2023 Fall Race Training Program


Main Details

For the 18th year, 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 8, 2023.

WhereSt. 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 routes including the Monon Trail, Central Canal Towpath, rolling hills through Williams Creek, and Butler University. We will also continue to spend some time on the Monumental Marathon course to help gain familiarity 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 – the Indianapolis Half Marathon (“Fort Ben”) on October 7, 2023 and the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and Half Marathon on October 28, 2023. 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 at falltraining@indyrunners.org.

Cost

This training program is INCLUDED with your 12 month Indy Runners and Walkers membership. Non-members who are interested are asked to 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 our membership page for 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 our other group runs and walks on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Wave Start Volunteers Wanted

We use a wave start 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!

Wave NumberPace (Mins/Mile)
Wave 1Faster than 8:30
Wave 2Faster than 9:30
Wave 3Faster than 10:30
Wave 410:30 and up
Wave 5All Walkers

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 at falltraining@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 weeks of running a few 3-5 mile runs each week with a weekly long run of 5-8 miles. A half marathon training base might consist of four to six weeks of 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 7, 2023 as 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 the Indianapolis Half Marathon as a training run or walk or come out for an alternate training program run/walk on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 8:00am from the regular Saturday morning run/walk location.

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

DateHalf - BasicHalf - AdvancedFull - BasicFull - Advanced
July 8, 2023481010
July 15, 20235101212
July 22, 2023681014
July 29, 20235101210
Aug. 5, 20236121414
Aug. 12, 2023771616 mi w/ 3-4 mi @
marathon race pace
Aug. 19, 20235121218
Aug. 26, 20238101610
Sept. 2, 2023991416
Sept. 9, 20236141618 mi w/ 4-6mi
@ marathon race pace
Sept. 16, 202310101820
Sept. 23, 2023881212
Sept. 30, 202312121822
Oct. 7, 2023
(No run - see tomorrow's special run!)
Indy HalfIndy HalfN/AIndy Half
Oct. 8, 2023
("Make-up" for Oct. 7, 2023)
(8:00am start!)
8151515
Oct. 14, 2023
(8:00am start!)
11
Tentative "Run the Monon" date
11
Tentative "Run the Monon" date
20
Tentative "Run the Monon" date
20 mi w/ 4-6 mi @ marathon race pace.
Tentative "Run the Monon" date
Oct. 21, 2023
 (8:00am start!)
661010 mi w/2-4 mi
@ marathon race pace
Oct. 28, 2023Monumental Half MarathonMonumental Half MarathonMonumental MarathonMonumental Marathon

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