Your plan in four answers
Omaha Hot Cider Hustle has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The Omaha Hot Cider Hustle course
The half marathon, 10K and 5K all start at 8:00 a.m. from the Lake Zorinsky Aquatic Center on South 156th Street and use the paved roads and trails around Zorinsky Lake in west Omaha. The half marathon course is USATF certified and heads west toward the South 168th Street bridge before returning, with a single U-turn and four water stations.
Read the full course notes
The official profile is gently rolling between about 1,090 and 1,147 feet: an early climb of roughly 50 feet in the first mile, a short, sharp dip and recovery near F Street and 156th around mile 3, then small rollers to mile 10. From the 156th Street marker near mile 10 the course drops about 40 feet and stays low and flat for the run-in to the finish. Pacers cover half marathon goal times from 1:30 to 2:35, and the time limit is 3 hours 30 minutes.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late October mornings in Omaha are usually crisp, around 35–45 °F at the 8:00 a.m. start, with afternoon highs around 55–65 °F. Wind on the open lake trails is the main variable, so bring a throwaway layer, wear gloves if it is below 40 °F, and run by effort into any headwind.
What to train for
The first mile climbs and the last three are your fastest ground, so practise a patient start: run long runs that open with a hill at easy effort, then finish the final 3 miles at goal pace or slightly quicker.
Add a weekly session of 6 to 8 x 60 seconds uphill at 5K to 10K effort to handle the mile 1 rise and the mile 3 dip without spiking your heart rate.
Build the half marathon long run to 11 or 12 miles three weeks out on rolling trails like the race's own. 10K and 5K runners should mix rolling tempo runs with short hill repeats.
Sample week
A sample Omaha Hot Cider Hustle 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 Omaha Hot Cider Hustle
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
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Build me a training plan for the Omaha Hot Cider Hustle (Half marathon) in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Omaha Hot Cider Hustle training questions
How long should I train for the Omaha Hot Cider Hustle?
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 Omaha Hot Cider Hustle course hilly?
Rolling. The half marathon, 10K and 5K all start at 8:00 a.m. from the Lake Zorinsky Aquatic Center on South 156th Street and use the paved roads and trails around Zorinsky Lake in west Omaha.
What is the weather usually like at the Omaha Hot Cider Hustle?
Late October mornings in Omaha are usually crisp, around 35–45 °F at the 8:00 a.m. start, with afternoon highs around 55–65 °F. Wind on the open lake trails is the main variable, so bring a throwaway layer, wear gloves if it is below 40 °F, and run by effort into any headwind.
When should I start tapering for the Omaha Hot Cider Hustle?
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 Omaha Hot Cider Hustle 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.