You’re trying hard. That’s the problem.

The free sub-2-hour half marathon plan built on easy miles.

Sub-2 is 5:41 per kilometre. The runners who get there run most of their week slower than that — the plan below shows you exactly how much slower, and where the sharp work goes.

14
weeks
4
days / week
Every run
zoned

For the runner circling the two-hour mark who has tried going harder and found it hasn’t moved.

Why so much easy?

You can’t outrun your easy days. Run easy when it’s easy so you can run hard when it’s hard. Going medium-hard on everything — the grey middle — is where amateur runners stall and where injuries come from. This plan puts a ceiling on your easy runs and saves the effort for the one day a week that earns it.

The plan, week by week

Free. Take it exactly as it is.

Base

All easy. Building the engine — no hard running yet, and that is the point.

Week 1Base — easy start
37km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
8.5 km · 59 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
8.5 km · 59 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
8.5 km · 59 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
11 km · 76 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 2Base — building consistency
41km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
9.5 km · 66 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
9.5 km · 66 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
9.5 km · 66 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
12 km · 83 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 3Base — aerobic development
45km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
13.5 km · 94 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 4RecoveryBase — recovery + benchmark
28km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
7 km · 49 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
5K time trialZone 4–5
5 km · 28 min
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
7 km · 49 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
9 km · 62 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 5Base — aerobic discipline
45km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
13.5 km · 94 min · 6:19–7:33 /km

Build

Quality arrives. One hard session a week; the rest stays genuinely easy.

Week 6Build — first quality session
45km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
PyramidZone 3
7 km · 43 min · 5:31–5:46 /km
1 min at 5:31–5:46 /km + jog 30s at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km + 2 min at 5:31–5:46 /km + jog 1 min at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km + 3 min at 5:31–5:46 /km + jog 1:30 at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km + 4 min at 5:31–5:46 /km + jog 2 min at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km + 3 min at 5:31–5:46 /km + jog 1:30 at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km + 2 min at 5:31–5:46 /km + jog 1 min at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km + 1 min at 5:31–5:46 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
16.5 km · 114 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 7Build — extending the work
51km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
13 km · 90 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
HM-pace repsZone 3
8 km · 47 min · 5:31–5:45 /km
5 × (4 min at 5:19–5:31 /km + jog 1:30 at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km)
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
13 km · 90 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
16.5 km · 114 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 8RecoveryBuild — recovery + benchmark
32km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
8 km · 55 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
5K time trialZone 4–5
5 km · 28 min
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
8 km · 55 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
10.5 km · 73 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 9Build — holding the work
48km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
12.5 km · 87 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
HM-pace repsZone 3
7 km · 43 min · 5:31–5:45 /km
2 × (10 min at 5:31–5:45 /km + jog 2 min at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km)
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
12.5 km · 87 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
16 km · 111 min · 6:19–7:33 /km

Peak

The sharpest weeks. Hold the zone on the hard days, protect the easy ones.

Week 10Peak — consistency
46km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
11 km · 76 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
HM-pace repsZone 3
10 km · 56 min · 5:31–5:45 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
11 km · 76 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
14 km · 97 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 11Peak — holding the volume
52km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
11.5 km · 80 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
HM-pace repsZone 3
11 km · 62 min · 5:31–5:45 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
11.5 km · 80 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run with HM-pace finishZone 2–3
18 km · 125 min · 6:19–7:33 /km

Taper

Less volume, same intensity. Arrive fresh, not flat.

Week 12Taper — trust the work
41km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
9.5 km · 66 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
Continuous tempoZone 3
5.5 km · 33 min · 5:31–5:46 /km
15 min at 5:31–5:46 /km
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
9.5 km · 66 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
16 km · 111 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 13Taper — sharpening
29km
Mon
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
5.5 km · 38 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Wed
Goal-pace sharpenerZone 3
6.5 km · 40 min · 5:31–5:45 /km
3 × (1 km at 5:38 /km + jog 1:30 at no faster than 6:19–7:33 /km)
Fri
Easy run — Zone 2Zone 2
5.5 km · 38 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Long run — Zone 2Zone 2
11.5 km · 80 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Week 14Race weekRace week
36km
Tue
Easy shakeoutZone 1
5 km · 35 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Thu
Pre-race shakeoutZone 1
3 km · 21 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sat
Race-week easyZone 2
7 km · 49 min · 6:19–7:33 /km
Sun
Race day — 21.1 km
21.1 km

This is the flat version.

This plan doesn’t know you. It doesn’t know your Tuesday got busy, what your resting heart rate is doing, or that your last race said you’re fitter than you think.

The app does. It sets your real heart-rate zones, moves sessions when life breaks the week, and rebuilds the plan off a mid-block time trial. This page is the template. The app is the coach.

The plan above is yours. No catch.

Want the version that adapts to you — your zones, your week, your race? Leave your email and we’ll tell you when to start.

Already sold? Start free in the app →

Questions

What pace do I need for a sub-2-hour half marathon?

5:41 per kilometre (about 9:09 per mile), held for the full 21.1 km. This plan rehearses that pace in the quality sessions and keeps the long runs easy so you can hold it on the day.

How many days a week is this Half marathon plan?

4 days a week. Easy runs, and from the build phase one quality session a week. The rest is recovery — on purpose.

Is this Half marathon plan good for beginners?

It suits a runner who already runs a little and wants to stop going medium-hard on everything. If you are brand new to running, build an easy base first, then start here.

Do I need a heart-rate monitor for this half marathon plan?

No. Every run has a pace band and a zone. A heart-rate monitor just helps you hold the easy days honestly — which is exactly what the app adds on top of this plan.

Can I move the sessions around?

Carefully, yes — keep the two hardest days apart. The static plan below can’t move itself. The app does that for you when your week changes, and keeps the easy/hard rhythm intact.

Why is so much of the plan easy running?

Because you can’t outrun your easy days. Running easy when it’s easy is what lets you run genuinely hard on the one day that earns it. The grey middle — medium-hard on everything — is where amateur runners stall and get injured.

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