TRAIN.
RACE.
EXPLORE.
August 4, 2025
Week 7 of Training
Welcome to Week 7 of training! You’ve been powering through summer heat, stacking miles, and showing up, even on the tough days. As the miles climb and the calendar flips to August, it’s time to check in not just on your body, but on your mindset, too.
Your MIT team, Fleet Feet, and expert partners are here to support you with smart training strategies, a strong community, and tools to help you stay healthy and motivated through the season.
🧠 Injury Prevention & Recognition
More than 30% of injuries we see this time of year are related to Patellar Tendonitis. We’ll talk about how to prevent (or recognize!) this common issue in the article below.
👉 Train Your Brain: What Fires Up Your Motivation
Dr. Heather Bechtel’s latest article helps you reflect on the why behind your training, and how to keep that fire lit, even on days when energy or confidence runs low.
Whether you’re chasing a PR, showing up for your future self, or simply proving to yourself that you can do hard things, remember that the “why” matters.
📅 Community Calendar
Sunday, August 10:
🎉 Coach Mark’s Wipe Out Cancer 5K – Fun, inclusive, and full of heart.
🎬 Run Forrest Run 10ishK + Film Screening – Recovery miles and popcorn? Yes, please.
Details and links below!
Keep showing up, keep leaning in, and keep reminding yourself: You’re not just training for a race... you’re building something bigger!
See you out there.
– Coach H
Workout Hub
This Week's Workouts at a Glance
WEDNESDAY GRIT WORK: TRACK PYRAMID
WHEN
Wednesday, August 6th @ 6:30pm
LOCATION
Fleet Feet Office & Trackhouse
867 North High Street, Worthington, OH 43085
PARKING:
Please park across the street in the REMAX parking lot, or find parking in historic downtown Worthington.
WORKOUT DETAILS:
Pyramids! We work our way up and then back down on the track.
This workout will challenge you: You'll start and end with faster paces with longer reps at solid, steady-state paces in between!
Between each repeat, you’ll walk/mill about for recovery. Make sure you bring a cup or bottle, as coach Hannah will not always have an extra!
WARM UP & ROUTE: 1 mile warmup to Worthingway Track
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HALF MARATHONERS:
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1 x 400 @ Repetition Pace (Slightly faster than 5k pace)
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1 x 800 @ Interval Pace (10kish pace)
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1 x 1600 @ Threshold (Tempo pace)
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1 x 800 @
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1 x 400 @
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FULL MARATHONERS:
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1 x 400 @ Repetition Pace (Slightly faster than 5k pace)
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1 x 800 @ Interval Pace (10kish pace)
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1 x 1200 @ Threshold (Tempo pace)
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1 x 1600 @ Threshold (Tempo pace)
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1 x 1200
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1 x 800
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1 x 400
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COOL DOWN: 1 mile back to office
Note: Please be sure to bring a hydration bottle or bottle to every Wednesday night workout. Hannah will have a cooler for water, but we are cup-less!
SATURDAY LONG RUN: The Hills Market (Worthington)
WHEN
Saturday, August 9th @ 7:00am
LOCATION
The Hills Market Worthington
7860 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43235
PARKING
Do NOT park directly in front of The Hills Market. Please park in the surface lot on the North side of the market.
WORKOUT DETAILS:
ROUTE: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2709557
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HALF MARATHONERS:
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5 miles
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FULL MARATHONERS:
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10 miles
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Be sure to bring your own hydration cup or bottle - our water stops are cup-less! Use your MIT Discount at any Fleet Feet Columbus store and snag an amphipod flexible cup, a handheld bottle, or hydration vest.
Common Injuries & Sparking Motivation
TICK, TICK, TICK...
...If you're gearing up for the Columbus Marathon or Half this fall, the countdown is on with fewer than 76 training days left in the season! You’ve likely heard us say it before: trust your training to carry you confidently to the starting line.
But there's something else we hope you’ll trust us with: Knowing what to watch for as your mileage builds and the wear-and-tear begins to set in.
At this point in the season, we can practically predict the most common aches and pains our runners face. So far, we’ve talked about staying strong in the heat, dialing in your nutrition and hydration, and keeping your strength and flexibility in check.
Now, as August rolls in, we're shifting focus to two big areas:
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Injury prevention, with a spotlight on Patellar Tendonitis, a condition that accounts for more than 30% of the injuries we see in MIT participants.
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Mental strength, with Train Your Brain tips to keep your motivation fired up as we head into peak training.
This week, we’ve got two must-reads:
🏃♂️ Joe Simko, PT from Fit For Life Physical Therapy breaks down how to prevent and treat Patellar Tendonitis.
🧠 Dr. Heather Bechtel shares a fresh Train Your Brain article on the science (and strategy) behind motivation.
Let’s stay strong, stay healthy, and keep moving forward together!
Fit For Life Physical Therapy are proud to be the Official MIT and Fleet Feet Columbus Medicine Partners. We care for people of all activity levels — to help prevent, recover from, or rehabilitate athletic injuries.
Michael Sean Huffman MS, ATC, PT
Fit For Life Physical Therapy
MIT Medical Resources Coach
RUN FORREST RUN 10(ish)k
A Fantastic Event Where Running-Meets-Cinema
🎬 Ready to run like the wind blows?
Join your MIT teammates on Sunday, August 10th for one of the most unique race experiences of the summer: the Run Forrest Run 10ishK!
This movie-meets-mileage mashup is a celebration of the iconic film Forrest Gump, featuring:
🏃♂️ A 6ish-mile point-to-point run between two local theaters (Grandview Cinema & Drafthouse and Studio 35 Cinema and Drafthouse).
🍺 A free beer + custom pint glass waiting for you at the finish
👕 A race shirt, naturally
🎞️ A full Forrest Gump screening—half before you run, half after
🎟️ And yes, plenty of feathered hair and 90s nostalgia -- COSTUMES ENCOURAGED!
Here’s the breakdown:
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8:00–9:00am: Packet pickup at your starting location
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9:00–9:30am: Forrest Gump Pt. I
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9:30–11:30am: Run ~6.5 miles to Grandview Theater
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11:30–2:00pm: Forrest Gump Pt. II, with your beer in hand 🍻
Whether you're gunning for a pace goal or just looking for a great time with Coach Hannah and other MITers, this event is the perfect way to mix fun and fitness.
If you'd like to join Coach Hannah on this adventure, choose the GRANDVIEW TO STUDIO 35 OPTION and use code MITLOVESGUMP for $5 off!
🎟️ Spots are limited—sign up soon!
And remember… We "just feel like running. "🏃♀️🏃♂️
From Coach Mark:
A little back story on me. I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma cancer in Oct 2020. Multiple Myeloma is the second most common form of blood cancer and has a 5-year survival rate of about 60%. By March of 2021, they were able to get it into remission, it will come back. On March 24, 2021, I was admitted into the James and received my dose of Chemo.
On March 26, 2021, I received some of my Stem Cells back and then was released 10 days later the cancer being in remission. It is still in remission today, I know the cancer will come back, as there is no cure as of today, and this is where MMRF comes into play. They are searching for a cure for Multiple Myeloma, but as of today, there has been great progress in keeping the cancer in remission, but no cure. Before the cancer, and for the past 14 years, I have done many races. Anything from the London Marathon to the Spartan Beast. 5k's, 10k's, 15k's, half marathons and 25k's. I wanted to keep going after my treatment and 11 months after the treatments, I was able to complete the Warmup Columbus Half Marathon and 2 weeks later the Ft. Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon.
The Wipe out Cancer 5k is being organized as a fundraiser for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), and all proceeds will be donated to the organization. In return for my fundraising, I was given an entry into the NYC Marathon on November 2, 2025. This will be my 2nd World major, with London being completed in April 2024. I intend on making this an annual event and hope that many will run, to show their support for the MMRF and their research to find the cure for Multiple Myeloma.
WIPE OUT CANCER 5k
Local Race (OR VIRTUAL RACE!) for a Great Cause
