Who this plan is for
- ✓You've run a half marathon between 2:08 and 2:20 and want a structured step forward
- ✓Your comfortable conversational pace is around 6:50–7:30/km (10:59–12:04/mi)
- ✓You run 3–5 days per week and can currently complete 10–12 km comfortably
- ✓You've done at least one half marathon and understand the structure of a training week
- ✓You want pacing guidance that's specific to your goal — not generic 'run easy' advice
- ✓You're looking for your first genuinely structured plan with quality sessions and a logical progression
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 2:05 Plan plan →The four phases
Base phase (weeks 1–3)
Easy aerobic running with long run building from 11 to 14 km. All sessions genuinely conversational — no pace pressure.
Strength phase (weeks 4–6)
Threshold tempo runs of 3–5 km at 5:27–5:32/km. Long run reaches 15–16 km. Tempo is the centrepiece session each week.
Speed phase (weeks 7–9)
600m intervals at 5:05–5:15/km add VO₂max stimulus. Long run peaks at 17–18 km. Volume near maximum before taper.
Taper phase (weeks 10–12)
Volume drops 30%. Sessions shorten, intensity maintained. Trust the training — feeling undertrained is normal and correct.
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Build my Sub 2:05 Plan →Frequently asked questions
What pace do I need to run to finish in sub 2:05?
To finish in 2:04:59, you need to average 5:54/km (9:31/mi). Tempo training runs at 5:27–5:32/km (8:47–8:55/mi) — faster than goal pace to stress the system above race effort. Easy runs sit at 6:55–7:35/km (11:08–12:12/mi).
Is sub-2:05 a realistic target after running 2:12?
A 7-minute improvement over 12 weeks is achievable with consistent, structured training. The key is running the quality sessions at the right intensity, running easy runs genuinely easy, and completing the long runs. Runners who stall typically train everything at a medium-hard effort — hard enough to be tiring, not hard enough to produce real adaptation.
What's the difference between this plan and a sub-2:00 plan?
Paces are calibrated differently throughout. Easy runs are slower (6:55–7:35/km vs 6:30–7:00/km), tempo runs are slower (5:27–5:32/km vs 5:07–5:14/km), and volume targets are slightly lower. The structure is identical — same four phases, same session types, different numbers throughout.
Can I use this plan if I've never run a half marathon?
Yes, if you can currently run 10 km comfortably. The plan builds from that base systematically. If 10 km isn't yet comfortable, spend 4–6 weeks with three easy runs per week before starting week 1.
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