It can be tricky to master your half marathon pace, so we have partnered with one of Runna’s head coaches to find out what strategy he recommends and why.
A half marathon is a challenging run that requires both physical and mental preparation and pacing. If you can nail your half marathon pacing as part of your training plan, you will set yourself up for a successful run.
We caught up with Runna Head Coach Ben Parker to find out how he thinks you can pace a half marathon.
It sounds simple, but the first step is deciding what (realistic) time you are aiming to finish in.
If you’ve already run a half marathon before, then you can use this as a starting point to gauge a rough idea of what time you want to work towards. If this is your first half, once you’ve started your half marathon training plan, you should be able to get a good idea of your pace.
Once you have started your training and have a good idea of your pace, it’s worth checking out a half marathon pace to chart to see where you fit in.
If you are aiming for 1 hour 40 minutes, then this is an average pace of 4:44 min/km. Sticking to an exact pace to the second is a tough job, so we would recommend targeting a pace range of 3-4s either side of your target pace. For the 1 hour 40 mins runner, this would be a pace range of 4:41-4:47min/km.
To finish in 1 hour 45 minutes, you need to maintain a pace of 4:58 min/km or 8:00 min/mile.
If you're aiming to finish your next half marathon race in under 2 hours, you need an average pace of 5:41/km or 9:09/mile.
If it's your first time doing a half marathon, you might not know what goal time you should aim for, and that's completely fine. This is where a half marathon pace chart can help. If you have done any kind of run in the past, maybe a 5k or 10k, you could use this as a starting point.
A great piece of advice that we share with all our runners is to break your half marathon down into three equal 7km sections (approx. 4.50 miles). Here's how we would approach a half marathon:
The first 7 km is the 'easy' or 'free' section.
At this point, you're fresh and running on adrenaline, so it should be relatively easy to hold your target pace. Remember to keep an eye on your pace and don't get ahead of yourself and start running too fast; you might regret it later in the race!
This is the 'meaty' or 'hard' section.
By this point, you'll likely be feeling fatigue in your legs but it's still important to aim to maintain your pace. If you're holding back and feel that you're able to go faster, allow yourself to speed up by 5 seconds per km.
By reaching the 14km mark, you're two-thirds done! Focus on this mental achievement to help you through this section. It’s also important to keep on top of your hydration and fuelling at this stage.
This is the fun part!
By this point, you'll be physically tired. However, if you can get into the mindset that it's the final stretch, it'll be easier to maintain good form and enjoy the rest of the race. If you have anything left in the tank, increase your pace for this entire section, instead of saving it all for the last 1 km.
The final 500m is a chance to reward yourself for all the hard work you've put into training and completing the race.
Use this thought to push yourself to the finish line in style!
Hopefully seeing a half marathon broken down into three 7km chunks can help you visualise your pacing plan a little easier and help you cross the finish line in style!