Goal

Half marathon

Fourteen weeks taking a runner who can already cover 10 km up to 21.1 km: thicker easy base, a long run reaching 18-19 km, one quality session a week, and a fuelling and hydration plan rehearsed before race day.

Who it's for

Runners who have covered 10 km continuously within the last eight weeks and run at least three times a week.

Example program length: 14 weeks

The path

These phases show how this goal can develop over time.

Phase 1

Base

Raise weekly volume to a sustainable level and grow the long run from 10 km to 14 km; speed can wait.

Phase 2

Build

Add longer tempo work and race-pace segments inside the long run. This is where in-run fuelling gets rehearsed.

Phase 3

Peak

The long run touches 18-19 km once or twice, alongside a longer interval session such as 6 x 1000 m.

Phase 4

Taper

The closing block cuts volume while intensity stays put, inside the 10-14 day window the taper rule sets: about two weeks on a 14-week plan, about ten days on a 10-week plan, and on longer plans the taper still caps at 14 days with the remainder going back to peak.

Example activities in the first phase

A starting plan could include:

3 easy zone-2 runs
1 long run growing 1-2 km per week
2 short strength days for hips and calves