Pacing Your Half Marathon

Pace your Half Marathon

Before running a half marathon, it's essential to formulate a realistic pacing strategy to maximise your chances of success.

Why have a Pacing Strategy?

Most runners complete the second half of their race slower than the first. This is often because they set themselves unrealistic pace expectations, based on a combination of past performances and blind hope. Misjudgements in pace can have significant repercussions later in your race. Predicting your half marathon race pace accurately has several benefits:

• Faster race times
• Quicker post-race recovery time
• Increased morale (as you overtake runners in the second half)
• Greater satisfaction during and after the race

Calculate Your Predicted Finish Time

If your half marathon does not involve challenging terrain, elevations, or conditions (i.e. windy), you can use our Online Calculator to calculate your predicted finish time. You will need your most recent fitness tests (distance over 30 mins) or a recent race result.

What To Do with Your Predicted Half Marathon Times

Once you have your predicted half marathon finishing time. You can then do a Google search for an online running pace chart, below are two useful links:

• Pacing for min/mile - Half Marathon Pace Chart
• Create your own Chart (Kms or Miles) - Half Marathon Guide

You should aim to maintain an even pace throughout your half marathon, allowing for small margins of difference for subtle variations in gradient and wind.

Running using Heart Rate or RPE

If you are running a challenging route (extreme weather or over challenging terrain/elevation), your predicted times will not be so accurate. Using pace as a guide over hilly routes or in extreme winds is a bad idea anyway, because there are too many variables. For instance, you wouldn't expect to run at your normal half marathon pace up a steep hill. In this case, Heart Rate or Rate of Perceived Exertion are more useful guides to intensity. You may also prefer to run using these measures or a combination of all three.

Suggested Target Ranges

Threshold Heart Rate (THR)

Rate of Perceived Exertion (where 10 is the hardest)

Pace

Final Notes

Ensure you base your Half Marathon pacing strategy on real results from a fitness test or race done in the last 8 weeks. Don't guess...

Fitness Tests To Determine Your Thresholds

Your race success will be determined by how well you pace for the whole race. If you set out too fast, you will struggle to hold your pace.  Check our article for more on Race Nutrition.

Click here for more on training for your Half Marathon.

Good Luck for your Half Marathon!

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