Training Tips 

Professional Training Advice

Looking for some tips to help you train after you join Team Azalea Charities and start preparing to run your own event or the 2009 Marine? We strongly recommend you visit the Marine Corps Marathon Virtual Training offered by renowned running coach, Jeff Galloway.  Coach Galloway has great advice for first time and experienced runners.

Marathon Charity Partners (MCP) 2010 Spring Training Program
for Fall Marathons and Half-Marathons

Team Azalea Charities has not yet found a coach to offer training runs in the Washington D.C. or other areas around the country, but if you live in the Washington D.C. metro area, we want you to know that MCP’s experienced coaches are offering anyone on Team Azalea Charities an opportunity to participate in weekly marathon training sessions, plus online and in-place coaching tailored to your personal needs.

Weekly Saturday morning sessions will start in May with distances starting at 3 miles, working up to a 20-miler in late September, at beautiful locations including Belle Haven Park, Bethesda on the Capital Crescent Trail, Carderock on the C&O Canal Towpath, Lady Bird Johnson Park near the Pentagon, and Peirce Mill on the Rock Creek Park Trail.  

Get expert training from experienced MCP with RRCA and USAATF-certified coaches. Coaching is geared to first-time marathoners just wanting to finish the Marine Corps Marathon comfortably under the cut-off times, to more experienced runners looking to improve their marathon performance. They also offer free educational seminars on equipment, nutrition, hydration, injury prevention, and pre-race preparation.  If interested, call an MCP representative at (301) 807-8529 or visit their site at http://www.marathoncharitypartners.org/ .  Their fee for six months of training is a very good value at approximately $80 for six months.

Join a running club in your area

If getting yourself out the door 4-5 times a week for a training run seems overwhelming, consider joining one of the local running clubs in your area.  Each one typically has a handful of runners training for an upcoming marathon.

A really good list of running clubs in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania areas can be found at:  http://www.marylandrunning.com/clubs.phtml
        
A fairly complete list of running clubs across the country can be found at:
http://www.runningnetwork.com/read_resource/running-clubs