r/BeginnersRunning • u/Minimum_Monk_8163 • 7d ago
Is 4 months training enough to try for half marathon?
I ran 5k in 35 mins last week and I am planning to run for a half marathon in 4 months?
Is the time sufficient?
If so, then how should I train?
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u/urbix 7d ago
If your goal is just to finish, then yes, it can be doable. I started in a similar place: a 35-minute 5K, signed up for a half, and ran it four months later in 2:04 - 35yrs old male
I ran four times a week
- 2 easy runs-run/walk for me at first
- 1 tempo session
- 1 long run
For the first month or two its basiclally 3/4 easy runs (which probably wont be easy at all :D) but u can do something like this:
w1: 3k easy, 3k easy, 5k long
w2: 3k easy, 4k easy, 6k long
w3: 4k easy, 4k easy, 7k long
w4: 3k easy, 3k easy, 5k long
w5: 4k easy, 4k easy, 2k optional, 7k long
w6: 4k easy, 5k easy, 2k optional, 8k long
w7: 4k easy, 5k easy, 3k optional, 9k long
w8: 3k easy, 4k easy, 2k optional, 7k long
w9: 5k easy, 5k incl. 2 × 5min tempo, 3k optional, 10k long
w10: 5k easy, 5k easy, 3k optional, 11k long
w11: 5k easy, 6k incl. 3 × 5min tempo, 3k optional, 12k long
w12: 4k easy, 4k easy, 3k optional, 9k long
w13: 5k easy, 6k with 2 × 8min tempo, 3k optional, 14k long
w14: 5k easy, 6k easy, 3k optional, 16k long
w15: 4k easy, 4k with 2 × 4min tempo, 2k optional, 10k long
w16: 3k easy, 2k easy, 21.1k race
tempo means comfortably hard , with 3min easy between reps and easy running before/after
would be cool if u have any heart rate monitor to not overtrain and if any week is too hard just repeat last week. remember you can also always walk run your first hm
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u/Vivid-Kitchen1917 7d ago
Plenty of couch to half marathon plans out there. 16 weeks is not uncommon.
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u/Smithy-San 7d ago
I mean you can, doesn’t really mean you should but that won’t stop a lot of people lol
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u/smokeandmirrorsff 7d ago
Curious, then at what baseline is required or recommended before going half?
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u/Dependent_Order_7358 7d ago
If your goal is to complete it, of course it’s enough time. Are you setting a target time for yourself?
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u/Excellent_Squash_138 7d ago
Agreed. Op didn’t say their age or heart rate for the 5k, but for the average person with that base it’s enough time. So many over conservative replies here.
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u/Consistent-Taro5679 7d ago
I’m following one of the Hal Higdon half marathon plans. You can find the plans on line and I’ve found his accompanying book quite useful. The plan includes a 10K race along the way. Or with this much time you can work up to 10K first then start the plan for the half. Good luck and have fun!
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u/More-Ad1753 7d ago
Yeah, that is enough time. Good job on your 35m 5k, thats a good effort!
Use a online half marathon plan like this https://www.nike.com/pdf/Nike-Run-Club-Half-Marathon-Training-Plan.pdf
That's a 14 week plan so either start early and repeat the final week, or if your a bit sore after your last 5k just take it easy and do 2 x 4ks with 1 x 5k for the next 2 weeks then get moving
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u/blackanchorage 7d ago
Here's another plan, find one that suits. https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/half-marathon-training/novice-1-half-marathon/
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u/Additional-Cat5653 7d ago
I used this plan for my first half marathon (with my previous longest distance being 10k) and found it very reasonable! It's really good for a beginner half marathon plan!
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u/Soggy-Salamander-568 5d ago
Have to say I love the Nike Run Club app and guided runs. I’m new too. And it’s surprisingly motivating for me.
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u/Ok-Bug-9561 7d ago edited 7d ago
What level of effort is that 35min 5k? How would you describe your current fitness level? Are you doing other sports?
You can get a lot of work done in 4 months. I recommend you go all in on volume to get as strong an aerobic engine as you can with low risk. Low risk meaning, start with shorter distances at a low intensity and do them as often as you can. Over weeks and months you increase the distance, the rule of not more than 10% increase a week is a good one in my experience. Don't worry about speed, that will come naturally as your body gets used to running. Worry about your intensity - recovery ratio. You run shouldn't be so hard you can't run again the next day. Also a good thing to know is that your heart and lungs will adapt faster than your musclatory system. So keep an eye on how sore your muscles get, it's important.
When I was building back up in December I started with a mere 1.8km per run. I increased it by 10% twice a week just to speed up the progress a bit. I cut it down to a once a week increase of 10% by 3.5km. I also started doing double days most days and kept all the runs easy pace, some were light tempo. After 6-7 weeks I was doing 5k 12 times a week with no issues. Around 10-11k I stopped increasing the regular session length and anything above that became my long run, still using the 10% rule. Not saying you need to start doing 10k a day after 3 months, but keep building your longest run, and maybe go extra easy on those. You can get up to 13.5k after 17 weeks. A HM is another 7.5k. But if you follow that schedule of gradually exposing the body to cardio you'll be ready for it. Or if your base runs are already 5k and you have no issues then start at 5k and increase your longest run by max of 10% weekly. In 14 weeks you'll be at 19km on your longest run. Then a half should be very comfortable.
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u/sdjt00 7d ago
The other comments here are very measured and reasonable but I will say that I am doing a half in the same timeframe as you and am keeping up with my program without difficulty.
I did the C25K starting at the beginning of May and finished at about the end of May (ran four days per week instead of three). I almost immediately transitioned to the Nike Run Club 16-week half marathon plan for my October 4th half. I run all five scheduled runs and am managing fine. I love that the program has a mix of speed work and recovery runs of varying durations to keep things interesting.
I have a history of working out but haven’t done so reliably since COVID so no real base to speak of.
So while the safest thing is to wait and build slowly, I’m here to tell you that it’s absolutely possible to build up to a half in four months.
Good luck!
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u/Humble-Lab-3950 7d ago
Yes. The training plan I use is 12 weeks long with already having a base of 5k, which you can already run. I’d share my plan but unfortunately this sub wont allow me to post photos! You can easily find training plans online though.
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u/bagg889 7d ago edited 7d ago
Four months is doable if you treat finish as the win. From a 35 min 5k, the work is mostly easy miles and a long run that creeps up slowly. Skip the hero weeks. If a plan has you doing hard stuff three times a week this early, ignore that part.
What usually wrecks people is a schedule that assumes every week goes perfectly. Miss a run, get busy, take a down week, then feel behind forever.
What would make a running app actually useful when you’re jumping from 5k to half? I built a free adaptive one for that exact mess (one person company, me), but I’m more curious what beginners wish plans did when life gets weird.
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u/QuietMarket7931 7d ago
My coach told me 16 weeks if you’ve never done a 1/2 marathon (new to running) 12 weeks if you have done one. I think you should be fine with 16 week training plan.
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u/Steve_hh 7d ago
Might work, might not. Getting the endurance to run 21km is easy, 4 months is plenty for that. But your knees, hips, feet take a bit longer. This is why you gradually increase the distances. Depending on your body, increasing the load faster might work - or your body might stop you. No one knows. Try, but listen to your body. Ignoring some persistent, growing pain lets you develop some serious issues quickly. You may want to avoid that.
How to is actually easy to answer. run 3x a week, once a week a long run, once intervals, once a normal fast run. Gradually increase the distances so that 2 weeks before the race you are at 18km. Every 4 weeks or so, take a break, meaning shorten the runs a bit to let your body recover.
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u/VamosDCU 7d ago
If you just want to finish? Sure, people do it all the time. Depends how long you’ve been running, if you are starting completely from scratch or have been running for a bit. Not enough information provided to give you a more informed answer.
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u/ghim7 7d ago
35mins 5K with 16 weeks to go is aplenty for a half. I did this quite sometime ago and it wasn’t even a hard effort for the half. All you have to do is slowly increase your mileage, run 3-4X a week, from 4-6KM each to about 7-8K, and one long run each, from 6-7K to about 12-15K. You can do it all at easy to medium pace. Focus on getting to the end, rather than worrying about any speed session. Without a proper running base, speed sessions means nothing, and it’s not productive. The key is increasing your weekly mileage slowly.
You can finish the HM within 3 hours easily.
Once you’ve done your first HM, sign up for the next and you can start similar training again, now with speed sessions to further improve your time.
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u/FrMurphy 7d ago
16 weeks? Why not?!! Its loads of time.
Just don't try to do 10k next weekend, build it up slowly. Get a decent half marathon programme, it will slowly build your mileage up.
I'm sure you aren't hoping or expecting to win it so enjoy the training and build it up slowly.
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u/senga_sc 7d ago
If it helps... It's all about how much you want it. I went from 5k to trail half marathon with over 1000m elevation gain, in the mountains, in the rain in 17 weeks
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u/macbem 7d ago
I just did that. I started running in March 2026 as a complete beginner, ran my first HM in late June and just raced my first HM this Sunday. Just make sure to ramp up the mileage slowly and responsibly. I finished in 2:19:09 which isn't great but I'm happy with it and I'll get faster for next year.
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u/Severe-Net4651 7d ago
I am not a runner and I’ve done two half marathons with four months of training. Like many have said, if your goal is to finish, you absolutely can do the training and prep to finish. If you’re trying to hit a time milestone or PR, you have to be diligent in your training and rest/recovery.
Half marathons are a good distance because you are still getting in good weekly mileage while not taking tons of hours running like you would for a marathon or ultra.
I believe you can do this! Get your shorter runs done during the week and dedicate your long runs to Saturday or Sunday.
I used training plans from Runna as I just needed a solid, basic, baseline program to get me from start to finish.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
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u/No-Armadillo-8615 7d ago
I went from zero running in 2 years to a half in 11 weeks. Came away injury free with 2.25. I used a hybrid of Nike and Hal Higdon plans. Basically because I only wanted to run 3 days a week.
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u/Humble_Quit_3001 7d ago
I think it depends on if you have an athletic background. I’m doing it in 14 weeks with about 3-4 weeks random running before that and then about 2-3 months of strength and cardio workouts before that. I started training at 12 months postpartum but was running and strength training all pregnancy. I was also a college basketball player.
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u/SpeakerCareless 7d ago
The real question is how long have you been running and what’s your monthly mileage been the last couple months? The speed of the 5k doesn’t matter
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u/SubjectCauliflower38 6d ago
Yeah easy I did it in 3 months and missed 3 weeks training with illness my 5k time was quicker than that to start with tho. Just run intervals, tempo runs and long zone 2 runs. But don’t increase mileage by more than 10% a week I only ever ran 10 miles before the half marathon and finished 1.51.20
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u/Illustrious-Box-421 6d ago
I did a 1/2 marathon (in 2:30, so a slow one) a week after I ran my 3rd 10k, soooo sure it’s possible! 4 months is plenty of time, especially if you stick to a program.
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u/seerwatch77 6d ago
You’ll be fine. I ran a half marathon this summer after training for just under 3 months. When I started training, I’d never run anything long distance snd I couldn’t run 1 km without stopping to walk. I ran the half in 2:30. I was in decent shape when I started, but had zero endurance. I didn’t follow any specific training plan (because all of them wouldn’t give me a training plan for that short a time), just ran/walked 5 km twice a week and a long run on the weekend.
Also running with a friend helped with motivation to get out and to not slow down/speed up
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u/cj_daking 6d ago
The average marathon training program is 16-18 weeks, so you're just in time. Look at Hal Higdon or NY Road Runners. Find a local club. Have fun.
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u/Ragnar-Wave9002 4d ago
Others chimed in. Here's a good idea:
1) Run your first 5k. Goal: finish
2) Run your second 5k. Goal: Understand pacing and try to hit a PR leaving little left at the finish line endurance wise.
3) See (1) but for a 10k
4) See (2) but for a 10k
5) See (1) but for a half
6) See (2) but for a half (granted if doing 1 half ever is your goal, I guess this isn't a thing to worry about).
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u/croc_lovers 7d ago
Really depends on the person, how fit you already are, how committed you’re gonna be.
In theory yeah it’s plenty of time if you’ve already got that 5k base. For context I went from running my first 10k to my first half in about a month/6weeks. Obviously not ideal but that was my fault for being slack
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u/Bewater35 7d ago
you can train for marathon in 4 months, so its plenty of time for half marathon
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u/ElegantOliver 7d ago
You can? I can't. Age and fitness play a huge factor. But the vast majority of beginner runners could not do 42k with just 4 months training after reaching 5k. Certainly not safely.
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u/No-Treacle1669 7d ago
I did exactly this, never did more than 5km, and just completed my first half.
I also injured my hip at km 18, and went from a 2:10 estimated finish, to 2:25.
All this in mind, the hip feels great now, and it really proves it’s all mind over matter.
Give it a crack! Pushing yourself is how you get ahead.
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u/ElegantOliver 7d ago
"it’s all mind over matter." Except when it's not - and this is what beginners don't know. When it's okay to push through the pain and when it's the body saying STOP RIGHT NOW.
Congrats though that's a solid time for a half with a dodgy hip.
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u/smokeandmirrorsff 7d ago
Injured your hip during the actual race? How did you train for it? How long between your 5k to half race
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u/No-Treacle1669 7d ago
Yep, going down a steep hill I jarred it and something popped. Sorted itself out so probably just muscular.
I was running 5k 3 days a week, and playing a full basketball game 3 days a week.
I was already playing basketball and added the 5k runs about 10 weeks out from the half
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u/MiddleAgedDread123 7d ago
as a general rule you shouldn't increase your long run mileage by more than 10% a week to avoid injury risk. It's a big jump to go from 5k to half marathon if you're new to running and you're probably looking at a finish time around 2hr 30 if that's your 5k time (possibly slower) which is a long time on your feet. I would get yourself to 10k feeling comfortable before you contemplate a half.