How To Run A Faster Half Marathon

Key wellness, self-care, and productivity strategies (running-focused)

• Increase weekly mileage—but emphasize “quality” mileage

  • Don’t just rack up easy miles; include runs at a faster-than-easy pace.
  • Find a “middle” pace that’s:
    • Faster than easy conversational
    • Slower than very fast/near race pace
  • Rationale
    • Running only very easy can become monotonous, feel counterproductive, and can lead to more injury niggles.
    • Running everything too fast can be too stressful and lead to burnout.

• Use a “steady pace vs easy pace” alternation (reduce monotony and manage stress)

  • If running once per day: alternate days
    • Day 1: steady pace
    • Day 2: easy pace
  • If running twice per day: alternate within the day
    • Morning: steady pace
    • Evening: easy pace
  • Goal: keep training enjoyable and support recovery while still getting the “fast feel” from steady efforts.

• Limit race-pace work in training

  • Avoid running race pace too often, because it increases stress and can cause burnout.
  • Rely more on steady + easy work for fitness and consistency.
  • He believes race pace matters, but it shouldn’t dominate training.
  • Use hills for speed/effort work that feels harder while potentially being easier on the body than constant race-pace sessions.

• Train broadly for overall fitness (avoid rigid race-specific blocks)

  • He didn’t follow strict “half marathon block / marathon block” structures.
  • Train continuously so you’re ready for multiple distances (10K, half, marathon, etc.).
  • Cross-train when needed:
    • If getting injury niggles, replace a run with an indoor bike to rest legs while maintaining movement.
  • Emphasis: build fitness so you can show up and perform without forcing a specific template.

• Prioritize enjoyment to drive relentless consistency

  • The main performance lever is relentless consistency.
  • Strategy to sustain consistency:
    • Focus on the process (enjoy each run) more than the outcome (the big race goal).
    • Run whatever pace feels right as long as you get the mileage and show up consistently.
  • Key link: enjoyment → more running → better consistency → faster results

Presenters / sources

• Patrick Martin (video presenter)