builds, VO2max/speed sessions early week, tempo runs mid-week, faster Saturday run, long Sunday. Structure described by RunnersConnect plan comparison as “old-school” with consistent weekly rhythm.
• Hal Higdon Intermediate 2: adds structured speedwork — Wednesdays alternate between tempo runs and intervals, starting at 5 × 400m in Week 1 and building to 10 × 400m by mid-program (Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan page).
• Runner’s World Sub-1:45: daily pace and intensity prescriptions, including race-pace segments and progressive long runs designed for runners targeting a specific finish time.

PDF downloads

Hal Higdon plans are published as HTML pages — not PDF — on Hal Higdon half marathon training page. You can copy the weekly schedule into a spreadsheet or training app. Runner’s World Sub-1:45 schedules are available as PDF via Scribd (requires free account). No official Nike PDF for a standalone 12-week half marathon plan was found in public search results.

Key workouts

The workouts that matter most across plans:

• Long run: runs of 6–13 miles on weekends, paced 30–90 seconds per mile slower than race pace to avoid burnout (Hal Higdon HM3 plan page).
• Tempo run: sustained effort at half marathon pace, typically 4–8 miles in Intermediate plans.
• Speed intervals: 400m or 800m repeats at 5K pace, used in Intermediate 2 and Runner’s World advanced plans.
• Race-specific session: RunnersConnect recommends 5–8 miles at goal half marathon pace in the final 6–8 weeks (RunnersConnect plan comparison).

Half marathon training plan km

Most U.S.-based plans use miles. Converting to kilometres requires a consistent multiplier: 1 mile = 1.609 km. The table below shows the most common conversion points you will encounter in practice.

Sample km schedule (Week 1)

A metric version of Hal Higdon Novice 1 Week 1 might look like this:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 4.8 km easy run
• Wednesday: 4.8 km easy run + 6 × 100m strides
• Thursday: Cross-training 30–45 min
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday: 6.4 km easy run
• Sunday: 4.8 km long run

Strides (short accelerations to near-sprint pace, followed by easy recovery) are built into many plans as a way to develop speed mechanics without adding significant fatigue.

Dublin example (km)

Dublin City Marathon training schedules are published in both miles and kilometres on the race website. A typical Week 1 long run in the Dublin half marathon plan for a first-time runner: 5 km, building to 18 km by Week 10 with a 2-week taper. The Dublin schedules also include strength sessions and flexibility work, reflecting input from Irish athletics coaches.

Half marathon training plan Advanced

Runners with a confirmed half marathon finish and a specific time goal need more than just mileage accumulation. Advanced plans add structured speedwork, race-pace sessions, and higher weekly run frequency.

Hal Higdon’s Intermediate 2 is the bridge between aerobic training and speed-focused racing. It retains the 5-run-weekly structure but replaces Intermediate 1’s steady endurance focus with Wednesday speedwork alternating between tempo runs and intervals (Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan page). Cross-training Mondays start at 30 minutes in Week 1 and build to 1 hour by Week 11 — keeping aerobic fitness high while protecting the legs from back-to-back hard days.

RunnersConnect raises a structural criticism: Hal Higdon plans allocate relatively little weekly volume to easy running, which they describe as “key for 95% of half marathon energy system” (RunnersConnect plan comparison). For advanced runners who can already sustain 5–6 running days per week, the Hansons method — 6 days per week with 3 “substantial” days including speedwork and tempo runs on fatigued legs — represents a higher-volume alternative (The Runner Beans plan overview).

Runner’s World fast efforts

The Runner’s World Sub-1:45 plan prescribes specific paces for each workout type. Long runs include segments at goal half marathon pace; tempo runs use lactate clearance patterns (e.g., cutdown tempos where pace increases through the session). This specificity is absent in Hal Higdon’s free plans, which give distance targets but leave pace prescription to the runner.

RunnersConnect prefers varied tempo structures — cutdowns and lactate clearance sessions — over the uniform steady-state tempos common in Higdon plans (RunnersConnect plan comparison). For advanced runners chasing a time goal, this metabolic specificity matters more than it does for beginners focused on simply finishing.

Pacing guidance

Hal Higdon offers one concrete pacing rule: long runs should be conducted at a pace 30 to 90 seconds per mile slower than planned race pace (Hal Higdon HM3 plan page). Running long runs too fast is the most common pacing mistake — it accumulates fatigue that undermines quality workouts later in the week and raises injury risk.

The Runner’s World Sub-1:45 plan provides pace zones per workout based on current fitness. Runners who do not have a recent half marathon time use equivalent 10K or 10-mile race results as a proxy, applying standard conversion tables (roughly: half marathon pace ≈ 10K pace + 12–15 seconds per kilometre).

Half marathon training plan 3 days a week

Three running days per week is the minimum viable frequency for half marathon training, but it requires careful structuring to build endurance without excessive weekly impact. Most 3-day plans concentrate volume in fewer sessions: longer weekend runs, one tempo or speed session midweek, and one easy recovery run.

Hal Higdon’s Half Marathon 3 (HM3) plan is designed for exactly this audience: three running days per week with rest on Mondays and Fridays, easy runs of 4–6 miles on Tuesdays, and long runs of 6–10 miles on weekends (Hal Higdon HM3 plan page). Cross-training fills the remaining days for those who want additional aerobic work without running impact.

Minimalist schedules

A minimalist 3-day half marathon schedule might look like this:

• Tuesday: 4–6 miles easy with warm-up drills and strides
• Thursday: 5–7 miles tempo or intervals (30–45 min total including warm-up)
• Sunday: 6–10 miles long run, 30–90 sec/mile below race pace
• Other days: walking, cross-training, or complete rest

The trade-off is weekly mileage: a 3-day plan typically tops out at 20–25 miles per week versus 30–40 miles for a 5-day Intermediate plan. That gap matters for aerobic development, but it is not fatal — many runners successfully finish half marathons on three-day schedules by running their limited sessions at appropriate intensity.

Build endurance within limits

Endurance adapts to both volume and frequency. Running fewer days but maintaining long run distance and one quality session preserves the two stimulus types that matter most: time on feet (long runs) and lactate threshold work (tempo runs). Easy runs between quality sessions are optional in a 3-day plan — walking or cross-training maintains cardiovascular fitness without adding impact stress.

Hal Higdon’s HM3 plan specifically includes cross-training on Wednesdays as an alternative to running, using the same day for aerobic cross-training across the full 12 weeks (Hal Higdon HM3 plan page). This flexibility lets runners with joint concerns or time constraints maintain fitness without breaking the weekly rhythm.

Steps: how to follow a half marathon training plan

Choosing a plan is the first step. Making it work across 12 weeks requires a practical process.

Step 1: assess your current fitness

Before downloading any plan, run or walk a test distance. For beginners: can you complete 3 continuous miles at an easy pace? If not, build a 4–8 week base with 2–3 easy runs per week before starting a structured 12-week programme. For intermediate runners: what is your current longest recent run? Use that as Week 1’s long run target, not the plan’s prescribed Week 1 distance.

Step 2: select your plan

Match plan to goal and current fitness:

• First 13.1 miles: Hal Higdon Novice 1 or Walkers plan
• Build endurance with some speed: Hal Higdon Intermediate 1
• Target a time goal: Runner’s World Sub-1:45 or Hal Higdon Intermediate 2
• Limited to 3 runs per week: Hal Higdon HM3

Step 3: map the plan to your calendar

Copy the weekly schedule into your calendar or training app. Note: plans specify days (e.g., “Wednesday speedwork”) but most allow scheduling flexibility — if your schedule puts long runs on Saturday instead of Sunday, shift the week accordingly. Hal Higdon himself notes that days are flexible but long runs should not be skipped (Hal Higdon Intermediate 1 plan page).

Step 4: track and adjust

Log each run: distance, pace (if tracked), perceived effort, and how you felt. If a week goes badly — missed runs, illness, excessive fatigue — do not try to catch up. Extend the plan by repeating a week or adding a recovery week before the taper. For a 3-day plan, a missed week is more damaging than for a 5-day plan, so protect consistency even at lower volume.

Step 5: taper and race

The final 1–2 weeks reduce volume by 30–40% while maintaining one or two short quality sessions. Do not run hard in the final 3–4 days before race day. Trust the training: the fitness is built over 10–11 weeks; the taper preserves it for race day. As coach Hal Higdon puts it: “Do not cheat on the long runs” (Hal Higdon Intermediate 1 plan page) — the race rewards the work already done.