Your plan in four answers
Set for November 26, 2026, about 4 weeks out.
- Distances
- 10K, 5K
- Sport
- Running
- Field
- More than 4,700 runners and walkers across the 10K, 5K and Kids' Turkey Chase
- Taper starts
- November 17, 2026
Course
The Franklin Turkey Trot course
The race starts at Meridian Cool Springs on Meridian Boulevard in Franklin and runs through the heart of Cool Springs on Thanksgiving morning. The 10K, a run-only race, goes off first at 7:00 a.m., the 5K run and walk follows at 8:00 and the Kids' Turkey Chase at 9:00.
Read the full course notes
The City of Franklin clears the course at 9:30 a.m., so 10K runners have about two and a half hours and 5K walkers about an hour and a half. It is one of the area's biggest Thanksgiving traditions, with more than 4,700 runners and walkers, and every entry supports GraceWorks, a Franklin nonprofit that provides food, shelter and support to neighbors in need.
- Distances
- 10K, 5K
- Field
- More than 4,700 runners and walkers across the 10K, 5K and Kids' Turkey Chase
- Weather on race day
- Late November in Franklin usually ranges from lows in the upper 30s °F to highs in the low 60s °F, so the 7:00 a.m. 10K start is often cold. Dress in layers you can shed, wear gloves for the first mile, and expect the 5K start an hour later to feel a little milder.
What to train for
With a 7:00 a.m. cold start, the 10K rewards a solid warm-up: jog 10 to 15 minutes and add a few strides before you line up.
Build to 6 to 8 mile long runs and add a weekly session such as 5 x 1 kilometer at 10K pace with short jog recoveries.
5K runners can sharpen with 8 to 10 x 400 meters at 5K effort and one steady 20-minute tempo a week. With thousands of runners on the road, start a little easy and work through the field in the second half.
Sample week
A sample Franklin 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: 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 Franklin Turkey Trot
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 November 26, 2026, your taper starts around November 17, 2026.
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 Turkey Trot Franklin Benefiting GraceWorks (10K) on November 26, 2026. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Franklin Turkey Trot training questions
How long should I train for the Franklin Turkey Trot?
Most runners give a 10k ten 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 Franklin Turkey Trot course hilly?
The race starts at Meridian Cool Springs on Meridian Boulevard in Franklin and runs through the heart of Cool Springs on Thanksgiving morning.
What is the weather usually like at the Franklin Turkey Trot?
Late November in Franklin usually ranges from lows in the upper 30s °F to highs in the low 60s °F, so the 7:00 a.m. 10K start is often cold. Dress in layers you can shed, wear gloves for the first mile, and expect the 5K start an hour later to feel a little milder.
When should I start tapering for the Franklin Turkey Trot?
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 November 26, 2026, your taper starts around November 17, 2026.
Do I need an account to get a Franklin 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.