Santa Cruz Half Marathon Training

Santa Cruz County hosts several half marathon opportunities throughout the year, including standalone races and half marathon options at larger events.

Local courses showcase the best of Santa Cruz: coastal views, redwood forests, and the vibrant downtown. Whether you're a first-timer or chasing a PR, knowing your precise training zones makes all the difference.

Training and testing locally means you understand the exact terrain and conditions you'll race in.

Local Advantage: Get tested in the same environment where you'll train and race.

Our Santa Cruz facility offers sea-level testing with natural ocean breeze-exactly the conditions you'll experience on race day at local events.

After testing, use your zones immediately on familiar routes: West Cliff, the Harbor Loop, UCSC hills, or Pogonip trails.

Half Marathon Pace: Your target race pace for 13.1 miles-faster than marathon pace but sustainable.

Tempo Runs: Lactate threshold work to build speed endurance for the second half of the race.

Long Runs: Aerobic zone pacing for building endurance without overtraining.

Interval Training: VO₂ max intervals to improve running economy and top-end speed.

Half marathon training cycles are typically 10-12 weeks:

8-10 weeks before race: Initial test to establish training zones for your build-up.

2-3 weeks before race: Optional retest to confirm race pace and fine-tune pacing strategy.

Use your VO₂ max zones on these local favorites:

• West Cliff Drive: Flat 6-mile out-and-back for tempo runs
• Harbor to Lighthouse Loop: 10K recovery run route
• UCSC Campus Hills: Hill repeats in zone 3-4
• Pogonip Trails: Long run terrain with rolling hills
• Nisene Marks: Trail running for base building

If this is your first half marathon, VO₂ max testing takes the guesswork out of training:

• Know exactly what pace to train at (no more "am I running too hard?")
• Understand your current fitness level objectively
• Set realistic race day goals based on physiology, not hope
• Prevent overtraining with proper recovery zone guidance