For the past seven years, classroom sessions have preceded the group runs on the first seven or eight Saturday mornings of the Mill Race Marathon training sessions.
This year, the eight classroom sessions will be virtual.
Those sessions will kick off this week with Training Program Introduction and Lessons Learned Part 1. Alex Contreras, who has run the training sessions the past few years, also will lead this week’s classroom session on Zoom.
“All the classes that used to be face to face, we are going to do that by computer,” Contreras said. “We will be able to see each other. Everybody will have the opportunity to see the material and ask questions. We’ll just be using technology. A lot of people have been working from home now for 10 weeks or more, so people are familiar with these types of platforms.”
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The classes begin at 7 a.m. Saturdays. In past years, the attendees would go for a run after meeting at YES Cinema. But this year, they will be able to do the runs at any time.
The Training Program also has included two weeknight sessions, meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday’s at Central Middle School and at 7 p.m. Thursdays on the People Trail just west of Parkside Elementary. For at least the first few weeks, those sessions will be virtual, as well.
Mill Race Marathon race director Randy Stafford said he and Contreras will have routes and workouts to provide to everybody so that they can do the Saturday run and the workouts during the week on their own. The routes and workouts will be posted at millracemarathon.com and on the Columbus Running Club’s Facebook page.
“I don’t think we’re comfortable with having everybody meet in a large group yet until probably July,” Stafford said. “If we start meeting, we wouldn’t put water stops out. We would have people leave a water bottle at a specific spot, or they could carry one with them.”
Stafford said the marathon committee will start pushing out information on the Mill Race Marathon Facebook page and on other social media. The early registration deadline has been moved back from June 30 to July 31.
“Even if people are not signed up to run at this point, they are still welcome to participate in the (training) program,” Stafford said. “We realize there is still a lot of uncertainty about the program. If they want to wait until we understand what’s happening with the virus, they can still join the training program and sign up for the race later.”
For now, Stafford doesn’t think the Sept. 26 marathon, half marathon and 5K are in danger of being canceled.
“It’s just still too uncertain,” Stafford said. “We’re planning to hold the event at this point, but that’s also contingent on what happens over the summer in terms of, ‘Does the virus calm down, go away or does it continue to spread?’ The end of June is when we’re going to be able to sit down with the medical people from the hospital and all of the safety people for the city. That’s when we’ll really get our first good read on, ‘What should we do?’”
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For the next eight weeks, the Mill Race Marathon training program will put on virtual classes. The schedule:
Week;Topic;Presenter
Kickoff;Training Program Introduction and Lessons Learned Part 1;Alex Contreras
1;Shoes and running attire;White River Running Company
2;Warm-up and Stretch;Hunter Meyercord
3;Nutrition;Shayla Holtkamp
4;The Training Effect;Shayla Holtkamp
5;Cross Training and Core Strength;Alex Contreras
6;Injuries, Injury Prevention;Mandy Wyant
7;Running Lessons Learned Part 2;Alex Contreras
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What: Eighth Annual Mill Race Marathon, half marathon and 5K
When: Sept. 26
Where: Begins and ends on Washington Street just north of downtown Columbus
Cost: $70 for marathon, $55 for half and $20 for 5K through July 31; $80 for marathon, $65 for half and $25 for 5K from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31; $95 for marathon, $80 for half, $30 for 5K from Sept. 1 through 24; $110 for marathon, $95 for half, $35 for 5K at packet pickup Sept. 25 and 26
Registration: millracemarathon.com
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