How To Run A Sub-2 Hour Half Marathon | Running Training & Tips

There are many Half Marathon targets for runners, and the sub 2 hour is a big one! But how do you do it? Heather is here to run you through those steps towards cracking the sub 2 half marathon time!
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The half marathon, 13.1 miles or 21.1km, it’s a long way, isn’t it? And that means it’s a milestone distance to complete for many runners, and rightly so as it’s a big achievement!
And a notable time that grabs the attention of many of you over the distance is the 2-hour barrier… dipping under that marker is a big deal and something you should get excited about. But how do you do it? Well in this video we’ll take you through those steps towards cracking the sub 2 half marathon time.
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📹 How To Run A Sub 90 Half Marathon 👉 gtn.io/Sub90HM
📹 How To Run A Half Marathon 👉 gtn.io/10kToHalfPlan
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ES_Y'all Can't Hang (Instrumental Version)
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[@pedallife815]

I am 13 years old . Never ran more than 10k but today I smashed through the sub 30 min 5k Barrie's and it felt absolutely awesome. Did it in 28min 34 sec

[@georgehill6564]

I’m 14 and was about the same as you three months ago and now running 20 min 3 mile so keep giong at it mate

[@mrreseacher_2212]

supeb average pace 5.3+

[@Flawlessx.]

My best splits are 5k : 25 10k : 36 21k : 1 : 39

[@gb-wx3dv]

Same, but did it in 22:31

[@parrotbrand2782]

It will be awesome if you can still do it when you are 53 years old

[@Vidushaka68]

Last 3 years I’ve run 37 half marathons but last 14 months done nothing, been back running 3 weeks and managed a 2hr 4min half today zone 2 and my mind got it done for me. 76kgs 53 yrs old. I encourage anyone to embrace the fact you can always do more than you think. Love this channel 🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@raymark9392]

That's impressive! I'm surprised that even for 14 months you didn't lose much fitness. What was your pb for the half marathon?

[@gianmarcobellotti6755]

you're inspiring brother! keep going, all you guys over 40,50 out there still kicking it are a blessing.

[@ngdawgs1]

This video inspired me to go after the Sub 2 half 😎! Proud to say I got it done in 1:54:42 🥳. Could have done better, but the heat kicked my tail 🥵. Thanks GTN for all the amazing vids 💪🏽.

[@erics7226]

The most useful half prep video I've seen. Thank you!

[@leslie7922]

The thing that helped me most was losing 5kg bodyweight and focusing on improving my running form. That got me from 1hr 50min down to 1hr 28min half marathon

[@DarkPa1adin]

How did you achieve sub 1:30?

[@jimdelong987]

Great job!!

[@kanehiro4635]

Zone 2 (resting/easy) & Zone 4 training go hand in hand Zone 3 should cover days you’re not resting Zone 5 works on Vo2 and helps all the zones but shouldn’t be used frequently

[@leslie7922]

@@DarkPa1adin by running, actually pushing off the toes and opening my hips up, utilising muscles in my legs instead of shuffling along or using my legs to catch my bodyweight.

[@wesleyreyes5997]

Your video really helped me in my training journey. Thank you for this. Ran yesterday's Trilogy Run Asia Leg 2 Half Marathon with a Strava record of 1:57:14. After 3 attempts (since November 2022), I finally nailed this personal goal. Bonus: got to beat my personal 5k (sub25min), 10k (51:34) and 16k (sub90min) as well.🙂 Recovery time.

[@ianmitchell9102]

Great advice, thank you 🙏

[@gianmarcobellotti6755]

thank you so much !!! this video was incredibly helpful! today I ran my first half marathon with just 3 and a half week preparation, for someone who plays a lot of basketball and football with friends but never took running seriously, closed my first half marathon in 1:56:30 thank you so much !!!! i thought it would be impossible for me to break the 2h mark.

[@AlAdams13]

Attempting my 1st half in 20 days, have a decent 10km time n have done a cpl 16ks in training, so I feel ready. Sub 2hr or bust! Thanks for the tips!

[@AnTalk_blog]

Great video! Bookmarking it. Turning 50 this year and my goal is to run a HM under 2 hours. My current PB on 10km is 51:30, running 3-4 times a week around 40km per week. According to this guide I should have no problem reaching my goal with some structured plan.

[@andrispavenis9782]

10km in about 51:30 - that was where I was before Covid19 epoch. Turned recently 60. Really passed last summer in HM under 2 hours rather easily. Only the first HM was slower. Garmin clock recommended 1:27 long run with recommeded pulse, I decided to look and extend to HM if it would look not too difficult. The HM result was about 1:53 and I spead up in last kilometer (average 5:19, 4:51 in last km). One month later decided to participate in HM. Perhaps did stupid thing 3 days before (run 15 km with average km pace 4:46, had before that only run 10 km once faster). That at least gave target pace for HM. So I aimed to run HM in 1:45. Did not however succeed - was 8 seconds too slow (siis 1:45:08). This time I did not have much power to increase speed at finish. Never have followed any specific HM training program. Perhaps should try to finally reach 1:45 this year (or may be try first marathon).

[@JohnG975]

Wish I had seen this a few months back. This will be part of my prep for next year. Just completed my second half marathon 2 hours 1 min 24 sec... so close.

[@KarenCooley]

Perfect timing for me to see this. About to start training for my first half marathon since 2015. It's coming up in November. My goal is to have fun and do the best I can, but there's also a part of me that wants to kick some butt and see if I can beat my best time of 2:20. I've been lifting for 2+ years and now adapting my weights to maximize running. Been working on zone 2 training since end of June. Will definitely take the advice you've given here! Thanks for sharing with us. :)

[@rmac1828]

2:20 is good. No need to kill yourself on these long runs. Enjoy the journey! It should be fun, not stressful.

[@jessewheeler5357]

Today I did 20.45km in 1h48m before my phone died 😅 almost hit this goal 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[@DarkPa1adin]

I am a newbie, hit sub 2 on time trial half marathon. 3 runs each week inclusive of 1 hard run, whether speed intervals or tempos/time trial 10km and under

[@MaxxDW]

Meanwhile Eliud Kipchoge runs a sub-2 hour marathon.

[@danielfisher6501]

Absolute machine

[@saxonfitness2917]

Crazy

[@mthadaniel]

Levels!

[@saxonfitness2917]

@Zi Kun Zeng i think it's a bit more than that 😂

[@andynewton8282]

To be fair, Eliud is a machine but probably doesn't have a 9-5 day job to do as well as running eh?

[@jeffbrunton3291]

I managed, and I’m not that good, used to only do one 5k per week. Key was to take it gradual, and do lots of efforts at 10 then 15k before doing HM. As I’m over 60, I did a fair bit on a treadmill over the winter to make it a bit easier, which also let me watch movies to relieve boredom.

[@MrTraveller.]

Always ran sub 2hr 1/2 Marathons in the past. Still running 1/2 Marathons +10yrs later. 3 goals are more fat lose, get my weekly 21k run from 2:15-2:30 to sub 2hr. Also just started building up to marathon 42km distance. Will take time. Tomo normal 21k will +5km so 26km run tomo ! Keep building each week to reach 42km again. Thx guys.

[@mohdshiddiqrazali5830]

my 1st hm was 2.54..now i can get 2.05..thnx for the info..hopefully can break this barrier soon

[@pinjaliina]

While I certainly can run a sub 2-hour half, I still watched this video to try to become even faster (and perhaps because I like Heather's presenting so much); I wish to get under 1:50 (my PB is 1:52:22), and perhaps later to under 1:45, although the latter would frankly be a really tough achievement. There seems to be triathletes in my age group that can run such times even in half distance events, but I have yet to crack the sub 2-hour mark on those.

[@jasonree]

Great advice, looking to improve on 1:45, but focusing on Marathon training. Don’t start to fast just because if feels easy, I need a tee-shirt with that on…one day it will sink in!😂

[@TomislavVinkovic]

I did my first one 10 days ago, 1:59:36. Stuck to the gameplan the entire time (5:40 pace) and it paid of :)

[@sonjahirsch9650]

just started my Garmin-Coach for a half Marathon in 2h ....In September I will run my first race since I was a Teenager (loooooong time ago😜)

[@aandroid11]

Let me know how it goes. Looking into buying an Garmin in the near future just haven’t decided which one.

[@kardush]

@@aandroid11 Just buy it Andres. Strongly recommend.

[@jacobpolzin6212]

I second that. The pacing, heart rate, interval options, and alerts while running are all amazing.

[@DrewKime]

I also did a Garmin coach plan, for 10k. It fixed a lifetime of bad pacing that kept me from ever making it much past 4 miles. Now I'm running my first half marathon next weekend, and expect to be close to 2 hours. (I'm optimistically pretending that the hilly course will be comparable to my typically flat training.)

[@svetlanaveljovic5490]

I started my running journey about 6 months ago and been running medium distances (up to 16km). The other day, I felt really good during my slow long run and decided to go for the HM distance for the first time, which I completed in 2 hours 10 minutes. Of course now, proving to myself that I can run for that long, the next goal is the sub-2 hour HM on a race day. Great tips in the video!!! Will definitely add a few of them to my training plan 💪

[@timhaynes1999]

About to do my first half marathon in two weeks 😁

[@joposcorner6016]

thank you

[@pawefryc5448]

Last week I made my second half-marathon below 2hr. First one was faster but last time I used to run only 5-10 km each time, so I decided to walk after each 3 km to rest and to be sure that I will finish my run. Good luck runners!

[@Taylor-nk7ho]

When they talk about speed work- ex: running 6 slots of 800m, how much time would u give yourself in between each slot? Would u walk in between or just go consistently?

[@barretwaltz6631]

That's quite a few runs but a solid structure. How should we train for a sub 2 hour half marathon at the end of our half iron-distance triathalon. Unless we are simply supposed to do this in addition to all of our other training.

I can run 10k in 49:20, supposedly I could easily make a sub-2hours half marathon. 10k was the longest distance I had ever ran before mi first half marathon. It took me 2:22:00 to complete de half marathon. I was destroyed, my ankles and knees were really beaten. All I can say is don't try to more than double your longest distance all of a sudden for half a marathon.

[@edwin5419]

I'm in covid isolation at the moment. Just ran a half marathon in my backyard. Thanks to having to do a 180 every 28 metres it took me almost 4 hours. Can't wait to try these tips.

[@gtn]

Wow, Nice work!

[@johnconn3054]

Where the hell is still locked down in March 2022? Time to move man.

[@edwin5419]

@@johnconn3054 Perth, Australia. We weren't locked down at all while the rest of the world was. We even had full capacity sporting events while stadiums everywhere were empty. We had a total of 3 weeks of lockdown in April 2022. So yeah, I won't be moving at all 😂 In March my kid had covid and the rule at the time was that they could isolate with a carer or by themselves. I chose to isolate with him coz he was 6.

[@bodhi9180]

well shit. I just smashed this time today and it was mostly hills. Feeling pretty good right now.

[@Dimegg]

Still patiently waiting for the sunny Lanzarote content. Quite curious actually..

[@davidkoothottil]

Started running a year ago. Was obese at 107 kilos, mostly doing cycling. Took up running, managed to stick to it, lost 24 kilos in 15 months. Reached under 6:00 pace for 10 km run and have been progressing steadily. Trained hard for this, kept pace at 5:40 per km, which would leave me 1 minute after 21km. After 16k, thought I had 30 minutes left for 5km, so 6:00 per km, and that went to plan as well. However, the organizers had measured the distance some 50 meters short (knew it from my watch), and there was a crowd of organizers at finish line. I had to push them apart trying to explain I have to run a few more meters. Cost me a few crucial seconds, and my half marathon time as per Strava is 2:00:03 hours. Missed by 3 seconds. Race time (measured by organizers) is 1:59:31. Most painful 3 seconds of my life. I should have been 200 milliseconds or so faster per kilometer.

[@transformxruby]

GOT A HALF MARATHON TODAY!

[@kevinlevinson9512]

I just started running this year after doing dry January, (still not drank) I've done two 10k races. My first time was 51 minutes and my second time was 47 minutes. I really wanna do a half marathon and sub 2 is my goal.

[@alembiqueONE]

have my first half marathon in 2 months. planning to do it in sub 2 as well. been training for it 4 days a week with the program from garmin coach, i think i just now starting the build phase. so far the workouts and the main idea are pretty similar to what’s been described in this video. and then somehow I wanna transition my training and do a full marathon sub 4hrs 2 months after that.

[@kyleharasivich2771]

how did it go?

[@alembiqueONE]

@@kyleharasivich2771 so my half marathon was postponed and I only found that out 2 days before the race, so since I was trained for it I did it on my flat local trails by myself in 1:56. then two months later was my marathon and I got carried away with a fast start, marked the middle at 1:55 realizing that I was gonna pay for it later. got really bad cramps on the long uphill about 3 miles before finish so had to walk-run. finished through pain in 4:24. happy that finished, but bummed I had to walk. that postponed half marathon gonna be this september now.

[@kyleharasivich2771]

@@alembiqueONE that’s still some awesome work out there and good luck on your Half Marathon in September! I have my first Half Marathon in October 😅

[@davidtaylor3]

Good timing! I have my first half marathon event coming up next month and am targeting a time of 1:45 (5:00/km). These training tips are very useful, as is the point about nutrition and hydration during the race to maintain energy levels. I’m doing a long training run tomorrow morning and am taking gels and bars for the first time to see how I go with them. What’s the best way to carry food on the run? I don’t want to hold things in my hands or have things jiggling around in my pockets.

[@aandroid11]

I have a Nathan vest. For gels and water. Or you can use those waist belts.

[@kardush]

I have running tights with mesh pockets for gels. Decathlon ones. Also, a nutrition belt does the job.

[@davidtaylor3]

Thanks guys, I think a waist belt would work well for me. Also, after yesterday’s training run, I’ve realised that a gel is much easier to consume than a chewy bar in the middle of a run!

[@slyfer5321]

I thought the title says "How to run a sub 2-hour Marathon". 😂

[@6williamson]

did you notice she said 'two hour marathon' 4:07? I guess we all have our fantasies!

[@sinancetinkaya]

same 🤨

[@celinaboutsoki4957]

Hello I want to do a sub-2hours for my next half marathon. I did 2h26min (I was injured and did walk and run) last year and I want to know for my intervals and tempo run sessions should I ran at my target pace or my current fitness level pace. I’m not sure if I should push through the effort and run faster or progress towards my target pace sessions after sessions. (I don’t know if my question is clear but if anyone has some some inputs I will be glad to hear it 😇 thank you in advance for your help 😊)

[@heronfields5923]

For the first time I ran half marathon in 1:49:43. Today I ran it in 1:39:53. Average pace 07:50. After I had a lot left, and I believe I can do it faster.

[@pierce9128]

#coachscorner Just did my 2nd half marathon at the weekend. My first was 2years ago when I just started my fitness journey and it took 2hrs36min. At the weekend I did it in 2hrs8min. Was abit disappointed I wasn't closer to 2hrs. I kept my hear rate in zone 2. Wondering if this was the right zone to keep heart rate in?

[@th3l05t-kfpreactoroperator5]

I really think people are obsessing over zones to much I always run in zone 3 and have made great endurance improvements over the last year. I ran my first half marathon 2 weeks ago and as usual ran in Zone 3 without any issues (1:52:36).

[@DavidBenYahuda]

6:05 watch in right hand. Magically switches to left hand. Movie mistake 😁😉

[@kevinclark5086]

I'm aiming for my first half at the great north run this year. I do the local park run currently 24 minutes as my fast run then 10k currently at 55 minutes for tempo then my recovery run I just go easy checking my speed so I'm not too quick. I've got races organised every 6 weeks or so to see where I'm at. The 10k is where I see my gains coming from at the moment.

[@gtn]

Good luck Kevin!

[@patricia_w]

I am currently doing a training programme on my Garmin watch to bring me up to 10k for triathlon and I do have middle sections consisting of 800m runs at race pace (4-6 times 800m). Seems like it is a good thing to do that will bring benefits in the race.

[@roustabout4fun]

Funny...I know I am getting older now...That would be my goal and I believe it very doable. The main thing is to keep moving in regards to exercise.

[@Trewq79]

Jim: "What's your strategy for this race?" Pam: "Well, I'm going to start really fast, keep going really fast in the middle, and end really fast" Jim: "Wow, I can't believe no one has thought of that before" -The Office.

[@Alisen12]

Will be running my first ever HM in April next year (it's currently September so that'll give me plenty time to train up for it) but I've become so stuck on my finish time that I get super anxious and obsessive over it. When I first started training I just wanted to be able to finish a HM, but the more I ran, the more the idea of a sub 2-hrs HM manifested itself in my mind. I'm scared I will not make that goal and finish last in the whole race. I picked up running because it'S the only sport I really enjoy but now I became so obsessive over these numbers that I don't enjoy it very much anymore. Please, can you guys wathing this video give me your first time finish times so I can maybe put my mind at peace and to realise that actually finishing a HM is an achievement in itself no matter the finish time?

[@nk-dw2hm]

Good form is more important than a good time. Most of us are never going to be competitive runners, but by going out and doing it you're already ahead of 90% of people out there Clear your mind, put on some high tempo music and just try to enjoy it again

[@magradwan2516]

I plan to do one in May in Calgary. Hopefully, I can get it under 2 hrs without my knee starting acting up 😂

[@gtn]

Good luck! We have a video on runner's knee that might be useful to you? 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXbaaZ-igNmUhJo hope it helps! 🙌

[@atulwairagade1213]

My new PB is now 1:42hrs for HM

[@SCHD-DGRO24]

I plan on imagining david goggins yelling at me to get over the mental aspect of the run😂

[@theunknown21329]

I thought the title said how to run sub 2 hour marathon🤣

[@Triptruth]

What level would a 9.50 3km time??

[@sublime9525]

I didn't understand what she meant by six reps. Can someone pls explain? Thank you!

[@celinaboutsoki4957]

I think she’s referring to intervals so it will be 6 intervals

[@AnthonyMcqueen1987]

I originally thought the title said sub 2hr marathon, considering only ONE human on earth has managed to accomplish this feat.

[@adamfakhzan]

4:43 I watch wrong video. This video is specifically for Eliud Kipchoge 😭😭

[@AliScotland92]

I did a 1 hour, 53 mins half marathon having never ran more than 5km. First 10km was easy, last 3 km I was running like I’d shit myself to stop my hamstrings cramping up

[@Aleksinhousut]

Please next make a video for a sub-2 hour FULL marathon! 😍 I’m pretty sure I should start training for it as soon as possible

[@DREAMSTYLE45]

Got it done after 3 weeks of training. I will say, the last mile was not fun and was spent trying to keep all of the fluids in my stomach, in my stomach. Lol

[@OmahaTonyG]

I run three half marathons all around 1:45. I would love to get down into the 1:30. Honestly I like the half marathon distance more than the full marathon distance.

[@atulwairagade1213]

My PB is 1:54hr for HM

[@atulwairagade1213]

My new PB is 1:40 now

[@fionnhenderson3832]

Did 0 training and did a 1:55 pretty happy

[@richard.featherstone]

This week I signed up for a half marathon in October. Based on my 10 and 15KM times I'm headed for 121 minutes, I intend getting that down to under 100.

[@LorenzDirry]

who else read it as sub 2 and a half hour marathon ^^'

[@darrenbexon6055]

Me! Anybody can run a sub 2 hour half marathon! 😉

[@DarkPa1adin]

@@darrenbexon6055 not without some training

[@bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling]

for a moment i thought that was a huge caterpillar on Heather's coat, until I realised it was the mic 🤣🤣

[@bariskancoglu4461]

What would the math be between the 10km to half marathon?

[@dresden_slowjog]

Google for "race predictor 10k to half marathon" this will lead you to a Runner's World Article with the Formula and a Interactive Prediction Tool for conversion between all kinds of distances

[@AliScotland92]

Multiply by 2.11 😂 it’s not rocket science

[@ricklubbers1526]

5:41km pace will net you a sub 2 hour half marathon.

[@700007123]

These paces don't tell jack shit to me so here's an easy way to convert pace to km/h. Pace "x:y per kilometer" as speed is 3600/(60*x+y) km/h

[@sinancetinkaya]

If you are running regularly, a sub 2 hour half marathon is a piece of cake.

[@agenthoini]

If only :D

[@rayc4543]

No need to run 4 or 5 times per week at all........I just ran a 1:59:54 Half by running only twice per week, One 5km and one 10km per week and I`m 65 years old.

[@DJ_TRON]

If you can't run a half marathon in 90 mins, then what's the point of running it?

[@radomirsretenovic8492]

I didn't hear anything useful.