Your plan in four answers
Berkeley Half is on November 15, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in November. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- Thousands of runners across the half, 10K and 5K
Course
The Berkeley Half course
The half starts at 7:30 a.m. on Milvia Street at Kittredge Street in downtown Berkeley and finishes on Martin Luther King Jr. Way at Allston Way, beside Civic Center Park and the finish-line celebration.
Read the full course notes
The USATF-certified course (CA18024DT) runs down historic Telegraph Avenue, passes through Sather Gate and loops around the UC Berkeley campus, then takes in North Berkeley and the Fourth Street district on the way toward the finish. The City of Berkeley's closure notice for the race also includes Frontage Road from University Avenue to the Ashby Avenue exit. Official figures put the total climbing at 630 feet. There are 7 water stops with electrolyte drink, gels, medical and toilets, and a 4-hour time limit.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Field
- Thousands of runners across the half, 10K and 5K
- Weather on race day
- Mid-November in Berkeley is usually cool and mild, with a 7:30 a.m. start around 45–55 °F and highs in the low to mid 60s. Morning fog and a breeze off the bay are common on the waterfront miles, and the first rains of the season can arrive, so start in a throwaway layer and expect easy conditions for a fast second half.
What to train for
With 630 feet of climbing on the course, practice long runs on rolling roads at steady effort, finishing with 3 to 4 miles at goal pace.
Add a weekly session of 6 to 8 x 90 seconds uphill at 10K effort for strength on the climbs.
Run tempo intervals of 2 to 3 miles at half-marathon pace so you can settle quickly into rhythm whenever the road levels out.
Sample week
A sample Berkeley Half training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Berkeley Half
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the The Berkeley Half Marathon in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Berkeley Half training questions
How long should I train for the Berkeley Half?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Berkeley Half course hilly?
Rolling. The half starts at 7:30 a.m. on Milvia Street at Kittredge Street in downtown Berkeley and finishes on Martin Luther King Jr.
What is the weather usually like at the Berkeley Half?
Mid-November in Berkeley is usually cool and mild, with a 7:30 a.m. start around 45–55 °F and highs in the low to mid 60s. Morning fog and a breeze off the bay are common on the waterfront miles, and the first rains of the season can arrive, so start in a throwaway layer and expect easy conditions for a fast second half.
When should I start tapering for the Berkeley Half?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Do I need an account to get a Berkeley Half training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.