Your plan in four answers
Set for February 27, 2027, about 18 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- More than 12,000 runners (2026, sold out)
- Taper starts
- February 18, 2027
Course
The Rodeo Run course
The race starts at the corner of Walker and Bagby in downtown Houston and finishes on Allen Parkway near Eleanor Tinsley Park, where the post-race party is held, just before the Downtown Rodeo Parade takes over the streets. The 10K first loops south through the downtown grid on Travis, Milam, Louisiana and Smith, then heads west along Allen Parkway beside Buffalo Bayou, with an out-and-back toward Shepherd Drive and a short spur on Montrose and Studemont before turning east to the finish.
Read the full course notes
The 5K runs a shorter route between the same start and finish. The only changes in grade are short dips and ramps along the bayou, so this is a flat, fast road course. A wheelchair race goes first, then Corral A for runners faster than 6:00 per mile, then the main 10K and 5K starts.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 5K, 10K
- Field
- More than 12,000 runners (2026, sold out)
- Weather on race day
- Late February in Houston usually means the 50s to low 60s °F around the 9 a.m. start, with high humidity and the occasional warm, muggy morning near 70 °F. The race runs rain or shine, so on a warm day use every water stop and start a little conservatively.
What to train for
Flat roads and a big field make this a pacing test: run the first mile at goal pace even though the downtown start feels fast.
Weekly sessions such as 6 x 800 m at 10K pace with 90 seconds of jogging, plus a 3 to 4 mile tempo run, build exactly the fitness this course rewards.
Houston can turn humid even in late winter, so do a few runs in the warmer part of the day to adapt.
Sample week
A sample Rodeo Run 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: 6 × 800 m at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Tempo run, 5 mi with 2 mi comfortably hard
- Friday
- Recovery run, 3 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 7–8 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 3 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Rodeo Run
Start the taper seven to ten 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. With the race on February 27, 2027, your taper starts around February 18, 2027.
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 Rodeo Run presented by ConocoPhillips (10K) on February 27, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Rodeo Run training questions
How long should I train for the Rodeo Run?
Most runners give a 10k ten to twelve 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 Rodeo Run course hilly?
Flat. The race starts at the corner of Walker and Bagby in downtown Houston and finishes on Allen Parkway near Eleanor Tinsley Park, where the post-race party is held, just before the Downtown Rodeo Parade takes over the streets.
What is the weather usually like at the Rodeo Run?
Late February in Houston usually means the 50s to low 60s °F around the 9 a.m. start, with high humidity and the occasional warm, muggy morning near 70 °F. The race runs rain or shine, so on a warm day use every water stop and start a little conservatively.
When should I start tapering for the Rodeo Run?
Start the taper seven to ten 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. With the race on February 27, 2027, your taper starts around February 18, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Rodeo Run 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.