Half Marathon Training Plan Guide
A half marathon is a 21.1km challenge that's neither too difficult nor too easy, providing a fulfilling sense of accomplishment. RunBox AI coach creates a customized 12-16 week half marathon training plan to help you safely achieve this goal.
Why Choose an AI-Customized Half Marathon Training Plan?
- Progressive Training: Gradually building from basic endurance
- Personalized Pacing: Based on your target finish time
- Injury Prevention: Scientific intensity distribution
- Flexible Adjustments: Real-time optimization based on progress
why do you run marathons? this is my answer
Text by Shen Wuzei, Photos by HuiPao Event Photography Team
Thanks to Brother Nan, Douya Cao (Teacher Zhu), A-Dai, Jiang Xiaobo
and the other two members of the 'Lucky Trio' photography group who quietly took photos.
"Life has become so rushed. When did it get this way? It seems so hard to just sit quietly, daydream, and listen to friends talk. This time, I want to slow down and enjoy the moments longer."
On the evening of November 3, 2019, at 8 PM, I had just returned home to Hangzhou from Wuxi. I opened my computer and closed my eyes.The first thing that came to mind were three sentences.
These were said by my buddy Shi Jun when we were running the 9th kilometer on the Lihu course.
"Yuantouzhu in Wuxi is so beautiful. It's been a long time since I've seen such a lovely view."
"Brother Jun, you've had it tough these past years."
At the finish line, while leaning on the rail and waiting for other pacers to arrive, a staff member said,
"Wuzei, we thought you'd be running around West Lake in Hangzhou. Why did you come to Lihu?"
"This batch of pacers is good-looking and fun, so I was drawn here."
After the race, our group of 27 people was eating hotpot and drinking. When we left the restaurant, the manager ran out and nervously asked,
"Handsome guy, can I ask why you run marathons?"
In every race, I find it hard to remember the whole story. What sticks with me are those snippets of conversations and images.
If passion is something you can't hide, let me share some bits of my story from the Lihu Half Marathon.
"I hope my life is filled with things I love, and I hope to put a big, full stop at the end of each passion."
Every time I serve as a pacer, people ask me the same question:"What's the most important thing about being a pacer?"
Skill? Looks? Popularity?
These are all important, but not the most important. Deep down, the most important thing is responsibility.
Why? Because on the course, every pacer will inevitably be asked, "Is your pacing steady? You're not like the rogue bunny, right?"
Some pacers take this as an insult, but I see it as trust. A stranger is about to entrust their entire race to you.
This makes me proud, anxious, and very cautious, afraid to make mistakes.
I think this is what responsibility is.
Lihu Half Marathon Pacing Group 145: Brother Xi, Shen Wuzei, Shi Jun (leader), Uncle Tuoni
Brother Jun is our group leader for the Lihu Half Marathon 145. He was once an ASICS four-star Pacer. Two weeks ago, during the Xi'an Marathon, he failed his task due to a sudden health issue on the course.
According to ASICS rules, all four stars reset to zero. But what moved me was that we often hear about smooth success stories, rarely about failures shared to warn and remind others.
Brother Jun did this, and I think it was out of responsibility.
"Yuantouzhu in Wuxi is so beautiful. It's been a long time since I've seen such a lovely view."
At the 9th kilometer, Brother Jun suddenly looked at the scenery and said.
"Haha, Brother Jun, you've had it tough these years, always running with your head down, checking your watch."
Brother Xi followed up on Brother Jun's comment.
Being a marathon pacer is never a solo job; it's often a team effort. When running together, what's most important?
The atmosphere is most important. Besides responsibility, being a good sidekick is also essential.
After the mistake in Xi'an, Brother Jun became more cautious with the Lihu pacers. He didn't respond to my comment but turned to the runners and said,
"Friends, we've run 12 kilometers. There are 9 kilometers left. Pay attention to your breathing rhythm and monitor your heart rate and physical condition."
Shi Jun's sense of responsibility is that he has experienced discomfort on the course and hopes to remind you to stay safe and healthy.
"Wuzei, I'm really worried."
"Worried I won't run well and embarrass HuiPao. Because of organizing the mountain trail race, I haven't had time to train. Last week, I ran in Nantong for 4 hours and was exhausted. What if I can't complete the task?"
"Don't worry. Worrying is useless."
"Wuzei, we've reached 8 kilometers. We ran it in 39 minutes and 40 seconds, 9 seconds faster than the standard time."
"Brother Xi, keep it up."
"Got it, old squad leader."
Brother Xi, a former soldier, is rigorous and enthusiastic as a pacer, encouraging fellow runners in 'China Veterans' gear and checking the total time at each kilometer marker.
"Don't worry. Worrying is useless." This was my unthinking reply when Brother Xi said he was worried about completing the task before the race.
I originally wanted to say, "Don't worry, we're here." But since it was Brother Xi, I couldn't help but say, "Don't worry. Worrying is useless."
Neither is useful; both are redundant.
Brother Xi's sense of responsibility is to complete the task perfectly because he values not betraying others' trust. This is his most beautiful persistence while running.
"I'm Tuoni, from Ningguo."
Every time Tuoni introduces himself, he never forgets to mention Ningguo. Because of knowing Tuoni, we learned more about Ningguo's stories. When Tuoni was fully committed to marathon training, Ningguo faced a disaster.
Tuoni said, what training? What's more important than helping your hometown?
On those weekends, while others' social media showed personal bests and beautiful sceneries from all over the country, Tuoni's showed him carrying supplies and transporting materials.
"Brother Jun, you continue pacing. We'll get supplies for the runners at the aid station."
"Who needs supplies? Water or sports drinks?"
Lihu Half Marathon, aid stations every 2 kilometers after the 5-kilometer mark.
Tuoni was like an energetic cruiser.
Approaching the aid station, he would leave first, grab 4-5 cups of supplies, return to the pacing team, and distribute them to the runners.
Over and over, until the finish line.
Tuoni's sense of responsibility is,choosing to do something for others when he can.Helping others also helps himself.
Our 145 group's report card
"Wuzei, let me interview you. What do you think is the most important thing about being a pacer?"
I think responsibility means letting others know their efforts are worthwhile.
2
"It's great to have people who can maintain a happy mood when you meet them."
"Wuzei, we thought you'd be running around West Lake in Hangzhou. Why did you come to Lihu?"
"For the people and stories I care about."
"Aren't there any in Beijing and Hangzhou?"
"What will you say if you go to Beijing and Hangzhou later?"
On November 3, there were marathons in Beijing and Hangzhou. Why choose Lihu?
To be honest, on the night of November 2, seeing my friends posting their flight tickets to Beijing,
for a moment, I even thought about buying a ticket to fly to Beijing overnight.
For their hotpot gatherings, for their talks about tripe, for their mentions of Gui Street crayfish, for the autumn described by Lao She, the most beautiful season in Beijing.
Why didn't I go? Because the best passion is sharing. Having participated in HuiPao events, I can't help but share them with my friends after each event.
"If Lihu recruits marathon pacers, are you interested?"
"Emmmm, Wuzei, are you going?"
"I'm going. Are you coming?"
Sharing often turns into weekend gatherings with friends. You can't keep inviting people and then change the organizer. That wouldn't be right.
But I never expected how grateful I would be for my choice.
On November 3, I didn't see the most beautiful autumn described by Lao She, but I saw the most beautiful pacers at Lihu.
That day, I posted more updates than I had in the entire month.
So many that I knew, "These five posts aren't just any posts; they might make many people mute me."
But I couldn't help it. If being a pacer requires empathy,
then, seeing these pictures, wouldn't you also want to share them?
If your teammates and classmates looked like the ones in the following pictures,
you might also feel compelled to post on social media.
Among the 9 pictures above, there are 2000-3000 more. If any of your friends were pacers at this Lihu Half Marathon,
you might have seen some of these photos.
The urge to share isn't just about the photos. It's also about the stories behind the 2000-3000 photos, about the places and times.
This time, the photos were taken inside Yuantouzhu Scenic Area.
Wuxi might be the city where I've run the most marathons. My familiarity with this course is second only to the scenery in Hangzhou.
On the way to Wuxi on Saturday, photographer Brother Nan called.
"Wuzei, we've coordinated with Yuantouzhu Scenic Area. We can go in and take better photos of our pacers. We want to capture something different."
In the eyes of HuiPao event photographers, the fun lies in capturing better views and taking people to shoot different sceneries.
Thanks to Yuantouzhu Scenic Area and Brother Nan.
We started taking photos at 1:30 PM, took a group photo, and had edited photos ready by 2 PM.
We finished shooting at 6 PM. During dinner, some pacers had their edited photos ready.
By 8 PM, the team leader had organized everyone to help inflate balloons. Almost all pacers had completed two rounds of nine-grid photo posts.
The photographers found every spare moment to sit and edit photos.
At 12:39 AM, Brother Zhu finished editing all the photos and shared them with all the pacers.
HuiPao's culture is "gathering the power of runners."
At 12:39 AM, I was awakened by Brother Xi's light snoring and thought, "This must be the power we're gathering."
The power is A-Dai, a small-framed person, climbing high and low with a camera to capture every detail.
The power is Brother Zhu, who seems to have endless energy, either taking photos or editing them, or uploading them.In the rare moments of rest, he would say,"Everyone, can you find your photos?"
Thanks to the diligent Lihu photographers, Teacher Zhu.
Thanks to A-Dai, the best-shaped female photographer in my running circle.
HuiPao's culture is "gathering the power of runners."
What are we gathering? What is the power?
3
"I hope my life is filled with things I love, and I hope to put a big, full stop at the end of each passion."
Finally finished writing this article.
While writing this article and participating in each HuiPao event, a question always comes to mind.
The question is, "Can the HuiPao model be replicated?"
In an age where copying and pasting is so convenient, replicating HuiPao's process seems not too difficult. But with more participation in HuiPao events, I think I have an answer.
The answer is, it's hard to replicate.
Even if you replicate it, you might not have a place to paste it, because you probably don't have the space to store such a large amount of details.
The TNF100 series race director often says "our participants" when talking about race details.
HuiPao event photographers always say, "Let's do another set, one more time, thank you to our models."
HuiPao event media coordinators are almost always available 24/7 to connect with every media outlet willing to speak for the event.
Every volunteer handing out water on the roadside has invisible wings.
The night before the Lihu race, the boss said, "I might not be able to sleep again tonight."
Then, the technical lead Xiao Nan said,
"Haha, he's old and forgetful, left his clothes in the office."
"HuiPao events, gathering the power of runners."
"Thank you for being here."
"Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Lihu event on November 3."
All images in the text are copyrighted by the original authors. If there is any infringement or copyright concerns, please contact me privately. I will handle it promptly. Thank you for your understanding.
Start Your Half Marathon Training
RunBox provides half marathon runners with:
- Personalized 12-16 week training plans
- Weekly detailed training schedules
- Nutrition and recovery guidance
- Pre-race strategy planning
Download RunBox and let our AI coach help you achieve your half marathon goal!
