

TRAIN.
RACE.
EXPLORE.



January 14, 2025
Week 2: Ice, Ice, Baby!
Hey MIT,
We hope you all enjoyed last weekend's surprise snow day! Whether you braved the wintery wonderland for a solo run (serious kudos 🥶), chose a cozy treadmill session (Netflix and run, anyone?), or embraced a well-deserved recovery day (the MVP move 🏆), we salute you!
With this weather being as unpredictable as the cleanliness of an Olentangy Trail porta-potty, keep an eye out for last-minute changes to our workouts. We’re in this together, dodging icy patches and chasing goals! And remember: half or full marathon training isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. A missed run, a snowstorm, or even forgetting to charge your watch (gasp!) won’t derail your journey. Embrace the chaos because race day is rarely perfect, and that’s part of the adventure.
Important Updates This Week:
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Wednesday Workout Change: Heads up! Our Wednesday GRIT workout is moving to a new location and plan. Read below for details.
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V.O2 Update: This week’s GRIT workout in V.02 won’t align with our in-person GRIT workout because we’ve made adjustments to appease the Winter Gods. If your watch prompts you for the assigned workout, just hit "Dismiss" and stick with the plan above.
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January 25th MIT x FAST RABBITS CROSSOVER: A Fun Run for the whole family is ahead! Scroll down to read more.
Must-Read This Week:
Our Medical Director, Dr. Darrin Bright, has an essential article to help us kick off the season strong. Take five minutes to read it and watch the YouTube video—it’s worth it! Also, if you're an introvert at heart and new to MIT. our dear friend and published author, Nita Sweeney, as some thoughts to make this whole large group training thing a little less overwhelming. ❤️
And as always, keep tagging @mitmarathoners on Instagram! We love featuring your snowy miles, treadmill triumphs, and everything in between on our stories.
Let’s tackle this week head-on! Keep progressing, keep smiling, and we’ll see you out there!
Warm (hopefully snow-free) strides,
Coach Hannah
NOTE: Thank you for your patience as I continue to assign V.02 training plans. If you have not accessed V.02, please click the blue "MY TRAINING PLAN" button at the top of this page. If your race plan falls outside of 4/26-5/4, please email hannah@fleetfeetcolumbus.com to arrange a 1-on-1 coaching session.


Workout Hub
This Week's Workouts at a Glance
WEDNESDAY GRIT WORK: LITTLE BEAR FARTLEKS
WHEN
Wednesday, January 15th @ 6:30pm
LOCATION
Fleet Feet Lewis Center
1270 E. Powell Road
Lewis Center, OH 43035
WORKOUT DETAILS:
A "fartlek workout" is a training method for runners/walkers that involves alternating between fast and slow paces. The term comes from the Swedish word fartlek, which means "speed play". Remember: Speed is a relative term, and all paces are welcome and will benefit from joining us for GRIT workouts!
WARM UP: 1 mile from LC to Little Bear - ROUTE HERE
WORKOUT: 1/4 Mile Fartleks on Little Bear Loop - ROUTE HERE
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HALF MARATHONERS:
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4 x 0.25 miles on, 0.25 miles off
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FULL MARATHONERS:
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6-8 x .25 miles on, 0.25 miles off
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COOL DOWN: Cool down run back to store
NOTE: Please be sure to bring a headlamp and reflective gear for Wednesday night runs. Fleet Feet Lewis Center will be CLOSED by the time we are done with our workout, so please do NOT leave anything inside the store, or it will be locked in overnight. ;)
SATURDAY LONG RUN: Fleet Feet Hamilton Quarter
WHEN
Saturday, January 18th @ 8:00am
LOCATION
Fleet Feet Hamilton Quarter
5792 N Hamilton Rd
Columbus, OH 43230
WORKOUT DETAILS:
Long Run Route - Note, we may update this due to trail conditions. Stay tuned!
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HALF MARATHONERS:
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4 miles
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FULL MARATHONERS:
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7 miles
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EDGE:
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14-16 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.


MEET YOUR MIT MEDICAL TEAM
SEAN HUFFMAN, FIT FOR LIFE PHYSICAL THERAPY
Welcome to Marathoner in Training! Every 7 days, during this winter and spring session of MIT you will see a newsletter article pertinent to that point in our training season.
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When the weather is going to be cold, we will spend time on how to run & walk safely in winter weather.
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During that time in the season when loads of people get sore muscles, we will talk about our Runners & Walkers 10 Exercises.
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If it is that week in the session when we notice more piriformis injuries, we will offer you information on preventing, recognizing, and treating piriformis injuries.
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And, of course, when race day is approaching, we will work together to figure out a good nutrition & hydration plan.
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We welcome questions, love your input, and will be with you every step of the way…right up until race day.
Meet our MIT Medical Director, Dr Darrin Bright. Dr. Bright is a primary care sports medicine physician and running medicine expert. Darrin has paced and raced scores of marathons and has been the medical director for the Columbus Marathon, as well as Cap City & Emerald City Half Marathons. A substantial portion of his practice is dedicated to treating runners and walkers just like you. He is our RunDoc!
Today Dr Bright will help us lean into the basics of running & walking injury prevention and recognition – better known as “how to stay healthy while training.” Take a look at the article below and watch the corresponding episode of our Ask The Experts video series!
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

ACCESS YOUR TRAINING PLANS
INTRODUCING THE VDOT TRAINING PLATFORM
As a community, we’ve always prided ourselves on combining tradition with innovation. For years, our custom Excel training plans have guided countless athletes toward their goals, built on the rock-solid training principles pioneered by legendary coach Dr. Jack Daniels. Now, we’re taking those same principles you know and trust and moving them into the 21st century with the VDOT platform!
VDOT isn’t just another training tool—it’s a game changer. Based on Dr. Daniels’ groundbreaking work, VDOT provides a personalized measure of your current running ability and helps you zero in on the paces that are right for you. All it takes is entering a recent race result or an estimated performance, and the platform calculates your unique VDOT score. From there, it tailors training paces and plans to your current fitness or aspirational goals.
Why the switch to VDOT? It’s simple: precision and personalization. With VDOT, we can take our training plans to the next level, giving you real-time updates on your workouts, streamlining your progress tracking, and ensuring that every session is customized to where you are right now.
Want to understand what VDOT pace categories are? Check out this guide to learn more about the paces and principles behind the platform: https://vdoto2.com/learn-more/training-definitions.
Together, we’re bridging the gap between time-tested training methods and modern technology to help you achieve your best. Here’s to smarter training and stronger strides!
Want to try it out? Click the ACCESS VDOT button below and fill out the form to receive your invitation link.
Prefer the classic excel sheet? No worries, the excel sheets will not be going away. Click "EXCEL SHEET" below to stick with the basics.
NOTE: Our team is diligently working to get your plans assigned as soon as possible! If your plan hasn't been assigned yet, have no fear, it will be soon. For those of you who are not racing on 4/26-4/27 or 5/3-5/4, please arrange a private coaching session with Hannah by emailing hannah@fleetfeetcolumbus.com

MIT x FAST RABBITS @ Crooked Can Brewery
A FUN CROSSOVER EVENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Join us for a first-of-its-kind MIT x Fast Rabbits cross-over! That's right! MIT is joining forces with Fast Rabbits to get kids and adults moving like never before! Bring your kiddos to Crooked Can Brewing in Hilliard on January 25th at 8:00am for a free kids workout while you do your MIT long run!
WHAT IS FAST RABBITS?
The Fast Rabbits Youth Running Club offers participants the opportunity to participate in regular physical activity and to learn about healthy lifestyle behaviors along the way. We're not just here to prepare for a race, we're here to empower your athlete with knowledge and an understanding of lifelong fitness.
Though our focus is, ostensibly, on running, we allow kids time to just be kids as well! Your athlete will be introduced to different types of running/training (i.e. road running, trail running, track workouts and circuit training), running drills and stretching to improve form and prevent injury, as well as fun game.
WHAT WILL THE KIDDOS DO WHILE YOU ARE RUNNING?
The kiddos will do the Fast Rabbits Winter Season conditioning workout, which will consist of about 10 minutes of dynamic stretching/drills, 20 minutes of running, 10 minutes of strength training (body weight exercises), and 10 minutes of static stretching -- with plenty of water breaks in between!
Adults are welcome to stay with their kids if their kids would feel more comfortable with them in that capacity - Please note that we can only accommodate cross-over workouts for HALF MARATHON MILEAGE.
Interested in having the family participate in this event? Sign up below!

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