Your plan in four answers
Harborside Half is on November 8, 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, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- Thousands of runners across the half and 5K; the 2025 race sold out six weeks early
Course
The Harborside Half course
The half starts at 9:00 a.m. at Mark Richey Woodworking on Parker Street and finishes 1.3 miles away at Cashman Park on the Merrimack River waterfront, with shuttles from the finish area to the start. It is a lollipop course: a flat, fast first mile, then out into the farm country of Newbury and West Newbury, with a right onto Indian Hill Street just after mile 3 and onto Middle Street, lined with working farms and reservation land, at mile 5.
Read the full course notes
A gradual descent on Rodgers Street begins at mile 7 and carries you back toward Newburyport. After passing the start area, the final 1.3 miles run along the paved Clipper City Rail Trail to the finish. Expect about 330 feet of total climbing in gentle rollers, roads open to traffic with a coned runners' lane, and a 3.5-hour time limit (about 16 minutes per mile).
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Field
- Thousands of runners across the half and 5K; the 2025 race sold out six weeks early
- Weather on race day
- November in Newburyport usually runs from average lows around 32 °F to average highs around 52 °F (NOAA-based normals), so the 9:00 a.m. start is crisp. Start in gloves and a layer you can shed; the cool air suits an even, steady pace.
What to train for
The middle miles through Newbury and West Newbury roll gently, so do your long runs on undulating roads and practice holding effort, not pace, on the climbs.
The gradual descent from mile 7 and the flat rail-trail finish are where a strong race comes together: include 4 to 6 mile tempo runs that finish faster than they start, and a few long runs with the last 2 to 3 miles at goal half-marathon pace.
Pace groups run from 1:30 to 3:00, so pick yours and rehearse that pace in training. Aid stations at miles 2.1, 4.4, 6.2, 8.8 and 11.9 serve water and Gatorade.
Sample week
A sample Harborside 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 Harborside 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 Harborside Half Marathon & 5K in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Harborside Half training questions
How long should I train for the Harborside 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 Harborside Half course hilly?
Rolling. The half starts at 9:00 a.m. at Mark Richey Woodworking on Parker Street and finishes 1.3 miles away at Cashman Park on the Merrimack River waterfront, with shuttles from the finish area to the start.
What is the weather usually like at the Harborside Half?
November in Newburyport usually runs from average lows around 32 °F to average highs around 52 °F (NOAA-based normals), so the 9:00 a.m. start is crisp. Start in gloves and a layer you can shed; the cool air suits an even, steady pace.
When should I start tapering for the Harborside 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 Harborside 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.