Goal time · Half Marathon
A 1:40:00 half marathon works out to 7:38 per mile, or 4:44 per kilometer. Below are the mile splits for a slightly faster second half, the halfway time to aim for, and the training paces that go with this goal.
The numbers
This plan starts about 1% slower than goal pace and finishes about 1% faster, so the second half is slightly quicker than the first. The elapsed column is what your watch should read as you pass each marker.
| Mile | Pace for That Mile | Elapsed Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:43 | 7:43 |
| 2 | 7:42 | 15:25 |
| 3 | 7:41 | 23:06 |
| 4 | 7:40 | 30:46 |
| 5 | 7:39 | 38:25 |
| 6 | 7:39 | 46:04 |
| Halfway (6.6) | 7:38 | 50:18 |
| 7 | 7:38 | 53:42 |
| 8 | 7:37 | 1:01:19 |
| 9 | 7:36 | 1:08:55 |
| 10 | 7:35 | 1:16:30 |
| 11 | 7:34 | 1:24:04 |
| 12 | 7:34 | 1:31:38 |
| 13 | 7:33 | 1:39:11 |
| Finish (13.1) | 7:32 | 1:40:00 |
Measured against the latest published results of 1,366 half marathons on RunSesh.
One edition per race, from RunSignup races with published results. Fields include walkers and charity entrants, so this describes these races, not every runner in the country.
These are the paces for a runner who can already race a 1:40:00 half marathon, worked out with Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas, the method behind the training tables in Daniels' Running Formula. If your most recent race is slower, train at the paces on the page for that time.
Most of your weekly miles, including the long run.
Steady longer runs at the pace this fitness would hold for a marathon.
A steady run of about 20 minutes, or longer repeats with short rests.
Repeats of 3 to 5 minutes, with easy jogs between.
McMillan Running calls negative splits its "preferred road-race strategy because it rewards patience and resists fading late, and the longer the race the bigger the payoff." That preference shapes a 1:40 plan toward a second half that runs slightly faster than the first. Use the halfway marker as your key checkpoint: if you arrive there feeling controlled, you have the room to lift your effort for the second half.
Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas treat a 3:27:47 marathon as the same performance level as a 1:40 half marathon, so a recent full marathon time gives you a cross-distance reference point for judging whether this goal fits your current fitness.
The RRCA pace chart developed by Amby Burfoot is clear on where to start: "don't begin with a future goal time." Base your training paces on what you've actually raced, not on the finish time you're aiming for.
Pobiruchin et al. (2017) found GPS sport watches averaged 21.18 km on the half marathon versus the official 21.0975 km, 83 meters extra. At this goal's pace that amounts to about 24 seconds over the race, roughly 1.8 seconds per mile. USATF certifies courses along the Shortest Possible Route, so if your watch logs that much extra, its average pace could read a little faster than 7:38 while you are exactly on goal.
Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas treat a 45:07 10K as an equivalent performance to a 1:40 half marathon. Knowing that mark lets you look at your most recent 10K result and see how far your current fitness sits from the level this half marathon goal requires.
