The quest for a sub 2 hour half marathon started for me, after my very first race in 2002. As I crossed that finish line, staring down to stop my watch, rather than up at the cameras I remember thinking “holy hell that was hard…I can do better.”
I’m not sure I would encourage most people to select a half marathon for their very first race, but it worked for me. I was able to push myself, without hitting the vomit threshold which I find more common in the 5K and the “oh it’s over” of the 10K.
As a running coach for over a decade, I’ve seen many runners set the sub-two half marathon as their big goal. It’s such a great goal and one that many are going to be able to hit!
From helping thousands of runners, these are the tips that will help you figure out what needs to change for you to make this goal a reality.
14 Keys to Run a Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon
If this is your first half marathon, it’s super exciting that you’re setting your sights on sub 2-hour half marathon, but I want to be clear that just FINISHING is the win for your first. You’ll be learning so many things as you increase weekly mileage and simply follow a training plan for 12-16 weeks.
After pacing my friend Amy in the 13.1 Chicago and hearing from so many more of you that a 2 hour half…
