Your plan in four answers
New Jersey Fall Half is on November 22, 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, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
Course
The New Jersey Fall Half course
The race is held on the Monmouth Battlefield in Manalapan Township near Englishtown, the National Historic Landmark where the Battle of Monmouth was fought on June 28, 1778. It is a loop course: half marathoners run four laps of a 3.27-mile loop, 10K runners two laps of a 3.1-mile loop and 5K runners a single lap.
Read the full course notes
The organiser describes the route as tree-lined, fan-friendly and challenging, so expect the gentle ups and downs of open battlefield country rather than a pancake-flat path. Support stations sit at every mile, which on a loop means plenty of chances to drink. All three races start together at 9:30 a.m., and 2026 is the inaugural edition.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late November in central New Jersey is usually cool to cold at a 9:30 a.m. start, around 38–50 °F, with a mix of sun and cloud and a breeze across the open fields. It is ideal racing weather once you are moving, so start in a throwaway layer and dress lighter than you think.
What to train for
Four laps of a rolling loop reward patience: run the first lap a few seconds per mile slower than goal pace and treat laps three and four as the race.
Rehearse this with long runs of 10 to 12 miles on a short, hilly loop, holding the same effort on every lap.
Add 6 to 8 x 60 seconds uphill at 10K effort each week so the repeated rises feel smaller each time round. Practice taking a gel and a few sips every 3 miles, since aid comes so often you can fuel little and often.
Sample week
A sample New Jersey Fall 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 New Jersey Fall 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 The New Jersey Fall Half, 10K, and 5K (Half marathon) in November. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
New Jersey Fall Half training questions
How long should I train for the New Jersey Fall 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 New Jersey Fall Half course hilly?
Rolling. The race is held on the Monmouth Battlefield in Manalapan Township near Englishtown, the National Historic Landmark where the Battle of Monmouth was fought on June 28, 1778.
What is the weather usually like at the New Jersey Fall Half?
Late November in central New Jersey is usually cool to cold at a 9:30 a.m. start, around 38–50 °F, with a mix of sun and cloud and a breeze across the open fields. It is ideal racing weather once you are moving, so start in a throwaway layer and dress lighter than you think.
When should I start tapering for the New Jersey Fall 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 New Jersey Fall 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.