Getting ready to run a half marathon? Then you need to wrap your head around half marathon pace charts.
How come?
One of the most pressing questions in choosing a half marathon goal is the finish time.
Here’s the full guide to how long is a marathon.
The Importance of Running Charts
Before I get into the half marathon pace chart weeds, let’s explain why they’re important.
Finding your race pace (and sticking to it come race day) is crucial to your training progress and racing success.
Pace charts are useful for both beginner runners and elite runners. Whether preparing for your first half marathon, trying to PR, or going on a long run, knowing your pace can help you run and race better. What’s not to like.
A pace chart will help you know how fast your pace should be if you have a specific finish time for the half marathon. For instance, find out what pace you need to keep to run a 1:45 half marathon.
It also allows you to determine your running pace for your training runs. For example, find out how fast your pace should be for a 10-mile long run, which is often run one to two minutes slower than your goal HM pace.
What’s more?
A chart pace is a great visual way to help you understand how a little change in pace can drastically impact your half marathon finish time. For example, 15 seconds could mean the difference between running a sub-1:40 race and running just over it.
Additional Source – Check this treadmill pace chart
The Importance of Finding Rhythm
Overall, sticking to an even steady pace from the start line to the finish is a fantastic way to run your best HM and achieve a personal best.
When it comes to a half marathon, kicking the race faster than your goal pace will likely lead to falling off in the later miles, and you don’t want that.
So, as a rule, determine your goal of peace and start then. Then, feel free to speed it up by mile 10 or 11—but only if you’re feeling strong.
Additional Resource – Here’s your guide to the Yasso 800 Workout
Presenting The Chart
The chart will list average paces per mile or kilometer, which helps provide you with the correlated finish time.
My half marathon pace chart list what finish time a given pace will produce. This is helpful since it lets you know what pace you’ll need to average for a goal time.
The following chart provides paces in average mile time. First, find your goal finish time. Next, see that goal per mile pace.
The chart below will translate your HM goal finish time into your per-mile or per-kilometer pace. It also shows the halfway split and the split for every 3 miles.
For example, if you’re targeting a 1.30 half marathon, you can easily see that you’ll need to run 4:15 per kilometer or faster to achieve that time.
Knowing that pace beforehand allows you to plan your training program accordingly to reach your goal. Seeking a finish time outside that range or an exact finish time between those 30-second jumps? Then try this pace calculator.
What’s more?
Keep in mind that my half marathon pace chart isn’t considering any specific type of race course, whether it’s hilly, snowy, hot, or has lots of turns.
For example, if you want to run a half marathon in 1 hour 30 minutes, you’ll see that 6:52 minutes per mile or 4:16 minutes per kilometer is what you need to come in at just under your goal time.
Additional resources:
- How to nail your sub 4 hour marathon pace
- Here’s your guide to obstacle race course training.
- Here’s your guide to beginner running pace
- Your guide to pacing strategies for different races
- Your guide to running pace charts
- Here’s how to avoid slowing down during a race
- How to prepare for your best running race
- How long is a half marathon
- Here’s how to prevent a DNF in a race
- How to warm up for a race