Your plan in four answers
Hops Half has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The Hops Half course
The Hops Half Marathon starts and finishes at Hop Springs Beer Park on John Bragg Highway in Murfreesboro, with the half going off at 7:00 a.m. The 13.1-mile route heads out into the Tennessee countryside on mixed terrain, with both paved and grass sections and about 375 feet of elevation change.
Read the full course notes
Three aid stations are passed twice, and portable toilets sit at miles 2 and 6. There is a 3.5-hour cutoff, so everyone is back in time for the post-race festival with live music, food trucks and craft vendors.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Weather on race day
- Late October in Murfreesboro is usually pleasant for racing, with average lows around 47 °F and highs near 69 °F. The 7:00 a.m. start sits close to the coolest part of the day, so a light layer you can toss or tie at the waist works well. About one day in four sees some rain at this time of year, so bring dry clothes for the festival.
What to train for
With paved and grass surfaces on the same course, do some of your easy runs on park grass or a gentle trail so your ankles and stride are ready for softer footing.
The 375 feet of elevation change suggests rolling ground, so add a weekly run over gentle hills and practice keeping an even effort rather than an even pace.
Build long runs to 11 or 12 miles, and include steady miles at half marathon pace late in a few of them. Practice drinking on the move, since the aid stations come round twice.
Sample week
A sample Hops 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
Taper
Tapering for the Hops 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 Hops Half Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Hops Half training questions
How long should I train for the Hops 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 Hops Half course hilly?
Rolling. The Hops Half Marathon starts and finishes at Hop Springs Beer Park on John Bragg Highway in Murfreesboro, with the half going off at 7:00 a.m.
What is the weather usually like at the Hops Half?
Late October in Murfreesboro is usually pleasant for racing, with average lows around 47 °F and highs near 69 °F. The 7:00 a.m. start sits close to the coolest part of the day, so a light layer you can toss or tie at the waist works well. About one day in four sees some rain at this time of year, so bring dry clothes for the festival.
When should I start tapering for the Hops 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 Hops 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.