Are you wondering what the half marathon km distance is? Seeking some new strategies to run a new personal best over this race distance? If so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I am glad you have made it here. The half marathon is a highly aerobic event. That being said, you still need to develop your speed in order to succeed.
Pace sustainment is one of the biggest hurdles that runners need to overcome. So, we have to work on improving the body's lactate tolerance. You will not be able to do this by running easy all of the time. Yes, running easy is still important though. You cannot continue to push the body hard and expect to get a high return on your investment.
The real benefits of our hard training will come from within the rest period. The half marathon km distance is 13.1 miles or 21.1 kilometers in length. It is nearly 5 times the distance of a 5k. So, you need to have built your endurance. Also, work on your leg speed to ensure you can sustain your goal half marathon race pace longer than your competitition.
What is a Good KM Pace for a Half Marathon?
A very good half marathon time for a female is running under 2 hours. Women seeking to break the 2 hour half marathon barrier will need to sustain a pace of 5:41 per kilometer. Men seeking to run under 1:44 will need to sustain a pace of 4:56 per kilometer.
In comparison, runners seeking to break the 1:30 half marathon barrier will need to hold 4:16 per kilometer. The faster you are aiming to run the more specific training is going to be required. Pacing is also vital to run a good half marathon time. I always tell my runners to focus on a negative split. So, aim at running the first half of your half marathon slower than you run the second half.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TRAINING PLANSHow Fast is a 2 Hour Half Marathon?
A half marathon under 2 hours comes out to 9:09 per mile or 5:41 per kilometer. I created a running course for runners seeking to run 1:59:59 you may be interested in. You can click on any of the green buttons you see on this page to find out more about it. Also, simply click on courses in the upper navigation of this website as well.
The key to running a faster half marathon is not to be in a rush. Remember, it takes between 3 to 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stress being placed on it. So, great results with time. A training build up of 16 to 24 weeks is best. Yes, you can still get into great shape in a matter of 8 to 12 weeks as well. That being said, the longer your build up the less rushed you will be.
You will have provided yourself sufficient time to train properly for this race distance. I am a big believer in doing faster, varied paced long runs. Of course, you do not want to run fast during your long runs every single weekend. Again, you need to adapt to the hard training that you are doing. So, you still need to run easy but do it every other weekend. You can read what other runners using this tactic are saying at our testimonial page.
What Pace Should I Run for Half Marathon Training?
I think you should first focus on running easy for at least 4 weeks before starting a half marathon plan. Remember, the half marathon km distance is 21.1 kilometers or 13.1 miles. So, it is going to take some time to get into superior shape. I have created training plans and running courses to help speed up your learning curve.
What has been the longest tempo run you have done in the past training for your half marathons? 3 miles? 4 miles? I would work to lengthen this out to around 7 to 10 miles. You will build an enormous amount of strength by doing this. Of course, you need to adapt to a 3 to 4 mile tempo first. That being said, lengthening the time you spend training at your lactate threshold will help you improve.
Focus on your goal half marathon pace and practice it often. You should be doing 1 tempo run, 1 vo2 max workout and 1 long run per week. Your easy days should be spent jogging. A common mistake I see many runners making is running too fast during easy days and too slow during faster workouts. I would recommend investing in a heart rate monitor. I regularly use the Garmin 245. It helps me to stay at the proper intensities during my workouts.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESHow Can I Run Longer without Getting Tired?
Stay consistent with your training and gradually, over time, lengthen your long runs. In addition, start implementing faster, varied paced long runs into your routine. The running courses I teach and the training plans I have created here have these built in. I lowered my half marathon best from 1:13 to 1:07:06 using this strategy.
In addition, lowered my marathon best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. So, I know that it works and it has worked for other RunDreamAchieve athletes here. Below is an example of the type of faster, varied paced long run I was doing prior to breaking the 2:20 marathon barrier. I hit the first half of my 2:19:35 marathon PR in 1:07:09, only 3 seconds slower than my half marathon best of 1:07:06.
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 5 miles@5:35 mile pace, 3 miles easy easy, 1 mile in 4:55, 7 miles@6:00 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 1 mile in 5:05, 2 mile jog cool-down (23 miles)
Can I Run a Half Marathon without Training?
You can but I would not recommend it. Of course, if your goal is to jog and finish a half marathon from start to finish then it should be fine. Yes, you may need to stop, walk or jog throughout the race. I would recommend that rather than trying to run an all-out effort over the half marathon distance.
You risk of injury may rise trying to run a half marathon without training. So, your best bet is to spend some time preparing for this race distance. It is a lot of run to set a new personal best over the half marathon race distance. The downside is that it does take time, effort and patience in order to do this. Again, the optimal time frame to prepare properly for a half marathon is 12 to 24 weeks.
Longer is always better. I would not continue to run on an injury though. So, if you feel pain in any part of your body while running take some time off. I would also highly recommend pool running. Pool running takes all the stress and impact off of your ligaments, joints, muscles and tendons.
Do Long Slow Runs Make You Faster?
They will certainly help you build your endurance. That being said, training at you vo2 max and anaerobic threshold is what will make you really fast. I would recommend doing 1, vo2 max workout per week. We run between 95 to 100% of our max heart rate running at vo2 max effort. Examples of vo2 max workouts are hill repetitions, road and track intervals and fartlek running.
So, you need to stress the energy systems of the body. Also, ensure that you are jogging during your easy days to ensure that you recover from the hard training that you are doing. I also recommend you start dropping water bottles out every 3 miles or 5 kilometers along your long run route. Again, the half marathon km distance is 13.1 miles or 21.1 kilometers.
Nutrition and hydration plays a vital role in running a fast half marathon time. So, you have to get better at taking in fluids and calories during this race. The best way to do this is practicing it in training first. You can get away without drinking in a 5k or maybe even a 10k, not so with a half marathon.
Closing Thoughts
I also recommend paying attention to mental training. The world's top runners focus both on physical preparation as well as mental rehearsal. You have to visualize yourself getting across that finish line with your goal time on the clock. I used this method of training to help me break the 2:20 marathon barrier. Sure, I was doing a lot of training at sub 5-minute mile pace as well.
That being said, I was also paying attention to the other details of my training my competition was not. Remember, what you do the other hours of your day is going to dictate how successful you are going to become. So, start spending at least 10 minutes daily mentally rehearsing. Also, passing people in your race, feeling strong and crossing the finish line with your goal half marathon time on the clock.
I hope that this post has been helpful. Again, the half marathon km distance is 21.1 kilometers or 13.1 miles. So, maintain your mileage at or around 40 miles or higher to build that stamina and strength. Yes, there are many runners who will need to run close to 70 miles or higher to succeed. Remember, high mileage is not always the answer. You can still run too much of your mileage too aerobically. So, all that will leave you is being a superior long, slow distance runner.
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