Your plan in four answers
Set for December 5, 2026, about 6 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K
- Sport
- Running
- Taper starts
- November 26, 2026
Course
The Hot Chocolate & Eggnog course
All races start and finish on the same line at Bank Run Metro Park, 1570 Rohr Road in Lockbourne, one of the newest parks in the Columbus Metro Parks system, and every route is on paved trail. The park's paved multipurpose trail, rated easy by Metro Parks, runs about 3.25 miles around an old quarry pond and through woods and fields, so expect smooth footing and a scenic, low-key course.
Read the full course notes
The 1 mile, 5K and 10K start together at 10:15 a.m., after the 100 m Kids Dash at 10:00 a.m., and start times can shift with the weather. The course closes at 1:00 p.m. (2 hours 45 minutes), and the theme is festive: the ugliest sweater you can find is encouraged.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K
- Weather on race day
- Early December around Columbus is usually cold at the 10:15 a.m. start, about 30–42 °F, with a chance of light snow or drizzle and wind across the open fields. Dress in thin layers with gloves and a hat, stay warm until the start, and run the first mile by feel while your body warms up.
What to train for
Paved, easy-rated park trail makes this a pacing race, and cold December air suits fast running once you are warm.
For the 10K, run 3 x 2 miles at goal pace with 3 minutes easy between, plus a weekly tempo of 20–25 minutes; for the 5K, run 6 to 8 x 400 m or 5 x half mile at goal 5K pace.
Rehearse a cold-weather warm-up: 10–15 minutes easy plus 4 strides, finishing close to the start so you do not cool down while you wait. If the race sits inside your winter base, keep one long run of 7–9 miles each week.
Sample week
A sample Hot Chocolate & Eggnog 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: 6 × 800 m at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Tempo run, 5 mi with 2 mi comfortably hard
- Friday
- Recovery run, 3 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 7–8 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 3 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Hot Chocolate & Eggnog
Start the taper seven to ten 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. With the race on December 5, 2026, your taper starts around November 26, 2026.
Official timing, registration and results
USA Race Timing handles registration, timing and results for Hot Chocolate & Eggnog. They time it, you train for it with us.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add Athlete Space to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Hot Chocolate & Eggnog Races (5K) on December 5, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Hot Chocolate & Eggnog training questions
How long should I train for the Hot Chocolate & Eggnog?
Most runners give a 5k eight to twelve 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 Hot Chocolate & Eggnog course hilly?
All races start and finish on the same line at Bank Run Metro Park, 1570 Rohr Road in Lockbourne, one of the newest parks in the Columbus Metro Parks system, and every route is on paved trail.
What is the weather usually like at the Hot Chocolate & Eggnog?
Early December around Columbus is usually cold at the 10:15 a.m. start, about 30–42 °F, with a chance of light snow or drizzle and wind across the open fields. Dress in thin layers with gloves and a hat, stay warm until the start, and run the first mile by feel while your body warms up.
When should I start tapering for the Hot Chocolate & Eggnog?
Start the taper seven to ten 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. With the race on December 5, 2026, your taper starts around November 26, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Hot Chocolate & Eggnog 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.