Kara Goucher's 1/2 Marathon Plan
Kara Goucher's 1/2 Marathon Plan
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Kara Goucher's 1/2 Marathon Plan

Altra Running •

Run toward 13.1 with Kara Goucher, an Olympian, and the 2009 Lisbon Half Marathon winner. 

Whether you’re a first-time runner or a seasoned veteran, her 10-week program keeps training interesting with everything from distance runs to speed work to hills. If you’ve been looking for the perfect half marathon program, then look no further. When you train with Kara, you’re training with the best.


10 WEEKS TO HALF MARATHON

 

WEEK 1

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Easy run with 10 x 20 seconds of striding out or running faster for 20 seconds along the way.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Work day! Do 800 meter or 1/2 mile repeats. These should be done at a good strong effort.  Not as fast as your 400 meter repeats, but still strong and focused. Jog or walk 400 meters or 1/4 mile in between sets.  Warmup and cool down as necessary. Aim for 6-10 sets.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
9 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs

 

WEEK 2

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Warmup a mile or two. Find a hill that is 30-60 seconds long when running up it. Run up the hill hard and jog or walk slowly down 6-8 times. Cool down as needed afterwards.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Find a nice section to run that is flat and fast. Warmup a mile or two. Then, using a track or a GPS device, do 8-12 sets of 1/4 mile or 400 meter repeats. Jog or walk easily for a couple of minutes between each set. Your 1/4 mile repeats should be done at a hard effort, something you hope to be able to run a full half-marathon at in the future. Cool down as needed.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
8 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 3

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Easy run with 10 x 20 seconds of striding out or running faster for 20 seconds along the way.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Work day! Do 800 meter or 1/2 mile repeats. These should be done at a good strong effort.  Not as fast as your 400 meter repeats, but still strong and focused. Jog or walk 400 meters or 1/4 mile in between sets.  Warmup and cool down as necessary. Aim for 6-10 sets.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
9 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 4

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Warmup a mile or two.  Then run a 4 mile tempo run 35-45 seconds a mile slower than goal half-marathon pace.  Cool down as needed.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Speed ladder day! The goal is to turn those legs over and get some speed!  Get to a local track or use your GPS.  As you go down in distance your paces should get faster.  The goal is 2-3 sets of 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m.  You should take an easy 400 meter jog between repeats.  The 800 should be at goal half-marathon pace and each repeat should get a little faster.  Then go and do it all again.  Cool down as needed.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
10 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 5

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Easy run with 10 x 20 second strides or pickups along the way. Concentrate on having good form and good knee lift during your strides.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Mile repeat day.  Today is a good day to get into the mindset of the half-marathon.  Warmup as needed, then go into 5-7 x a mile. These miles should be tough, getting as close to goal pace as possible, but not so hard you can’t finish the workout.   Take 3-5 minutes of easy jogging or walking between each repeat.  Cool down as necessary.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
11 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.

WEEK 6

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Warmup a mile or two. Find a hill that is 30-60 seconds long when running up it. Run up the hill hard and jog or walk slowly down 6-8 times. Cool down as needed afterwards.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Tempo day! Warm-up a mile or two.  Then run a 6-7 mile tempo run about 30 seconds a mile slower than your goal half-marathon pace. Cool down as needed.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
12-13 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 7

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Easy run with 10 x 20 seconds of striding out or running faster for 20 seconds along the way.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Ladder day! The goal today is to get in some hard work while mixing up some paces. Shoot for 2-3 sets of mile, half mile, quarter mile.  The mile should be run at goal half-marathon effort.  The half mile is a little faster than that and the 1/4 mile is fun fast! Take an easy 2-4 minute walk or job between sets.  Cool down as needed. Have fun and be confident!

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
13-14 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 8

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Warmup a mile or two. Find a hill that is 30-60 seconds long when running up it. Run up the hill hard and jog or walk slowly down 8-10 times. Cool down as needed afterwards.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Mile repeat day.  Today is a good day to get into the mindset of the half-marathon.  Warmup as needed, then go into 5-7 x a mile. These miles should be tough, getting as close to goal pace as possible, but not so hard you can’t finish the workout.   Take 3-5 minutes of easy jogging or walking between each repeat.  Cool down as necessary.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
12 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 9

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Easy run with 10 x 20 second strides or pickups along the way. Concentrate on having good form and good knee lift during your strides.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Tempo day! Warm-up a mile or two.  Then run a 6 mile tempo run about 20 seconds a mile slower than your goal half-marathon pace. Cool down as needed.

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
8 mile long run. This run should not be all out, but a step up in effort from your usual easy runs.


WEEK 10

Monday
Easy run or off.

Tuesday
Easy run with 10 x 20 seconds of striding out or running faster for 20 seconds along the way.

Wednesday
Easy run or off.

Thursday
Find a nice section to run that is flat and fast. Warmup a mile or two. Then, using a track or a GPS device, do 5-6 sets of 1/4 mile or 400 meter repeats. Jog or walk easily for a couple of minutes between each set. Your 1/4 mile repeats should be done at a hard effort, something you are ready to run your full half-marathon in! Cool down as needed. Have fun and feel fresh!

Friday
Easy run or off.

Saturday
Easy run or off.

Sunday
1/2 Marathon Race! Enjoy!

About the Author:

Kara Goucher is a professional runner, inspirational speaker, proud mother, and loving wife. She graduated from the University of Colorado with three Division I NCAA championships in cross-country, the 3000m and 5000m. She is a two-time Olympian, an American record holder, World Championships silver medalist, and one of the most accomplished female distance runners of all time. 

In addition to her professional resume, Kara is an inspiration to people everywhere. She is an advocate for clean sport and women’s rights, and she connects with organizations and non-profits that are making a positive impact. 

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