Who this plan is for
- ✓You've run a half marathon between 1:42 and 1:52 and have at least 18 months of consistent running
- ✓Your comfortable easy run pace is around 5:45–6:15/km (9:15–10:03/mi)
- ✓You've done some structured training but want clearer pacing guidance for quality sessions
- ✓You can run 15 km comfortably and want to push the distance and intensity further
- ✓You train 4–6 days per week and want an honest, structured plan with session-by-session reasoning
- ✓You're willing to run threshold sessions that feel genuinely hard and understand they're supposed to
What your training actually looks like
Every session in the plan comes with a plain-English reason, not just a pace. Choose your schedule below to see what Week 1 looks like.
💡 Aerobic foundation: every run should be conversational this week. Easy runs are doing real work — mitochondrial density, fat oxidation, connective tissue conditioning. Miss a session? Skip it and move on.
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Build my Sub 1:40 Plan plan →The four phases
Base phase (weeks 1–3)
Aerobic base with easy runs and a weekly long run building from 14 to 17 km. Consistency at genuinely easy pace is the goal — every run at conversational effort.
Strength phase (weeks 4–6)
Threshold tempo runs of 6–8 km at 4:42–4:47/km are introduced. Long run reaches 19–20 km. Focus on effort quality over distance in quality sessions.
Speed phase (weeks 7–9)
800m and 1000m intervals at 4:24–4:34/km sharpen VO₂max. Long runs include final 2–3 km at goal pace. Volume peaks before taper.
Taper phase (weeks 10–12)
Volume drops 35–40%. Sessions shorten but pacing is maintained. Race week includes two short runs and a gentle activation run the day before.
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Build my Sub 1:40 Plan →Frequently asked questions
What is goal pace for sub 1:40?
To finish in 1:39:59, you need to average 4:44/km (7:37/mi). Your threshold training pace will be 4:42–4:47/km (7:34–7:41/mi) — near or at goal pace. Interval sessions run at 4:24–4:34/km (7:05–7:21/mi). Easy runs stay at 5:45–6:20/km (9:15–10:11/mi), well away from the hard-session intensities.
My 10K time is around 48 minutes. Is sub-1:40 realistic?
A 48-minute 10K predicts approximately 1:45–1:47 via the Riegel formula. Sub-1:40 from that starting point is ambitious but possible in 12 weeks if you have a solid aerobic base and commit to structured training. A more conservative target is sub-1:45, which gives you room to build and race confidently rather than hanging on.
How long should my long run be in this plan?
Long runs build from 15 km in week 1 to a peak of 21–22 km in week 9. After that, taper begins. The long run should always be run at easy pace — 5:45–6:20/km for this target. Running the long run too fast is the most common mistake at this level and produces fatigue without extra fitness benefit.
Should I run intervals or focus on tempo work?
Both. The strength phase (weeks 4–6) focuses on threshold tempo to raise your lactate ceiling. The speed phase (weeks 7–9) introduces interval sessions at 4:24–4:34/km to develop VO₂max. Skipping either block leaves a physiological gap. Threshold makes goal pace sustainable; intervals make it feel controlled.
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