Half Marathon Training Programs
PDF plans to help you finish, PR, or podium your next half marathon
Designed by Chris Johnson, PT
Configure your program
🏃 Pick your race goal
💪 Choose your strength training experience level
📥 Instantly downloadable
Select Race Goal Guidelines
Select Strength Training Level Guidelines
⚠️ Please select both options above.
The Training Philosophy Behind These Programs
Most half-marathon plans online make the same mistake: they push runners toward too much intensity, too often, usually with too short a runway, and treat strength as an afterthought. The result is predictable: fatigue, inconsistent training, and a higher risk of getting sidelined, especially when work and family are already taxing your ecosystem.
These programs follow a pyramidal intensity distribution, with planned deload weeks that give your body the space to absorb the work and adapt.
In a simple three-zone framework, pyramidal means most of your training sits in Zone 1, a moderate amount in Zone 2, and a small strategic dose in Zone 3. That blend builds a durable aerobic engine while keeping intensity in the right place: enough to drive adaptation, not so much that recovery becomes the bottleneck.
To make this hold up in real life, every run is guided by RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) and duration, not rigid mileage or pace targets. Terrain, weather, fatigue, and life load all change what a given pace “costs” on a given day. RPE gives you an internal compass so you can adjust in real time and stay honest about intensity when conditions shift. And if you are new to RPE, no problem. You do not need to ditch the metrics you enjoy. We use them to support the effort, not dictate it.
This combination, pyramidal intensity plus RPE-guided training and duration-based prescription, protects long-term progress. It helps you stack weeks, recover better, and avoid the boom-and-bust cycle that derails most runners. It is the same foundation many high-level endurance athletes use, adapted for runners who want a smarter structure without burning out.
The result is a plan that is conservative where it matters, strategic where it counts, and built to help you feel good, stay healthy, and show up on race day confident, not cooked. These programs are designed for longevity, consistency, and sustainable performance.
🧭 How to Choose Your Program
Pick two things:
-
- Your race goal
- Your strength training experience level
That’s it. The running plan aligns with the goal you choose, and the strength plan matches your current training background, so the work supports your running rather than detracting from it.
🏃♂️ Race Goal Guidelines
You are newer to running, returning after a break, or building consistency. The focus is steady fitness, durability, and getting to the start line healthy so you can finish with confidence.
You have completed a half before and want to run faster. You are comfortable training regularly and ready for more structure and a more purposeful dose of quality work.
You are chasing a top finish in your age group or racing competitively. Expect a sharper structure, higher quality sessions, and a plan designed to translate fitness into performance.
🏋️ Strength Program Guidelines
🔰 Beginner Strength
See sample
You are new to strength training or have not been consistent with it. These sessions build foundational patterns and progress week to week.
⚙️ Intermediate Strength
See sample
You have lifted before and feel comfortable in a gym setting. These sessions assume familiarity with basic lifts.
💪 Advanced Strength
See sample
You are experienced with resistance training and want challenging, performance-oriented sessions that support higher-level running.
What You Get
✅ 18-week running plan
Built around your goal and current abilities.
🏋️ Race prep specific strength plan
At your chosen level.
🧠 Race training mini ebook
The key concepts that make the plan make sense.
🧭 RPE and duration-based programming
So you can adjust intelligently when life calls for it.
🖨️📱 Printable and mobile-friendly formats
Use it however you prefer.
📄 Delivered as a PDF
Instant download and yours to keep.
Why I Built These Programs
Running is beautifully accessible, but not everyone has the time or budget for a personal coach. And nobody wants a cookie-cutter plan cobbled together in an afternoon or churned out by AI without context.
These plans live in the sweet spot: research-informed, semi-customized roadmaps that fit real life while preserving the structure that actually drives results.
They are built around what keeps training on track:
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- simple effort + time dosing (Duration × RPE)
- planned deloads
- concise, high-value strength work
- clear decision rules for common aches and pains
- practical guidance for travel, busy weeks, and returning after illness
Bottom line: clear guardrails, smart progressions, and built-in flexibility, so you can train consistently, stack weeks, and show up on race day confident, not cooked. Use these plans to finish strong, set a PR, or chase the podium.
About
Chris Johnson, PT
Chris completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware, earning a Bachelor of Science with distinction while conducting a senior thesis under Dr. Lynn Snyder-Mackler. He was a varsity men’s tennis team member, scholar-athlete, and team captain in 2000, receiving the Lee J. Hyncik Award for excellence.
He stayed at Delaware for a physical therapy degree, completing an orthopedic/sports fellowship under Dr. Michael J. Axe. After graduation, he worked at NISMAT at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC for eight years. In 2010, he opened Chris Johnson PT PLLC in Manhattan’s Flatiron District.
In 2013, Chris moved to Seattle, founded Zeren PT LLC, and later Alchemy Endurance for multisport and endurance athletes. He is a recognized authority in the endurance space, working with runners and triathletes. Chris is also a sought-after speaker, clinical educator, and business coach.
Chris lives in Edmonds with his wife and two kids, continuing to compete in distance running.
You can read more about Chris here.
