Goal time · Half Marathon
A 1:50:00 half marathon works out to 8:23 per mile, or 5:13 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 | 8:29 | 8:29 |
| 2 | 8:28 | 16:57 |
| 3 | 8:27 | 25:24 |
| 4 | 8:26 | 33:51 |
| 5 | 8:25 | 42:16 |
| 6 | 8:24 | 50:40 |
| Halfway (6.6) | 8:24 | 55:20 |
| 7 | 8:23 | 59:04 |
| 8 | 8:23 | 1:07:26 |
| 9 | 8:22 | 1:15:48 |
| 10 | 8:21 | 1:24:09 |
| 11 | 8:20 | 1:32:29 |
| 12 | 8:19 | 1:40:48 |
| 13 | 8:18 | 1:49:06 |
| Finish (13.1) | 8:17 | 1:50:00 |
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 1:50:00 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 this plan toward a second half that ticks along slightly faster than the first. Treat the halfway marker as your primary read on where you stand before committing to anything faster.
Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas treat a 3:47:50 marathon as the same performance as a 1:50 half marathon, so a recent full marathon gives you a concrete cross-distance reference point for judging whether this goal fits your current fitness.
The RRCA pace chart developed by Amby Burfoot is direct: "don't begin with a future goal time." Basing paces on what you've actually raced keeps the plan grounded in where your fitness is now.
USATF certification measures courses along the "Shortest Possible Route," so official distance is a minimum. Pobiruchin et al. (2017) in JMIR mHealth and uHealth found GPS sport watches averaged 21.18 km on the half against the official 21.0975 km, 83 meters extra. If a watch logged that much extra distance here, it could show a slightly faster average than 8:23 while you are exactly on goal, by around 26 seconds over the race.
Daniels and Gilbert's VDOT formulas treat a 49:37 10K as equivalent to a 1:50 half marathon. Knowing that mark lets you weigh your current 10K fitness against what the half marathon distance actually demands at this pace.
