Half Marathon – 4 Race Prediction Workouts
Training for the Half Marathon and want to test your race shape?
Below you’ll find 4 Half Marathon race indicator workouts to estimate your Half Marathon performance. You should already have a vague idea as to what shape you’re in for the Half Marathon. These indicator workouts below are good tests for you to complete in training to hopefully give you some confidence leading into race day.
Keep in mind that these workouts are just an estimate as to what shape you’re in. Don’t take them too seriously and remember that a real Half Marathon race is the true indication of your Half Marathon shape! These are just challenges you can complete in training and are excellent fitness boosters leading into a race, as they are very specific to the event of the Half Marathon.
All of these workouts (or very similar alternatives) have been used by professional runners leading into major Half Marathon races.
3 x 4km @ between 10km and Half Marathon pace, with 1km floating recovery about 10-15% slower.
This 14km (8.7mi) continuous run is a good indicator of Half Marathon shape and very similar sessions are used by many Kenyan and Ethiopian running squads. The pace that you can average for the 14km training run is right around the pace you should be able to race a Half Marathon at, given good conditions and fresh legs.
It’s three 4km repeats slightly slower than your 10km goal pace (with just 1 km recovery, but the key is to make the recovery brisk; about 10-15% slower than your repetition speed.
For someone aiming at a 1:10 Half Marathon (3:19/km or 5:20/mi), we assume a 10km personal best of around 31:30 which is 3:09/km. Your repetitions should be at around 3:15/km pace (4km in ≈13:00) and your 1km recoveries should be around 3:35-3:40/km.
For someone with a goal of a 1:15 Half Marathon (3:33/km, 5:43/mi): 4km reps @ ≈3:25/km and 1km recoveries @ ≈3:55-4:00/km.
For someone with a goal of a 1:20 Half Marathon (3:47/km, 6:05/mi): 4km reps @ ≈3:37/km and 1km recoveries @ ≈4:15-4:20/km.
12km (or 7.5 mile) Progressive Tempo Run.
Important: The key here is to ensure it actually is progressive and it’s not just a 12km (7.5mi) flat out time trial with a consistent pace. Make sure your final 1km/1mile is around 10% quicker than your first 1km/1mile.
That would mean for someone aiming at a 1hr10min Half Marathon (3:19/km, 5:20/mi), try starting the run at 3:30/km and ending at 3:10/km, averaging close to 3:19/km. For those working in miles, this would mean starting at around 5:35/mi and working your way down to 5:05/mi or thereabouts, trying to average 5:20/mi.
For someone aiming at a 1hr20min Half Marathon (3:47/km, 6:05/mi), try starting at 4:00/km and working your way down to 3:35/km in the final 1-2km. For those working in miles, try starting at 6:25/mi and progressing to 5:45/mi in the final mile.
Whatever you can average in terms of pace for this 12km Progressive Tempo Run is what you should be able to average in a Half Marathon, given similar conditions.
Young gun Julien Wanders is a big advocate of Progressive Tempo Runs and uses them most weeks in his training. Wanders has years of these under his belt, so tends to do slightly longer progressive tempo runs (15-20km) but we have noticed that when he does shorter Progressive Tempo Runs, he averages around 3:05/km on hills at high altitude in Kenya, which is equivalent to about 2:50/km on flat at sea level, which is right around his Half Marathon pace.
15 x 1km with 1 minute recovery.
This session, regularly used by Eliud Kipchoge is a good race pace indicator for the Half Marathon. Whatever pace you can average for these 15 x 1km repetitions is approximately what you should be able to average in a good race, when you’re feeling fresh and ease off the training before a race. Don’t take longer than 1 minute recovery though, or you’ll recover too much and it won’t be specific enough to the Half Marathon.
Eliud Kipchoge completes his 15 x 1km repetitions in around 2:50 on average (he starts at 2:53-2:55 and finishes the final few at closer to 2:40) and this is right around his Half Marathon pace.
10 x 1 mile with 1.5 minute recovery.
An alternative to the above session, which is quite similar in nature is 10 x 1 mile repetitions with a slightly longer recovery: 1.5mins. Whatever pace you can average for these ten mile repeats is right around your Half Marathon pace.
Ryan Hall would complete this workout from time to time, leading into major Half Marathon and Marathons. Hall would try to hit these mile repeats in 4:35 on average and like Kipchoge, would progress through the workout with his paces, usually starting at closer to 4:40 and work his way down to 4:30.
4:35 mile pace is 60:00 Half Marathon pace which was right around Ryan Hall’s Half Marathon pace (Hall had a personal best of 59:43).
We hope you enjoy these workouts and they give you a fitness and confidence booster leading into your next Half Marathon!
You may also enjoy the articles: 5km Race Prediction Workouts and 10km Race Prediction Workouts.
