Your plan in four answers
Set for September 26, 2027, about 48 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- September 14, 2027
Course
The Urban Cow Half course
The half marathon starts in William Land Park, home of the Sacramento Zoo, and heads up the tree-lined streets of the Land Park neighborhood toward downtown. The middle miles pass the State Capitol, Capitol Mall and Tower Bridge, then a path under the freeway leads into Old Sacramento and down to the Sacramento River and the marina around mile 7.
Read the full course notes
From there runners follow the river levee and Riverside Boulevard back south to Land Park, finishing with a loop around the golf course. The course is USATF certified, flat and paved, with waves at 7:30, 7:35 and 7:40 a.m. by expected finish time and a 4-hour limit. The 5K runs the day before through William Land Park.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late September in Sacramento is usually dry and sunny, around 55–65 °F at the 7:30 a.m. start and warming into the 70s °F by the time most runners finish, with afternoon highs often in the upper 80s. There is little shade on the river levee, so start at a pace you can hold as it warms and take fluid at the aid stations every 2 miles.
What to train for
A flat, fast course rewards steady pacing more than hill strength.
Build tempo runs to 4 to 6 miles at half marathon effort and add 5 x 1 mile at goal pace with 90 seconds jog, which teaches the rhythm you need on the long levee stretch after mile 7.
Run your long runs on flat paths up to 11 to 13 miles, with the last 3 at goal pace, and do some of them in late-morning warmth to rehearse drinking on the move. The final miles along Riverside Boulevard reward runners who saved a little, so practice negative splits.
Sample week
A sample Urban Cow 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Urban Cow 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on September 26, 2027, your taper starts around September 14, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Urban Cow Half Marathon & 5K on September 26, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Urban Cow Half training questions
How long should I train for the Urban Cow 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 Urban Cow Half course hilly?
Flat. The half marathon starts in William Land Park, home of the Sacramento Zoo, and heads up the tree-lined streets of the Land Park neighborhood toward downtown.
What is the weather usually like at the Urban Cow Half?
Late September in Sacramento is usually dry and sunny, around 55–65 °F at the 7:30 a.m. start and warming into the 70s °F by the time most runners finish, with afternoon highs often in the upper 80s. There is little shade on the river levee, so start at a pace you can hold as it warms and take fluid at the aid stations every 2 miles.
When should I start tapering for the Urban Cow 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 is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on September 26, 2027, your taper starts around September 14, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Urban Cow 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.