FCM 202721.1K
FCM 2027 half marathon plan: 21.1K
A coach-led plan for the half marathon at the Freshworks Chennai Marathon. It is built from your own runs and your race date, mixes threshold with some faster work, and keeps most of your running easy.
The race
11 weeks to race day. Counted from today’s date in India.
Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2027
- Date
- Place
- Chennai
- Organiser
- Chennai Runners
AKURA is not the organiser of this race. AKURA coaches your training; you enter the race itself on the official race site.
This signs you up for AKURA’s training, not for the race. Race entry is with the organisers.
Who this plan is for
The half marathon is a big step up from short races, and a good first long goal. It suits you if:
You already run, even a little
The plan starts from where you are today, so a newer runner starts gently and an experienced runner starts with more.
You can keep your running days every week
You set your running days in the app’s weekly schedule, and each week is built around them. If your days leave too little rest, the plan turns an easy day into a rest day.
Newer to running? You start gently
If you have been running for less than three months, AKURA starts you on a beginner ramp: building your aerobic base before any intensity work. You can still train for the 21.1K this way; your coach adds the faster sessions once your base is there. If you have never run regularly, choose the 10K instead: you start with run/walk, and the 10K is the right first goal for that.
How the plan is built
The plan moves through five phases. Which phase you start in depends on how many weeks are left when you join. Your first week is easy running with strides; after that, most weeks have one long run, one or two faster sessions, and easy running on the other days.
Base
Mostly easy running, plus threshold and hills. Hills build strength and running economy with less impact than flat speedwork.
Build
Threshold sessions, plus short, fast repeats with full recovery for speed and smooth form.
Peak
The hardest block. Threshold stays, and 3 to 5 minute intervals lift your top aerobic power.
Sharpen
Steady marathon-pace work in the Endurance zone comes first, with threshold next to it.
Taper
Training comes down before race day. One short, sharp threshold touch keeps you fresh without adding fatigue.
If the plan places you at the beginner level, you stay in base and build longer, with one faster session a week and no interval work.
Session types
Each day of the plan is set in one of the six AKURA training zones.
Heart rate is the governor, pace is the target.
The 80/20 split
Easy: about 80%Hard: about 20%
About 80% of your training is easy (Active recovery, Foundation, Endurance) and about 20% is hard (Threshold, Power, Speed). The easy running is where your aerobic base grows: you can do a lot of it without breaking down. The small hard share lifts your threshold and your top end. More hard running than that mostly adds fatigue.
| Zone | In this plan |
|---|---|
| ARActive recovery | Very easy running when your body needs to recover. |
| FFoundation | Most of your easy days. This is where your aerobic base grows. |
| ENEndurance | Your long run, and the steady marathon-pace work of the sharpen phase. |
| THThreshold | The centre of the plan: threshold sessions in every phase, and hills in the base phase. |
| PPower | Intervals of 3 to 5 minutes in the peak phase. Not for runners at the beginner level. |
| SPSpeed | Short, fast repeats with full rest in the build phase. |
Common half marathon mistakes
Running every run medium-hard
The grey middle, too hard to be easy and too easy to be a real session, is the classic mistake. Keep easy days easy so the hard days can be hard.
Skipping the long run
It is only a half, so the long run feels optional. It is not: the long run is what lets you hold your effort in the second half of the race.
Starting intervals too early
Power intervals belong in the peak phase, on top of a base you have already built. Doing them from week one adds fatigue, not fitness.
Going out too fast on race day
The opening minutes feel easy on fresh legs, and that is the trap. Start controlled and let your heart rate settle before you push.
Cramming missed weeks before the taper
If you miss a week, do not double up later. Pick the plan up where it is today, and let the taper do its job.
What happens after you join
Every runner goes through the same four steps in the app. Nothing is made up along the way.
Finish your runner intake
How long you have been running, any injuries, and your race: the distance and the date.
Add your runs
Connect COROS, Suunto or Health Connect on Android, or upload your run files. The plan starts from what you actually run.
Pass the setup check
Until your intake is finished and your runs are in, AKURA shows no plan, no paces and no scores. We would rather wait than guess.
Get your coach-led plan
Your weeks are set from your race date and your own training, and they adjust as you train. A coach can see your plan and change any session.
If you sign up on the FCM training page, your details go to the AKURA coaching team, who may contact you about the programme. Your plan itself still comes through these four steps.
Your coach
Coach Kura — Head Coach, AKURA