Sub-1:40 Half Marathon — Training Paces and Fitness Profile
Sub-1:40 half marathon is meaningful competitive fitness — a level that requires structured training beyond easy running. Runners here have developed real threshold stamina and aerobic capacity.
Quick answer: To break Sub-1:40:00 in the Half Marathon (RPI 45.1), your training paces are: easy 9:03/mi, threshold 7:14/mi, interval 6:20/mi. Equivalent fitness: Marathon 3:27:51, 10K 45:08.
Training paces for Sub-1:40:00 Half Marathon
RPI 45.1 · Goal: 1:39:59 · All paces in min/mile
Calculated from Daniels/Gilbert oxygen cost equations. Easy pace means "this pace or slower."
Equivalent race fitness
These are the predicted equivalent times at other distances for a runner with RPI 45.1 — assuming comparable training for each distance.
Marathon
3:27:51
7:56/mi
10K
45:08
7:16/mi
5K
21:46
7:00/mi
Training approach for Sub-1:40:00 Half Marathon
For sub-1:40 half marathon, one threshold session per week (20–25 minutes at threshold pace) and weekly long runs (11–14 miles) produce the specific adaptations this standard requires. Easy volume of 30–45 miles per week supports the quality work. The most common limiting factor at this level: insufficient threshold training or running easy days too fast to recover adequately.
Calculate your current training paces
The table above shows paces for Sub-1:40:00 Half Marathon fitness. Enter your current race time to see where you are now and how far from the goal you sit.
Training Pace Calculator
These paces are based on your race time — not your body
The Daniels/Gilbert formula predicts training zones from a single race result. StrideIQ goes further: it tracks how your body specifically responds to threshold and interval work — which sessions produce your biggest gains, how quickly you recover, and when your fitness is peaking. Population formulas start the conversation. Your individual response data finishes it.
Common questions
What training paces should I use to break 1:40 in the half marathon?
For sub-1:40:00 (1:39:59): Easy 9:03/mi, Threshold 7:14/mi, Interval 6:20/mi. RPI 45.1. Threshold at 7:14/mi should be sustainable for 20 minutes at controlled effort — comfortably hard, not racing.
How long does a 1:45 runner typically take to reach 1:40?
The 1:45 → 1:40 transition typically takes 4–12 months of structured training. The key additions are extending threshold sessions from 15 to 20–25 minutes and maintaining consistent long runs of 12–14 miles. Runners who add these two elements consistently typically bridge this gap within a training cycle.
What marathon does sub-1:40 half fitness project to?
Sub-1:40 half marathon (RPI 45.1) projects to approximately 3:27:51 marathon potential. This is a meaningful marathon benchmark that reflects the aerobic capacity built through half marathon training.
Other goal pace guides
Paces calculated using the Daniels/Gilbert oxygen cost equations (1979). All values derived from the same formula used by the StrideIQ training pace calculator. Goal times use the target-minus-one-second convention (e.g., sub-20 = 19:59 input).