Your plan in four answers
Apple Hill Half is on November 15, 2026, under four weeks away, so we have set next year's race in November. Change the date below if you are running this one.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Terrain
- Hilly
Course
The Apple Hill Half course
Both races start and finish at Biama Vineyards on Larsen Drive in Camino, in the Apple Hill farm country of the Sierra foothills east of Placerville. The half is a loop with a short out-and-back, on paved country roads such as North Canyon Road, Hasler Road, Fruitridge Road and Carson Road, past orchards, vineyards and fruit ranches.
Read the full course notes
The official map lists 1,162 feet of climbing over 13.1 miles: the organisers call it moderately undulating, and the climbs come steadily rather than as one big hill. The half starts at 8:00 a.m. with a 3.5-hour limit and six aid stations, and the 5K is an out-and-back starting at 8:30 a.m. The race traces its roots to a local Apple Hill run first held in 1979.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Mid-November mornings at Camino, around 3,000 feet up, are usually crisp, about 38–50 °F at the 8:00 a.m. start, with highs in the 50s °F. Rain is possible and the race goes ahead rain or shine, so bring a dry layer for the start and expect to warm up quickly on the first climbs.
What to train for
With about 1,160 feet of climbing, treat this as a hill race.
Once a week run 6 to 8 x 2 minutes uphill at 10K effort with a jog down, and make your long runs rolling, up to 11 to 13 miles, so you practise holding effort, not pace, on repeated climbs.
Add a weekly 20 to 30 minute tempo on undulating roads to learn to recover on the descents and press on the flats. Run the first 3 miles by feel, because the ups and downs make even splits impossible here.
Sample week
A sample Apple Hill 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
- Hill repeats: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- 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 on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Apple Hill 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 hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar.
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 Apple Hill Half Marathon & 5K in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Apple Hill Half training questions
How long should I train for the Apple Hill 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 Apple Hill Half course hilly?
Hilly. Both races start and finish at Biama Vineyards on Larsen Drive in Camino, in the Apple Hill farm country of the Sierra foothills east of Placerville.
What is the weather usually like at the Apple Hill Half?
Mid-November mornings at Camino, around 3,000 feet up, are usually crisp, about 38–50 °F at the 8:00 a.m. start, with highs in the 50s °F. Rain is possible and the race goes ahead rain or shine, so bring a dry layer for the start and expect to warm up quickly on the first climbs.
When should I start tapering for the Apple Hill 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 hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar.
Do I need an account to get a Apple Hill 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.