2024 Fall Race Training Program – Original Draft – Indy Runners and Walkers (2024)

Main Details

For the 19^thyear, Indy Runners and Walkers is hosting our Summer Training Program for Fall Marathons and Half Marathons. The training runs and walks will meet on Saturdays starting July 13, 2024.

Where:St. Vincent Physician/PT office (just south of Broad Ripple Avenue)
1001 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
(Get a map!)

(Please do not park in the McDonald’s parking lot or at the IU Health Urgent Care center both of which are located north of Broad Ripple Avenue.)

When:7:30am (8:00am starting in October) Please arrive a little early for announcements about the routes, etc., and to find others your pace.

Routes:We’ll continue our fun exploration of different running routesincluding the Monon Trail, Central Canal Towpath, rolling hills through WilliamsCreek, and Butler University. We will also continue to spendsome time on theMonumental Marathon course to help gainfamiliarity with the course. We’ll generally send out links to a map before each run/walk.

Races: Our “suggested distances” for each week will target runners/walkers preparing for some of our bigger local races – theIndianapolis Half Marathon(“Fort Ben”) on October 5, 2024 and theCNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and Half Marathonon November 9, 2024. There will also be plenty of folks training beyond these suggested distances for earlier races (Chicago, Air Force, Columbus, etc.).

Helping with Coolers and Marking the Course

We typically have several folks chip in to help set out coolers on the course, bring coolers to the starting point, and mark the course. We will again be looking for help with these things. If you would like to help, please email Brian Schuetter atfalltraining@indyrunners.org.

Cost

This training program isINCLUDEDwith your 12 month Indy Runners and Walkers membership. Non-members who are interested are askedto join the club. Individual dues cover 12 months and are just $35!Not sure if we’re right for you? We offer a 30 day free trial membership. We also offer a special free membership for those experiencing hardships. Check out ourmembership pagefor the full details.

More Details

This program is fairly informal, allowing runners and walkers to meet others with the same goal and provide support through your longer mileage days.Water and sports drink will generally be stationed along the route for all but the shortest runs/walks. In addition, we typically provide water, sports drinks and light snacks at the end of each run/walk.

These weekly Saturday runs/walks will be mileage based – see the schedule below. We have participants with a variety of paces and experience levels. We are also happy to provide advice to help you meet your goal! You are also invited to join in ourother group runs and walkson Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Wave Start Volunteers Wanted

We usea wavestart to better group folks of similar paces and will do so again this year. Wave 1 starts, then wave 2 starts, then… If you’re not sure of your pace, just take your best guess!

We would like to recruit a few Wave Captains to help gather folks beforehand, make sure everyone gets headed in the right direction, and maybe even be available for folks that have questions about the club, the route that day, etc. Very low pressure.
If you’d like to help us out in this way, please write to Brian Schuetter atfalltraining@indyrunners.org.

Weather Policy

Runs/walks will be canceled (likely with no make-up) if the conditions are too dangerous. A cancellation notice will typically be posted on the Indy Runners and Walkers Facebook page as early as possible. Unless we announce a weather-based cancellation, expect to run/walk. Rain will typically not cancel a training run/walk. However, a thunderstorm, winter storm warning, or wind chill below 0 degrees will.

Training Base

The following training schedule assumes you have already built up a training base before beginning the program.A marathon training base might consist of six to eight weeksof running a few 3-5 mile runs eachweek with a weekly long runof 5-8 miles. A half marathon training base might consist of four to six weeksof running or walking a few 2-4 mile runs/walks each week.

Tentative Saturday Morning Schedule

The tentative Saturday morning mileage schedule is listed below. There will be no official training run/walk on Saturday, October 5, 2024as the Indianapolis Half Marathon is that morning, and we provide volunteers for the start/finish line area. (Watch the website for upcoming volunteer information.) Instead, we encourage those of you doing a later race to use theIndianapolis Half Marathonas a training run or walk or come out for an alternate training program run/walk onSunday, October 6, 2024at8:00amfrom the regularSaturday morning run/walk location.

For more details please write to Brian Schuetter atfalltraining@indyrunners.org.

Complete Training Schedules

Along with the above tentative Saturday morning schedule, we’ve put together some complete training schedules you can download. They include suggested distances for each training day. There are four schedules:

• Basic half marathon
• Advanced half marathon
• Basic marathon
• Advanced marathon