Long Run: Distance Training

Training is easier (and more fun) with friends!

With Fleet Feet’s Long Run Training Program, you’ll find a holistic training plan and group to help you cross the finish line of a Half or Full Marathon feeling empowered. We're gearing up for the Winter Marathon and Half Marathon Training by targeting a mid-March race. Join us to train for the Tobacco Road Marathon or Half Marathon or any other spring race.

We know that Half & Full Marathon training isn’t just about logging miles. It’s about learning to challenge yourself incrementally, tackling different types of runs, building strength and making space for rest and recovery. We'll help you find joy in the process and training, and with our comprehensive training plan, you and your fellow runners will bond as you train, learn and improve together, with plenty of support along the way.

Here’s what you can expect:

15 weeks of daily training with our expert coaches
In-person support for accountability, camaraderie and fun
Warmup and cool down exercises to make every run smoother
2X weekly strength routines to make you strong and resistant to injury
Mobility and cross-training exercises to balance your training
Tips from coaches and mentors on gear, nutrition, recovery, mobility and more
Coaching support in person and via email to answer your questions along the way.

Important Information:

Dates: December 3rd through March 16th, 2024
Goal Races: Targeting the weekend of the Tobacco Road Marathon & Half Marathon,spring Marathon or Half Marathon are more than welcome to join us
Workout Days: Tuesdays at 6:30 pm in Durham, Wednesdays at 6:30 pm in Carrboro, and Saturdays at 7 am alternating between the three stores
Cost: $175. This does not include the race fee.

Our Group Training Schedule:

Tuesdays at 6:30 pm - Fleet Feet Durham, Fleet Feet Durham 9th Street or other Durham location - Workout Varies (Hill repeats, track work, etc)
Wednesdays at 6:30 pm - Fleet Feet Carrboro or other Carrboro location - Workout Varies (Hill repeats, track work, etc)
Saturdays at 7 am - Alternates between Fleet Feet Carrboro, Fleet Feet Ninth Street, and Fleet Feet Durham - Long Run. Multiple mileage options each week, as mileage will vary depending on time of season and goal race!

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In addition to what you can expect as a participant, you will also receive:

Weekly Newsletter with location and workout information
Training Plan for your target race - Half Marathon or Full Marathon
Safe and organized weekly group long runs with pre-planned routes, turn-by-turn directions, water/aid stations, and mentor led pace groups
Mentored weekday workouts including Hill Repeats, Track Workouts, and Fartleks, all scaled to your particular goal distance
Training Program Swag and this season all participants will receive a program shirt
Online support through a private slack group
Extra sessions and clinics to go through training principles and topics, chat with some of our Community Partners, and provide more community
Support from our Community Partners in Physical Therapy, Strength Training, Nutrition, Yoga, and more!

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More Information:

We find lots of great places to run and walk in our community - on bike paths, areas with sidewalks, the American Tobacco Trail, etc. Occasionally, we’ll hold a workout at a local track (such as the Duke or a High School tracks) to run a speed workout. All location information will be shared with you each week in our Program Newsletters, on our private Facebook group, and can also be found on our Fleet Feet Calendar. The workouts will last about an hour to an hour and a half as we increase mileage throughout the season.

What to expect at Weeknight Workouts:

The focus of the weeknight workouts is to work on our speed and power when running. Whether you’re looking to finish your first distance race or you fastest distance race - building a speed workout into your training is important. You work different muscle groups (fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscles), build endurance in your legs and lungs, and it helps keep our workouts from getting stale. We’ll cover a variety of workouts such as Speed Repeats, Hill Repeats, Fartleks (Swedish for ‘speed play’), tempo runs, etc. We focus on pace and effort during these workouts. Below is an example workout:

Welcome/Announcements/Find your pace groups
10 min Warmup Easy Jogging
Track Ladder workout: 400m hard effort/jog 200m recovery + 800m hard effort/jog 400m recovery + 1200m hard effort/jog 400m recovery + 800m hard effort/jog 400m recovery + 400m hard effort
10 min Cooldown easy jogging
Optional Cool down stretching/core with your group
Overall, you’ll have done ~3 miles of speed work, but with recovery included in the workout.

What to expect at Saturday Long Runs:

The Saturday Long run focus is on time on your feet. We use the long run to build up our endurance so that we can finish our distance races healthy and happy! Overall, these long runs should be at a very easy pace. We don’t want to race through the long runs because it will feel like we’ve ‘raced’ every weekend - our bodies will be tired and it increases the likelihood of injury. Each group will be led by an experienced mentor who will help guide and support you! A sample route can be found here. Typically, we run loops from a central point so that we can have access to water/bathrooms/coaches. This also allows our Half Marathoners and Full Marathoners to train together, while doing different distances. For example the Half Marathoners may be running 8 miles while the Full Marathoners will do 12 miles - all groups will run 8 together and then the Fullers will continue on for another 4 miles. We’re also able to accommodate different training distances this way, you still get the support of the group but can train for your goal race.

Pace Groups:

Our groups are open to anyone! We group everyone based on a timed mile at the beginning of the season (don’t worry it’s not your gym class mile from middle school) and use that to help match you with similarly paced people. Your coaches will help give you suggested training paces once in your group! A general breakdown of our pace groups are as follows depending on your mile time:

8:00 - 9:00
9:00 - 10:00 training pace
10:00 - 11:00 training pace
11:00 - 12:00 training pace
12:00 - 13:00 training pace
13:00 - 15:00 training pace (Run/Walk Interval Group)
Walkers (for the Half Marathon Training)

We recommend coming into the training being able to run or run/walk 7 Miles (for the Full Distance), 4 miles (for the Half Distance), or 2 miles (for the 10 Miler). For participants under 16, please contact the Training Program Director, Nora (nora.ayers@fleetfeet.com) before registering.

Run/Walk Interval Running:

Using a Run/Walk interval is not just for beginners - it’s an excellent tool to help you build endurance and help you cross the finish line of your distance race. We encourage beginning runners to start using a Run/Walk interval in our Starting Line: Beginner 5K training programs. Our Interval Coaches will help to modify the workouts to support our interval runners - they will assist with pacing, workouts, racing strategies, and much more. Some of the benefits include:

Decreased chance of injury : The run-walk method causes less wear and tear on the body, decreasing the chance of injuries. Continuous use of muscle will result in fatigue much quicker. This method will allow a runner to go farther and/or longer before fatigue sets in.
Quicker recovery: With less wear and tear on the body it’s also easier to recover after a run.
Breaks up distances into manageable units: Running is as much mental as it is physical – especially when you get into the distance races. Using the run-walk intervals will help with those long distances. Running 14 miles just seems impossible. But breaking it down by running for a set number of minutes, it’s much more manageable.
Motivating for new runners: This method allows just about anyone to run any race they want. It doesn’t matter your age, weight, gender, or physical ability. You can be a runner. As you start off slow, you can work your way up to running for a longer amount of time and having fewer walk breaks.