🏃 19-Week Program

Half Marathon
Training Plan

May 4  →  September 12, 2026

Start Date Monday, May 4
🏁 Race Day September 12, 2026
Goal Time Sub 2:00:00
Sessions / Week 3 mandatory + 1 optional
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What we're working toward

Your Goals

🏁
Sub 2:00 Half Marathon
≈ 5:41 /km pace
🦵
Running Strength
Injury-proof hips, glutes & core
📈
Progressive Base
19 weeks of smart build-up
💪
Race Day Confidence
Arrive at start line ready
🧘
Sustainable Training
Recover as hard as you train
⏱️
Pace Awareness
Know exactly what 5:41 feels like

Your recurring schedule

A Typical Week

Monday
Strength
Full Body
Running-focused
Wednesday
Run
Quality run
Tempo or intervals
Saturday
Long Run
Building weekly
Easy-moderate pace
Sunday
Optional
Easy recovery run
no pressure

💡 The Sunday run is optional — skip it whenever life is busy or your legs are tired. At this stage of training, recovery is just as important as the sessions themselves.

Strength session

The Workout

Every Thursday. This is a running-specific full-body session — built around the muscles that actually drive performance and prevent injury: glutes, hips, core, and calves.

Every Monday
Full Body — Running Focus
Glutes · core · single-leg stability · calf strength
⏱ ~50 min🏋️ Full gym
▼
📈 Progression: First 4 weeks — focus on form and technique, moderate weight. From week 5 onward, progressively add load on main lifts. Single-leg exercises are your injury insurance — don't skip them.
  • Lower Body — Power & Glutes
  • Goblet Squat LEGS 3 × 12
    Rest 75 sec
  • Barbell Hip Thrust GLUTES 3 × 12
    Rest 75 sec
  • Romanian Deadlift GLUTES 3 × 10
    Rest 90 sec
  • Single-Leg Stability (Injury Prevention)
  • Single-Leg RDL (dumbbell) BALANCE 3 × 8/leg
    Rest 60 sec
  • Step-Up with Knee Drive RUN-SPECIFIC 3 × 10/leg
    Rest 60 sec
  • Calves & Ankles
  • Single-Leg Calf Raise (slow)CALVES 3 × 15/leg
    Rest 45 sec
  • Core Stability
  • Dead Bug CORE 3 × 10/side
    Rest 45 sec
  • Plank Hold CORE 3 × 45–60 s
    Rest 30 sec
  • Bird Dog CORE 3 × 10/side
    Rest 30 sec
  • Upper Back (Posture)
  • Seated Cable Row 2 × 12
    Rest 60 sec
  • Face Pull 2 × 15
    Rest 45 sec

The full roadmap

19-Week Program

Strength
Run
Optional run
Race day 🏆

Make the most of it

Tips & Guidelines

Running Paces
Easy / Recovery: ~6:30–7:00 /km — full conversation pace
Long Run: ~6:00–6:30 /km — comfortable, controlled
Tempo: ~5:25–5:45 /km — comfortably hard, 20–30 min effort
Race Pace: ~5:41 /km — your sub-2:00 target
Intervals: ~5:00–5:15 /km — hard but sustainable
Recovery at This Level
With 19 weeks of training, recovery is not optional — it's part of the program. Sleep 7–9 hours. The day after a long run should be easy or rest. If something feels off (not just soreness, but sharp pain or fatigue that doesn't clear), take an extra day. Your body adapts during rest, not during the run itself.
Race Day Plan
Start conservatively — 5–10 sec slower than 5:41 for the first 5 km. This always feels too easy early on, and that's exactly right. Settle into race pace by km 6–7. Km 10–16 should feel like controlled effort. With 5 km to go, assess — if you have anything left, use it then. Don't save it for later.
Nutrition & Hydration
Protein matters for muscle recovery — aim ~1.4–1.8 g/kg daily. On long runs over 12 km, consider a small carb snack 1.5–2 hours beforehand. For runs over 75 minutes, take an energy gel or dates around the halfway point. Hydrate consistently throughout the week — not just on run days.