I love long distance running which is why the half marathon distance is my favorite. Training for a half marathon requires not as much time as you would need it for a full marathon but it is still challenging. Half marathon training means for me to run more than 35 miles per week. Sometimes a bit more. Now you’re asking yourself „how far is a half marathon?“ It’s 13.1 miles which is 21 kilometer 21,0975 to be excact.
How long does it take to train for a Half Marathon?
It takes about three months of consistent training for newbies or runners who are going for specific time goal. Training for a half marathon will take much of your spare time. You will spend a lot of time outside running and training for the half marathon. Depending on your area the weather conditions can be challenging as well.
My favorite half marathon is the NYC Half Marathon which is in March. The month of March in New York means winter and winter in New York means freezing cold weather. So keep the weather in mind, when you thinking of signing up for a half marathon. An average time for a first time half marathoner is around the 2 hour mark by the way which is a 09:09 min/ mile.
Half Marathon Training Program
The right preparation is required if you want to finish your half marathon within your goal time. I love schedules, saved dates and times. It helps me to stay motivated because I know exactly what to do and when. This is also why I always sign up for a half marathon training plan or even work with a coach.
The major goals of training plans are to get you to the starting line healthy and to prepare you to execute successful race-day pacing and fueling strategies. This makes your training for a half marathon much easier.
Most likely it’s a 10 weeks program and heads down: It’s the best thing you can do. Beside the plan itself which will help you to stay motivated you learn so much about yourself as a runner. You learn how to pace yourself. You get to know different training like tempo runs, intervals, long runs and most importantly: you learn how to listen to your body.
When I ran my first half marathon, which was the NYC Half in 2015, I finished in 01:57:32. A year later I was able to beat this time by 7 minutes. Only because of my strict training and my trust in my half marathon training program. Training for a half marathon requires a lot of self-discipline if you want to finish under 2 hours. But even if your goal is just to finish the race a half marathon trainings plan will guide you to achieve your goal.
How many weeks do you need to train for a Half Marathon
Most likely you’ll find a decent half marathon training plan with some easy google research, but this won’t be anything near what you can expect from a coach that will create a plan just for your own personal needs and goals.
I’m a big fan of individual training plans because they are made for you. Simply as that. Running coaches like me put their experience and your history as a runner together and will create an excellent running program that works best for you. Most like you need to train up to 12 weeks for a half marathon.
Most of the plans you’ll find online are very general and don’t have to be the perfect plan for you as an individual. If you’re interested in a half marathon training plan feel free to reach out to me: I’m happy to assist you with that.
The NYC Half 2019: Follow me to the finish
After a relaxing off season it’s time for some new adventures. The NYC Half 2019 is right around the corner and I’ll take you with me to the finish. I’ll post every week about my training, my nutrition and goals which you can adapt for your own training for your next half marathon. Did you read my NYC Marathon review yet?