If you want to run a sub 2 hour half marathon, there are a few things you need to know in advance. Before starting with the training that should be 10 to 12 weeks long, you should be able to run 10k between 50 and 52 minutes. If you are capable of that you are on a good way to run a sub 2 hour half marathon.
Nutrition
Another important part in half marathon running just under the 2 hour mark plays nutrition. We humans can store carbohydrates that will get us roughly to the 90 minute mark. In order to get to almost 120 minutes, we need additional carbs, that will get us to the finish line. Mostly, there are two options: sports drinks and gels. Gels are probably the easier option and two of them should do the trick. One each 45 minutes. The two gels with some water from the drink stations should get you safely to the finish line. But don’t use gels the first time on race day. So many things can go wrong. Practice your race day nutrition on your long run days and use the same products on race day.
Before the race
Don’t skip warmup. It might be challenging to run before the actual race. But still. Your muscles should be warmed up and ready to go, when the gun goes off. Therefore you should do a nice easy 10-15 minute jog, followed by some dynamic exercises and a few strides, just slightly faster than goal race pace. In a perfect world you would finish with the warmup 10 to 15 minutes before the start but we all know that that’s not always possible.
I know you heard this a million times: don’t start too fast. 21 kilometers is a long way and even if you start 10-15 seconds per kilometer slower than goal race pace it will be better than starting just 5 seconds per kilometer too fast. After the 5 kilometer mark gradually increase the pace just a second or two faster than goal race pace and if you are feeling good at the 18 kilometer mark you should increase the pace once more for the last 3 kilometers. That’s the perfect race tactic for a half marathon.
Sub 2 hour half marathon advice
You probably wonder, how the training should look like. Just recently I wrote a training plan fo a sub 2 hour half marathon 12 week training plan, that is published on the hyve webpage. It’s free and I will be glad if you use it. The training plans has 4 days of training each week and 3 rest days. Many of us have different commitments so feel free to adjust the training plan according to your personal life schedule, just make sure to take rest days after each workout and your weekly longrun.
The training plan incudes 1 kilometer and 2 kilometer intervals, that are faster than race pace. Tempo runs slightly faster or just around race pace, easy runs, longruns. And even 3 longrun workouts, where you will get the feeling for the race itself and the way you will feel in the later stages of the half marathon.
A great way to break the 2 hour half marathon barrier is also to ask a fellow runner, who is faster and is experienced, to pace you through the race. That way you will not be tempted to start too fast, you will have someone who will look after the pace, tell you when to drink and take gels. Even mental support if it get though during the race.
I hope this tips will help you to run a sub 2 hour half marathon.
If you need a training plan tailor made to your personal needs and life schedule, feel free to reach out. The easiest way is to contact me over the contact form.
