Your plan in four answers
Set for November 28, 2026, about 5 weeks out.
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- November 16, 2026
Course
The Schaumburg Turkey Trot course
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the half marathon starts at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K at 8:20 a.m. from Ned Brown Meadow (Groves 28 to 30) in Busse Woods, the big forest preserve beside Schaumburg in Elk Grove Village. The USATF-certified half marathon (IL22045NM) runs on the paved trails and park roads around Busse Lake, passing the boat launch near mile 1, the Busse Dam around mile 5, Groves 5 to 16 near mile 7.5 and Groves 1 to 3 around mile 10.5, with out-and-back turnarounds along the way.
Read the full course notes
The official profile stays between about 686 and 731 feet but never sits still: the longer rises come around miles 5 to 6.5, 8 to 9 and 9.5 to 10.5, where the course reaches its high point, and the official total is 553 feet of gain. Most parking is off-site at the Martingale Road garages with shuttle buses, so allow time, and the half marathon time limit is 3 hours 30 minutes. Donuts and a finisher medal wait at the finish.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Half marathon, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late November in the northwest suburbs is usually cold, around 28–38 °F at the start, with highs in the 40s °F, and wind off the open lake or an early dusting of snow is possible. Dress for about 15 °F warmer than the thermometer, with gloves and a hat you can tuck away, and use the on-site gear check for dry clothes after the finish.
What to train for
Expect three gradual climbs of 30 to 40 feet in the second half, so practise steady uphill running: once a week, run 6 to 8 x 2 minutes on a gentle hill at half marathon to 10K effort, and run your long runs on rolling forest-preserve trails.
Hold back slightly through the flat miles 3 to 5 so you can push from mile 10.5, where the course drops back toward the lake.
Build the long run to 11 or 12 miles about three weeks out, with the final 3 miles at goal pace, and include one long run in cold early-morning weather to test your layers. 5K runners should add weekly intervals such as 5 x 1,000 m at 5K pace.
Sample week
A sample Schaumburg Turkey Trot 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Schaumburg Turkey Trot
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. With the race on November 28, 2026, your taper starts around November 16, 2026.
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Build me a training plan for the Schaumburg Turkey Trot (Half marathon) on November 28, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Schaumburg Turkey Trot training questions
How long should I train for the Schaumburg Turkey Trot?
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 Schaumburg Turkey Trot course hilly?
Rolling. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the half marathon starts at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K at 8:20 a.m. from Ned Brown Meadow (Groves 28 to 30) in Busse Woods, the big forest preserve beside Schaumburg in Elk Grove Village.
What is the weather usually like at the Schaumburg Turkey Trot?
Late November in the northwest suburbs is usually cold, around 28–38 °F at the start, with highs in the 40s °F, and wind off the open lake or an early dusting of snow is possible. Dress for about 15 °F warmer than the thermometer, with gloves and a hat you can tuck away, and use the on-site gear check for dry clothes after the finish.
When should I start tapering for the Schaumburg Turkey Trot?
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. With the race on November 28, 2026, your taper starts around November 16, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Schaumburg Turkey Trot 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.