Your plan in four answers
Pacific Coast Running Festival has not announced its next date, so we have estimated September. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Half marathon, Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
Course
The Pacific Coast Running Festival course
Every race starts at the Long Beach Arch on Bolstad Avenue, steps from the sand on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula. The half marathon, 10K and 5K run on wide, paved paths along the dunes with ocean views: the half heads north for about two miles, turns back south past the Arch toward Beard's Hollow, where a short rise around mile 8 is the only real climb, and then returns to the finish.
Read the full course notes
Saturday's Sand Marathon is a different challenge: it runs on the beach itself, south to a turnaround at Beard's Hollow and then north all the way to Ocean Park before heading back, with at least two aid stations and plenty of ocean wind. The weekend also includes a Sunset 5K sand run, kids' dashes and an expo, and racing two events earns the BEAST medal.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Half marathon, Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late September on the Long Beach Peninsula is usually cool and breezy, with the 7 a.m. half marathon start around 48–58 °F and afternoon highs in the mid 60s. Morning fog and passing showers are common and the ocean wind can be strong, so bring a light layer and expect a headwind on part of the course.
What to train for
The paved half is flat, so train for steady goal pace and for wind: run 4- to 6-mile tempo efforts on exposed roads or into a headwind, holding effort rather than pace, and practice tucking in behind other runners when gusts pick up.
Half marathoners can build long runs to 10 to 12 miles with the last 3 at goal pace.
For the Sand Marathon, add weekly runs on sand or soft trails plus calf and ankle strength work, expect to run noticeably slower than on the road, and carry your own fluids between the widely spaced aid stations.
Sample week
A sample Pacific Coast Running Festival 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 Pacific Coast Running Festival
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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race 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 Pacific Coast Running Festival (Half marathon) in September. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Pacific Coast Running Festival training questions
How long should I train for the Pacific Coast Running Festival?
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 Pacific Coast Running Festival course hilly?
Flat. Every race starts at the Long Beach Arch on Bolstad Avenue, steps from the sand on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula.
What is the weather usually like at the Pacific Coast Running Festival?
Late September on the Long Beach Peninsula is usually cool and breezy, with the 7 a.m. half marathon start around 48–58 °F and afternoon highs in the mid 60s. Morning fog and passing showers are common and the ocean wind can be strong, so bring a light layer and expect a headwind on part of the course.
When should I start tapering for the Pacific Coast Running Festival?
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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Pacific Coast Running Festival 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.