TRAIN.
RACE.
EXPLORE.
January 20, 2026
Week 2: Winter Training, Injury Prevention, and More.
Hey MIT,
We hope you all enjoyed last weekend's snow-globe run! With Ohio winter weather being as unpredictable as it is, 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 Workouts: Heads up! Wednesday workouts will be posted in V.02 in blocks since weather and trail conditions vary. The first few Weds workouts will populate before the workout tomorrow.
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Cap City Discount Code - Haven't signed up for Cap City Yet? Use code CC15-A9K2 at checkout!
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-- I swear, 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 - We should be all caught up, but if not, please email traininggroups@fleetfeetcolumbus.com.
Workout Hub
This Week's Workouts at a Glance
WEDNESDAY GRIT WORK: Track 400s
WHEN
Wednesday, January 21st @ 6:30pm
LOCATION
Fleet Feet Office
867 North High Street
Worthington OH, 43085
WORKOUT DETAILS:
Threshold pace is a "comfortably hard" running speed, roughly what you could sustain for an hour-long race, where your body produces lactate faster than it can clear it, pushing your endurance limits without causing immediate burnout. It's a key intensity for improving stamina, generally a bit slower than 10K race pace, making it challenging but sustainable.
How it feels:
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"Comfortably Hard": You're working hard and can only speak a few words at a time. This should be about the same pace as last week.
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Not All-Out: It's less intense than a 5K race pace but harder than a slow jog.
WARM UP ROUTE:
https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2125718
WORKOUT:
400 meter repeats. 400 meters is equal to one loop around the track.
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HALF MARATHONERS:
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8 x 400 meter repeats
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60 second walking/mill-about recovery
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FULL MARATHONERS:
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12 x 400 meter repeats
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60 second walking/mill-about recovery
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COOL DOWN: Cool down run back to office
NOTE: Please be sure to bring your own headlamp, reflective gear , and hydration for Wednesday night runs.
SATURDAY LONG RUN: Fleet Feet Upper Arlington
WHEN
Saturday, January 24th @ 8:00am
LOCATION
Fleet Feet Upper Arlington
1344 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH 43221
PARKING:
Park in the FREE Parking Garage across the street from the Fleet Feet Store. Absolutely no parking in the Fleet Feet Parking lot, behind the Fleet Feet building, in the Tommy's Pizza parking lot, or the Starbucks complex parking lot: You MAY GET TOWED! Please use the stop light to cross Lane Avenue.
WORKOUT DETAILS:
https://www.plotaroute.com/route/3208488
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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.
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
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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.
