Training Groups
Why Would You Need a Training Group?
Local training groups are great for beginners and long-time runners alike. Runners worldwide train and run for fitness using the Galloway Run Walk Run™ method.
The power of the group cannot be understated. Jeff’s success rate is 98% for those who go through and follow the Galloway Training Program. As a team, you can share the challenges, the laughs, the struggles, and the exhilaration. No one needs to go through a tough day without being bolstered by others. As you give support, you’ll receive much in return. Every year, in just about every pace group, lifelong friendships are formed.
Group Benefits
Getting you to the finish line injury-free!
Running together is more fun, as each member is motivated to run more often and stay injury-free. As you share stories (gossip, issues) and pull one another along, the miles go by much more quickly. Lifelong friendships are formed in these mission-oriented but laid-back groups.
“I totally know why you have so many people signed up.. It is the best, most sensible, enjoyable marathon training program in the world.”
In each location, pace groups (usually 8-15) are set up according to current fitness level. A leader keeps the speed slow enough for all members and enforces walk breaks from the beginning to the end.
Training Group FAQ
Take the Marathon Challenge: establish lifelong friendships, have fun, and stay injury-free!
The absolute simplicity and wisdom of the Jeff Galloway Training Programs allow almost anyone the opportunity to feel what it’s like to finish a half-marathon or marathon.
How far do I need to run to be able to complete this training program?
- If you can currently run/walk three miles, you can complete the training program.
- If you are running more than that continuously, this program will help you improve with minimal risk of injury.
How often do I need to run to be able to complete this training program?
- Depending on your goals, total running will vary between 3 – 5 days per week.
- All participants are encouraged to take one day a week off completely.
- Beginners wishing to complete the distance will run three days a week and walk or cross-train two days a week.
- Novices wishing to complete the distance will run three days per week and cross-train two days a week.
- Advanced runners with a specific time goal will run four days a week and cross-train one day a week.
- Cross-training or walking will benefit you and help you recover from your longer training runs, regardless of the pace you maintain. Cross-country ski machines, water running, cycling, and any other mode that you find fun and interesting (but non-pounding) will improve overall fitness.
How fast do I need to run to be able to complete this training program?
- Groups are divided by pace and ability.
- All groups will be led by an experienced Group Leader who will help guide your training at a pace that is appropriate for you.
- The goal is for all participants, regardless of pace, to stay conversational during the long group training runs. This means that you should exert yourself at a low enough level to talk. It’s okay to take deep breaths between sentences, but you don’t want to “huff and puff” between every word.
When and for how long does the group meet to run?
- The training group meets for runs once a week.
- The time it takes to run will progressively increase throughout the program. Depending on the mileage covered, it will vary from about 40 minutes to over 5 hours in the later stages of the marathon training.
What if I cannot attend every week? What if it’s raining and cold?
- Attendance is encouraged every week but not mandatory. As long as the weather is not hazardous, we will meet every week. The group atmosphere will help you get out on those cold or hot, rainy mornings. HINT: It’s hard to make excuses when others are waiting for you!
What about these walk breaks?
- Most runners will record significantly faster times when they take walk breaks because they don’t slow down at the end of a long run. Thousands of time-goal-oriented veterans have improved by 10, 20, 30 minutes, and more in marathons by taking walk breaks early and often in their goal races. You can easily spot these folks. They’re the ones who are picking up speed during the last two to six miles when everyone else is slowing down.
- The mental benefit: breaking [13 miles or] 26 miles into segments, which you know you can do. Even sub-three-hour marathoners continue to take their walk breaks to the end. One of them explained it this way: “Instead of thinking at 20 miles I had six more gut-wrenching miles to go, I was saying to myself, ‘Only one more mile until my break.’ Even when it was tough, I always felt I could go one more mile.
Why do walk breaks work?
- By using muscles in different ways from the beginning, your legs keep their bounce as they conserve resources. When a muscle group, such as your calf, is used continuously step by step, it fatigues relatively soon. The weak areas get overused and force you to slow down later or scream at you in pain afterward. By shifting back and forth between walking and running muscles, you distribute the workload among various muscles, increasing your overall performance capacity. For veteran marathoners, this is often the difference between achieving a time goal or not.
- Walk breaks significantly speed up recovery because there is less damage to repair. Early walk breaks erase fatigue, and later walk breaks reduce or eliminate overuse muscle breakdown.
Do I need to take the walk breaks on the short runs during the week?
- If you can run continuously now on shorter runs, you don’t have to take the walk breaks. If you want to take them, do so. Walk breaks on midweek runs will ensure that you recover from the long ones at the fastest pace.
Is there a cost for the training program, and how do I sign up?
- Yes, there is a cost. The cost varies with the length of the program, whether it is a 10K, Half Marathon, or Full Marathon Training Program. You can check for a group near you on the local group listings below and follow the email links to ask questions or the registration link to get started.
List Of Cities
Local Training groups near you
Use the table and search box below to see if there is a local group in your area.
Use the email or register links in the chart to get started or ask for more information from the group leader. Local groups are a great way to get started and meet like-minded people. Best of all, they include built-in accountability.
< Swipe on mobile >
State / Region / Provence | City | Program | Contact | Registration Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alaska | Fairbanks | 5K/10K | Nettie La Belle-Hamer | Register |
Arizona | East Valley | Half-marathon | Mary Shepherd | Register |
California | Long Beach | Half-marathon, 5K, 10k | Kelley Tenny | Register |
California | Ventura | Half Marathon, Marathon | Cheri Whitt | Register |
Colorado | Denver | Marathon, Half-marathon | Mike Costas | Register |
DC | Washington DC | Half Marathon & Marathon | Floyd Crawford & Lisa Speeder | Register |
Florida | Aventura | Marathon, Half Marathon | Heidy Arellano & Marina Alvarez | Register |
Florida | Daytona Beach | Half Marathon | Juan Guevara | Register |
Florida | Delray Beach | Getting Started, 5K, Half-Marathon, Marathon, Year-round | Chrissy Matheney | Register |
Florida | Gainesville | 5K, Half-Marathon & Marathon | Elizabeth Hanselman | Register |
Florida | Jacksonville | Year-Round, Marathon, Half Marathon, Getting Started | JaxTraining | Register |
Florida | Lakeland | Walking Group/Half Marathon/Marathon | Brendan Ellis | Register |
Florida | Santa Rosa Beach | 5K Getting Started | Darla Ogle | Register |
Florida | Space Coast | Marathon, Half Marathon | Kate Dermody | Register |
Florida | St. Augustine | Getting Started 5K, Marathon & Half Marathon | Heather Proffitt | Register |
Florida | Tampa | Marathon, Half Marathon | Mark Lane-Holbert Meghan Lane-Holbert | Register |
Florida | Weston | Marathon & Half Marathon | Heidy Arellano & Marina Alvarez | Register |
Georgia | Albany | Marathon, Half Marathon | Adrienne Leigh | Register |
Georgia | Atlanta | Marathon, Half Marathon | Lori Lovelace | Register |
Georgia | Dunwoody | Half Marathon | Hannah ODonoghue | Register |
Georgia | Savannah | Fall Training Program | Jackie Falls | Register |
Idaho | Boise | 10K & Half Marathon | Randi Braunwalder | Register |
Indiana | Valparaiso | Marathon & Half Marathon | Ed Burns | Register |
Kansas | Lawrence | Getting Started, 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Marathon | J Jenkins | Register |
Louisiana | Mandeville | Getting Started, 5K Training | Michelle Klein | Register |
Maryland | Columbia | Marathon, Half Marathon | Brena Starr | Register |
Michigan | Alanson | 10K, Half and Full Marathon | Jim Weller | Register |
Missouri | Springfield | Marathon, Half Marathon | Zoe Cofer | Register |
Montana | Missoula | Marathon, Half Marathon | Danette Rogers & Teresa Nichols | Register |
New Hampshire | Manchester | 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon | Therese Kerman | Register |
New Jersey | Jersey Shore | Getting Started, Running for Fitness, Half Marathon, Marathon | Mark Van Sant & Jen Karweit | Register |
New York | Buffalo | Marathon, Half Marathon, Getting Started (5k) | Megan Nelson | Register |
New York | New York | Marathon, Half Marathon | Karen Casko and Priscilla Upshaw | Register |
North Carolina | Charlotte | Half-Marathon, Marathon | Mike McPherron | Register |
North Carolina | Raleigh | Half-Marathon, Marathon | Eric Johnson | Register |
Ohio | Cincinnati | Marathon, Half Marathon | Suzelle Snowden | Register |
Ohio | Dayton | 10K, Marathon, Half Marathon | Nate Buckner | Register |
Ohio | Toledo | 5k, 10k, Half Marathon/Marathon | Nickie Klepper Sattler | Register |
Oklahoma | Tulsa | Year-Round Training for all distances (Run-Walk-Run and Walking Groups) | Maurine Dobson | Register |
Texas | Austin | Marathon, Half Marathon | Joshua Hsu | Register |
Texas | Dallas | Marathon, Half Marathon | Shannah and Kelly Hayley | Register |
Texas | El Paso | Marathon, Half Marathon | Ofelia Dominguez | Register |
Texas | Ft Worth | Marathon, Half Marathon | Bev Hope | Register |
Texas | The Woodlands | Half-marathon, Fitness Walkers | Molly Field-Stout | Register |
Virginia | Greater South Hampton Roads | Year-round Training for all distances | Charlie Surran | Register |
Washington | Point Ruston | 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon | Rossana Zemek | Register |
BC, Canada | Maple Ridge | Year-Round Training including Half Marathon, 5k, 10k | Ingrid Jamault | |
Cesena, Italy | Marathon, Half Marathon | Silvia Luna | ||
Milan, Italy | Marathon, Half Marathon | Angela Weaver | ||
Vicenza, Italy | Marathon, Half Marathon | Matteo Mastrovita | ||
Koblenz, Germany | Marathon, Half Marathon, Getting Started | Ute Simon-Adorf | ||
Ramat-Ha’Sharon, Israel | Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K | Gila Alter | ||
Australia | Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K | Wade & Louise Norrie | ||
No groups in your area?
If you’re committed, consider becoming a program director for a new Jeff Galloway training group in your local area.