Your plan in four answers
Hertfordshire Half is on November 1, 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, 10K
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The Hertfordshire Half course
The Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10K start and finish in front of Knebworth House, just off the A1(M) south of Stevenage, and run through the grounds of Knebworth Park before heading out onto closed country lanes. Both routes are undulating: the half climbs about 218 m in total and the 10K about 92 m, so this is a rewarding countryside course rather than a flat PB track.
Read the full course notes
The half follows yellow mile signs and the 10K green kilometre signs, with the two routes splitting and rejoining in places. Half marathoners get water at about 5.5, 11 and 17 km (miles 3.5, 7 and 10.5) and toilets around 13 km before the run back to Knebworth House. The half starts at 9:00 with a 3-hour cut-off, and the 10K at 9:30.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K
- Weather on race day
- Early November in Hertfordshire usually means 5–10 °C at the 9:00 start, with highs around 10–13 °C and a good chance of rain on the Met Office's nearby Rothamsted record. Wet leaves on the lanes and open parkland can make it feel colder, so wear gloves and a throwaway layer, and expect the climbs to warm you up quickly.
What to train for
With more than 200 m of climbing, this course rewards strength on rolling ground more than raw speed.
Run your long runs on hilly routes, and once a week do 6–10 x 60–90 seconds uphill at 10K effort with a jog back down.
Practise running over the crests and relaxing into the descents so you keep momentum instead of stopping and starting. Pace by effort rather than by watch: a steady effort on the hills feels slower but leaves you strong for the run back to Knebworth House.
Sample week
A sample Hertfordshire 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, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Hertfordshire 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper 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 Hertfordshire Half Marathon & 10k at Knebworth House in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Hertfordshire Half training questions
How long should I train for the Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire Half course hilly?
Rolling. The Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10K start and finish in front of Knebworth House, just off the A1(M) south of Stevenage, and run through the grounds of Knebworth Park before heading out onto closed country lanes.
What is the weather usually like at the Hertfordshire Half?
Early November in Hertfordshire usually means 5–10 °C at the 9:00 start, with highs around 10–13 °C and a good chance of rain on the Met Office's nearby Rothamsted record. Wet leaves on the lanes and open parkland can make it feel colder, so wear gloves and a throwaway layer, and expect the climbs to warm you up quickly.
When should I start tapering for the Hertfordshire 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Do I need an account to get a Hertfordshire 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.