Beginner Half Marathon Training Guide

Let this beginner half marathon training schedule be your guide. You have probably run your first 5K and/or 10K with great success and now you want to train for your first half marathon. Veteran runners do not be scared away – this program can help you improve too.

What if I haven't run a 5 or 10K yet?

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No worries. If you have some running under your belt, then you are good to go. I always recommend trying the shorter runs first just to test and see if it's something you are really into doing.

On researching for my own running purposes I came across a great beginner half marathon training program. The reason I liked this program, it required that I only run 3 days a week.

That’s right 3 times a week Now that does not mean you get to sit on your butt and do nothing the other days. There is some cross training involved, but at least your do not have to pound the pavement every time.

The program…

• Keeps you from overtraining
  
• Helps build on speed, endurance and lactic threshold
  
• Has a great variety to prevent boredom and burnout

This program was developed by Bill Pierce and Scott Murr and it is called the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training or FIRST for short.

The program is a 10 week program that can help even veteran runners improve their race times.

Figuring Out Your Pace

A very important part of this is figuring out your goal time to set your pace for your training. To determine your half marathon race pace (HMP) and goal time you can:

• Use your current 5K mile pace and add 35 seconds per mile
  
• Use your current 10K mile pace and add 20 seconds per mile
  
• Use your current marathon mile pace and subtract 20 seconds per mile

If you do not have these times, find a track near you and run 3 miles as fast as you can. Then add 35 seconds to your mile pace.

So if your HMP is 7:00 minute miles your goal time for completing the race is 91.7 minutes.

Speedwork Timing:

You will be running faster than you may normally run when you train for speed but don’t fret. These runs will make you fitter, faster.

You should warm up with a 20 minute relaxed jog and end with a 10 minute jog. 2 minute recovery jogs should be done between each set.

For the speedwork runs, your pacing will go as follows:

400s – (HMP-75s)/4
800s - (HMP-65s)/2
1600s - (HMP-45s)

So if we take our example above: a runner with a pace of 7:00 minutes would have to run 400s in HMP-75 (5:45) divided by 4 (1:26).

Tempo Runs:

Should be run at HPM – 15 seconds. You should start with a relaed warm up jog and then shift into your tempo pace followed by a relaxed cool down jog.

Long Runs:

Your long runs are to build your endurance and should be run at HPM + 30 seconds.

Beginner Half Marathon Training Schedule

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