Half Marathon Sub-1:45 Training Plan: How to Run a Half Marathon Under 1:45

The Half Marathon Sub-1:45 plan is a 12-week advanced program designed by Ilya Tyapkin, a professional runner and Rio 2016 Olympic marathon representative.

As the plan states: “The plan mixes various types of running to prepare you step by step: easy runs to build endurance, intervals to enhance speed, tempo runs to practice sustained effort, and long runs to develop stamina. The training gradually increases in difficulty, adds race-pace practice, and then tapers in the final weeks.”

Who This Plan Is For

This plan is designed for advanced runners who are already comfortable with regular structured training and meaningful weekly mileage. You are ready for it if your current half-marathon time is between 1:45 and 1:55, you are running 40 to 50 kilometers per week consistently, and you have experience with interval training and tempo runs.

If your current half-marathon time is above 1:55 or you are new to structured half-marathon training, a sub-2:00 plan is the more appropriate starting point. This plan reaches weekly volumes of 64 kilometers at peak and includes 1km interval sessions and long tempo runs of up to 10 kilometers that require a well-established aerobic base to handle safely.

What Makes This Plan Different

The jump to sub-1:45 is not simply about running more kilometers. At this target, you are sustaining 4:59 per kilometer for the full half-marathon distance, a pace that will feel controlled in the first 8 kilometers and genuinely demanding from kilometer 14 onward. Generic easy running stops producing results at this level. The plan’s architecture is built around three specific adaptations: developing the speed to run well above race pace in intervals, building the lactate threshold to sustain near-race effort over long tempo runs, and training the aerobic durability to hold form and pace across a 20-kilometer long run.

The critical insight built into this plan is that sub-1:45 is primarily an endurance-at-pace problem. Most runners at this level can run 4:59 per kilometer for 5 kilometers without difficulty. The challenge is doing it for 42 consecutive kilometers more. The tempo runs in weeks 5 through 10, extending from 5 km up to 10 km at 5:15–5:30 per kilometer, and the race-pace 10 km run in Week 10 directly addresses this. As Ilya notes for Week 7: “This is one of the hardest weeks. You’ll run longer intervals, a 10 km tempo, and an 18 km long run. These workouts build confidence and stamina. Trust yourself — every step is preparing you for race day.”

Plan Structure: 12 Weeks, 5 Phases

Week 1 — Adapt: Four easy runs build rhythm and the habit of consistent training. No quality work. Focus on movement and finishing each run feeling strong.

Weeks 2–3 — Base: Strides are introduced mid-week to build leg speed without fatigue. An active run on Sunday introduces an effort level between easy and tempo pace for the first time.

Week 4 — Build: Short 200m intervals arrive for the first time. A steady active run on Sunday builds speed and endurance together.

Weeks 5–6 — Build: Intervals grow to 500m repeats. Tempo runs are introduced on Fridays and extend from 5 km to 8 km. Long runs grow alongside.

Week 7 — Build: 1km intervals and a 10 km tempo make this the hardest week of the Build phase. The long run reaches its first major distance.

Week 8 — Recovery: Easy running only. A deliberate reset before the most race-specific training block.

Weeks 9–10 — Sharpen / Peak: 1km intervals sharpen with shorter recoveries. Tempo runs tighten toward race pace. Friday of Week 10 is a dedicated 10 km run at exact race pace.

Week 11 — Taper: Volume drops significantly. Easy running only with no quality sessions.

Week 12 — Race Week: Short easy runs Monday and Friday, light strides Saturday, race day Sunday.

Sample Training Week

Week 10 is the most representative and demanding in this plan. It is the peak training week and the one that most directly replicates race demands.

Day	Session	Load
Monday	Rest	—
Tuesday	3 km WU + RD / Intervals: 8×1km with 500m jog recovery at 4:00–4:10/km / 3 km CD	High
Wednesday	10 km easy run (low heart rate)	Medium
Thursday	Rest	—
Friday	3 km WU + RD / 10 km at race pace 4:59/km / 3 km CD	High
Saturday	Rest	—
Sunday	20 km easy run	High

Total volume this week: approximately 64 kilometers, including 8 km of 1km intervals, 10 km at race pace, and a 20 km long run.

The 8×1km session at 4:00 to 4:10 per kilometer is the most demanding interval session in the entire 12-week plan. These repetitions are run significantly faster than goal race pace over a distance that meaningfully challenges lactate clearance. Completing eight of them with controlled recoveries, then following up with a 10 km race-pace run later in the week, demonstrates the fitness reserve required to hold 4:59 per kilometer for 21.1 kilometers on race day.

Pace Guide

Session Type	Pace (min/km)	Pace (min/mile)
Easy / Low HR Run	5:20–5:55	8:35–9:30
Intervals	4:30–4:45	7:15–7:37
Tempo	5:15–5:30	8:25–8:50
Race Pace (Goal)	4:59	8:00

One notable feature of this pace chart is that the interval pace range of 4:30 to 4:45 per kilometer is significantly faster than the goal race pace of 4:59. This is intentional. Training at paces well above race pace builds the speed reserve that makes 4:59 feel controlled and manageable on race day. The tempo runs at 5:15 to 5:30 per kilometer, a different quality, the ability to sustain a hard effort over a long duration, which is the central challenge of the half-marathon.

The Long Run Progression

The long run is the most important single session in a half-marathon training plan, and its progression in this plan is deliberate and carefully managed. Long runs grow from 60 minutes of easy running in Week 1 to a 20 km run in Week 10 the longest and final long run before the taper.

The key transition comes in Week 6, when the long run extends to 15–18 km for the first time. At this distance, you begin to encounter the aerobic and muscular demands that the back half of a half-marathon will present. The 18 km long runs in Weeks 7 and 9 consolidate this adaptation. And the 20 km long run in Week 10, three weeks before race day, ensures you arrive at the start line having already covered close to the full race distance in training.

All long runs in this plan are run at an easy, low heart rate pace. This is not junk mileage. Running long at a controlled effort builds mitochondrial density, fat oxidation capacity, and muscular endurance, all of which determine how well you hold pace in the final 5 kilometers of a half-marathon.

As Ilya notes for Week 8: “Recovery weeks are what make the harder weeks possible.” The same logic applies to easy long runs they are the foundation on which the quality sessions are built.

Core Strength in a Half-Marathon Plan

Unlike the 10K plans, this plan does not include dedicated core sessions on the schedule. At half-marathon distances, however, the case for supplementary strength work is even stronger. A 1:45 half-marathon takes approximately 105 minutes of continuous running. The postural demands over that duration are significantly greater than in a 38 or 45-minute 10K.

Runners targeting sub-1:45 are strongly encouraged to add 10 to 15 minutes of core work, abs, back, and hip strength after easy runs two to three times per week, particularly during the Build and Sharpen phases. Strong core muscles maintain upright posture and efficient hip extension in the final 5 kilometers, where fatigue is highest, and form breakdown is most costly. Runners who neglect this consistently report that their pace deteriorates in the last 20 minutes of the race, not from lack of aerobic fitness, but from muscular fatigue in the torso and hips.

Race Day Execution

Ilya’s Week 12 coach note contains the clearest race day instruction in the plan: “Start steady, hold your rhythm, and believe in your training.”

For sub-1:45, this means running the first 5 kilometers at 5:02 to 5:05 per kilometer three to six seconds per kilometer slower than goal pace. At the start line, surrounded by other runners and with fresh legs, this will feel frustratingly slow. It is correct. The restraint in the first third of the race preserves glycogen and delays the onset of meaningful fatigue, leaving you with genuine physical and mental resources for the second half.

From kilometer 5 to kilometer 15, settle into the exact goal pace of 4:59 per kilometer. This should feel controlled and sustainable. If it feels easy, hold back. If it feels difficult, ease off slightly rather than forcing it; there is still 6 km to race.

From kilometer 15 onward, the race begins. Increase effort, not pace, and let pace be the result. If you have run the first 15 km correctly, the final 6 will feel hard but manageable. A 52:30 first half and a 52:29 second half is a near-perfect sub-1:45 execution.

What You Need Before You Start

GPS Watch

The 1km interval sessions and the 10 km race-pace run in Week 10 require precise pace awareness across sessions lasting 4 to 60 minutes. A GPS watch with real-time pace display, lap splits, and interval programming is essential for executing these sessions correctly. Without accurate pace feedback, it is very easy to run the race-pace sessions too fast in the first half and lose the session in the second.

For runners who want the most complete picture, including race predictor functions, suggested daily workouts, and training readiness scores, the Garmin provides those tools at the volume and intensity level this plan targets. Best GPS Watches For Running

Running Shoes

Weekly volumes reach 64 kilometers in peak weeks with long runs extending to 20 kilometers. Two shoes are worth having for this plan. A well-cushioned daily trainer handles the easy runs, long runs, and midweek mileage that make up the majority of your weekly kilometers. A lighter, more responsive training shoe or racing shoe is worth reserving for Tuesday interval sessions, Friday tempo and race-pace sessions, and race day itself. Best Running Shoes

Recovery and Nutrition

At 45 to 64 kilometers per week across 12 weeks, cumulative fatigue is the primary risk to consistent training. Three tools make a measurable difference at this volume.

A foam roller used after Tuesday intervals and Friday tempo sessions reduces next-session stiffness. Magnesium supplementation before sleep supports muscle recovery during the demanding Build and Peak weeks. For long runs of 75 minutes or more, which apply from Week 6 onward, carbohydrate intake during the run becomes important: 30 to 60 grams per hour helps prevent the energy depletion that compromises long-run quality and subsequent training days. Best Electrolytes For Runners / Best Massage Guns

How to Get the Full Plan

This article explains the structure, methodology, and key training sessions of the Half Marathon Sub-1:45 plan. The complete 12-week schedule, including every session across all 12 weeks, full warm-up and cool-down routines, running drill guidance, all pace charts, and Ilya’s coach notes for each week, is available as a downloadable PDF.

About the Coach

This plan was created by Ilya Tyapkin, a professional marathon runner who represented his country at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Ilya coaches runners of all levels through structured training programs built on the same principles used in elite distance running. All training plans on esenbay.com are designed and reviewed by Ilya directly.

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