How to Prepare for a Half Marathon in 12 Weeks A Surefire Guide

Are you ready for the half marathon that’s taking place in town in only three months? If the answer is no, you’re probably stuck with different training programs, still unsure how to prepare for a half marathon in 12 weeks.

Well, you’re in luck because we’ve created this guide as a source you can refer to when looking for the best half marathon training plan to stick with. Here, we take things step by step to lead you through the entire process so that you can score a new PR.

Feeling better now? It’s time to dive in!

How to Prepare for a Half Marathon in 12 Weeks

Step 1: Make Sure Your Body Is Ready for the Challenge

One of the greatest things about having 12 weeks before a half marathon is that it’s enough time for beginner and intermediate runners to get ready. However, you can’t jump off the couch and start training for a half marathon!

To be able to follow this plan, whether it’s your first or fifth half marathon, you must have some requirements. For example, you must be able to run for 3 miles non-stop as a starting point, which is usually the case with most beginners and intermediate runners.

Of course, as a skilled runner, this plan can also work out for you if you want to take your time and build your endurance over three months. But experienced runners can get ready in less time, say 8 or even 5 weeks!

Now that we know who this 12-week half marathon plan is suitable for, let’s have a little sneak peek.

Step 2: Write Down Your 12-Week Half Marathon Training Schedule

We understand that three months isn’t a short period of time, and some people can easily have commitment issues with their running training. This is why everyone should get behind a day-by-day training program to stay on track.

There are also some neat tricks you can follow to make sure you stick to your practice schedule. For instance, you could:

  • Allow the planner app to send you daily notifications or reminders
  • Write today’s practice details on a sticky note and keep it in plain sight
  • Have a friend check your progress every couple of days
  • Train with other marathon runner friends

Now, are you ready to meet your 12-week training plan?

Week 1

Day 1 Do a 20-minute light jog or cross training
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 2-3 miles at an easy pace (a speed where you can comfortably have a conversation without gasping for breath)

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength-training workouts
Day 5 ●     Jog for 4 minutes

●     Run at a medium pace for 3 minutes

●     Repeat x4

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Run for 3-4 miles at a steady jogging pace

Week 2

Day 1 Rest or do a 20-minute light jog or cross training
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 2-3 miles at an easy pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training, yoga, swimming, etc.
Day 5 ●     Jog for 4 minutes

●     Run at a medium pace for 3 minutes

●     Repeat x5

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Run for 4-5 miles at a steady jogging pace

Week 3

Day 1 Rest or do a 20-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 2-3 miles at a quick jogging pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training, yoga, swimming, etc.
Day 5 ●     Run for 3 minutes at a medium jogging pace

●     Run at a quick pace (slightly slower than your target half-marathon pace) for 4 minutes

●     Repeat x4

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Run for 4-5 miles at a steady jogging pace

Week 4

Day 1 Rest or run 20 minutes at an easy pace
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 4 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength-training workouts
Day 5 ●     Jog for 3 minutes

●     Run at a quick pace for 4 minutes

●     Repeat x4

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Run for 5-6 miles at a steady jogging pace

Week 5

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 4 miles at a quick pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training
Day 5 ●     Jog for 3 minutes

●     Run at a quick pace for 4 minutes

●     Repeat x5

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 ●     Run for 5-6 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Remember to take walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Week 6

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 3-4 miles at a quick, but continuous pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training or any form of cross training
Day 5 ●     Jog for 3 minutes

●     Run at a quick pace for 4 minutes

●     Repeat x5

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 ●     Run for 6-7 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take walking breaks at 1-mile intervals for 2-3 minutes

Week 7

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 3-4 miles at a quick pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training
Day 5 ●     Jog for 3 minutes

●     Run at a quick pace for 4 minutes

●     Repeat x6

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 ●     Run for 7-8 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take recovery breaks at 1-mile intervals

Week 8

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 4-5 miles at a quick pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training
Day 5 ●     Jog for 2 minutes

●     Run for 3 minutes at half-marathon race pace

●     Repeat x5

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 ●     Run for 8-9 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take recovery breaks at 1-mile intervals

Week 9

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 4-5 miles at a quick pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training, interval training, yoga, etc.
Day 5 ●     Jog for 2 minutes

●     Run at your intended race pace for 3 minutes

●     Repeat x6

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 ●     Run for 10-11 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take recovery breaks at 1-mile intervals

Week 10

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 5 miles at a quick, but continuous pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength-training exercises
Day 5 ●     Jog for 2 minutes

●     Run at half-marathon pace for 3 minutes

●     Repeat x8

Day 6 Rest
Day 7 ●     Run for 11-12 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take recovery breaks at 1-mile intervals

Week 11

Day 1 Rest or do a 30-minute light jog
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 5 miles at a quick yet sustainable pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training
Day 5 ●     Jog for 2 minutes

●     Run at race pace for 2 minutes

●     Repeat x10

Day 6 Rest or do a 45-minute brisk walk
Day 7 ●     Run for 6-7 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take recovery breaks at 1-mile intervals

Week 12

Day 1 Rest or do cross-training workouts
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 ●     Run 2-3 miles at a steady jogging pace

●     Take 3-minute walking breaks at 1-mile intervals

Day 4 Rest or do strength training
Day 5 ●     Jog for 2-3 miles (Take it easy here!)
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Run your half marathon! (13.1 miles)

Step 3: Consider Other Forms of Training on Your Rest Days

As you’ve noticed after taking a look at our 3-month training schedule, there’s room for an additional workout on some rest days. It’s always a good idea to take this chance to boost your endurance even further and help your body adjust to the strain.

Now, what types of training do we suggest runners include in their half marathon training plan once or twice a week?

Strength Training

How to Prepare for a Half Marathon in 12 Weeks: Strength Training

As the name suggests, strength training refers to several exercises that can work to increase the stamina of your muscles. If you already go to the gym and are familiar with resistance workouts, it’s best to include them on some of your rest days.

However, if you’re still a novice to strength training, you could stick to some basic endurance exercises such as:

Cross-Training

Cycling

Another form of workout you can do on your off days is cross-training, which is a rather broad term. See, cross-training refers to any other physical activity you could use to improve your performance besides your main athletic focus, namely running.

One of the coolest things about cross-training is that it lets you exercise other body muscles than the ones that you constantly use for running. Having this workout variety over the course of 3 full-blown months can do wonders for your performance as an athlete!

Here are a few cross-training ideas to incorporate into your routine (note that the aforementioned strength workouts can be considered cross-training as well):

  • Cycling (indoors or outdoors)
  • Yoga
  • Swimming
  • Skiing
  • Dancing

Step 4: Always Work to Improve Your Mentality

Preparing for a major racing event like a half marathon should be done on both the physical and mental levels. Not only because of how big the challenge is but also because 3 months is a long time to work toward a goal.

If marathon runners don’t have the right mindset during their training, they might get bored, face many rough days, or skip huge chunks of the plan altogether.

Luckily, there are countless ways you can keep your spirits high and your spark alight when it comes to your daily practice:

  • Change your running locations every now and then
  • Run indoors when the weather isn’t that great outside (instead of skipping training)
  • Plug in your earbuds and listen to your favorite upbeat tracks, a captivating audiobook, or a fun podcast
  • Jog with a group of runner friends for a sense of companionship
  • Give yourself positive affirmations before every running session to boost your self-esteem
  • Keep your end goals at the forefront of your mind at all times
  • Disconnect from everything marathon-related on your rest days (go fishing, read a book, camp under the stars, etc.)

Step 5: Take It Easy Before the Race Day

During the final week before the day of the half marathon, the excitement might make you want to push yourself harder. But it’s the exact opposite that you should do.

The 12th week of the half marathon training plan is all about letting your body get the rest it deserves. You’ll still have some warm-up running to do, but it should be at a light jogging pace and for much shorter distances than before.

This ensures that your body stays active until the race day without overdoing it.

On the day before the race, make sure to completely unwind and soothe your nerves. You can scroll through your social media accounts, listen to some calming music (or heavy metal if you want!), watch a romcom, etc.

Plus, it’s important that you get as much sleep as you can to wake up tomorrow filled with energy and prepared for the 13.1-mile run!

Final Thoughts On How to Prepare for a Half Marathon in 12 Weeks

Getting ready for a half marathon is a big thing even if you’ve run several marathons before. It requires commitment, consistency, and the right mentality to help steer your body in the correct direction.

Hopefully, after reading our article, you’ll realize the entire process isn’t as hard as you’ve previously thought.

Now that you know how to prepare for a half marathon in 12 weeks, creating a good training schedule is one thing you can scratch off your to-do list. So, are you ready to grab your running shoes and bottle of water to let your training truly begin?