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Get half-marathon ready with this interval workout

Pacing a half-marathon can be challenging, but let this interval workout help you get there.

Are you in the middle of a half-marathon build and looking for a confidence-boosting workout to take you closer to being race-ready? This 40-minute interval session will help you become more familiar and comfortable with your goal race pace.

If you’ve never run a half-marathon, pacing it properly can be challenging. You don’t want to start too fast, so begin at or just slightly slower than your goal race pace, to conserve energy. From six to 17 kilometres, the kilometres begin to click away. The last thing you’ll want to feel is tired or overwhelmed, so it’s important to practise feeling relaxed at your goal pace.

Workout

10 reps of 2 minutes at goal race pace, with 2 minutes of steady active recovery.

The purpose of this workout is to build your body’s familiarity with your goal half-marathon race pace while only marginally slowing down during rest. The workout will start out easy, but it will become progressively more challenging around reps seven and eight, as you dial back into those race paces when your body is fatigued. Remember to stick to the paces you’ve set ahead of time; the workout is only as difficult as you make it. For example, if your goal is to run a 1:40:00 half marathon, maintain a pace of 4:45/km on the two-minute reps, and keep the steady recovery between 5:00/km and 5:15/km.

If you find that you’re unable to maintain your goal pace during the first five reps, slow down your steady active recovery to a more manageable pace. If you can complete the workout at your goal pace, it is an indication that you’re on track to smash your race. If it feels too easy, consider trying the workout again at a faster pace, or adjust your half-marathon goal.