I am running a marathon in t-minus 162 days. Holy WHOA… so close yet so far away! The most common tip I’ve gotten about marathon training is to find a crew of people to run with. Given the fact that my charity team is five people strong and we’re all over the country, I took to the internet and found my brand new running crew: Boston Fit.

As they say on their website, Boston Fit is “a group of training partners and friends preparing together for a fall marathon or half marathon.” Basically, we meet up every Saturday morning (so so very early…), listen to a seminar on a running-related topic, and head out for our long runs together. I’m only three weeks in, but the verdict so far? Two very enthusiastic and sweaty thumbs up!

Here are my favorite things about Boston Fit so far:

1. Accountability: It is super easy to get myself up and rolling on a weekend morning when I have a place to be and a time to be there.
2. The coaches: I’ve never had a running coach before and I’m pumped to have professional cheerleaders/advice givers to give me tips along the way.
3. The pace group: Boston Fit splits their runners into three pace groups and I somehow ended up in the fastest of the groups (say whaaatt??) It is really lovely to be with a group of people who challenge me to push myself. I tend to find I’m faster than most casual runners but slower than most hardcore runners, so this is a great middle ground.
4. The seminars: So far we’ve covered hydration and injury prevention, and I’m super pumped about the sessions on proper gear and running form. SO much to be learned…
5. The training plan: Every week, Boston Fit gives each pace group a detailed plan for which days to run, how many minutes to run for, and when to fit in hills and tempo runs. I’ve never run for time before (my training plans have always been mileage-based) but I feel great so far, and I LOVE not having to plan out my runs myself. Especially the long run routes!
6. This girl: I somehow managed to get my former work wife and running bestie Bry on board to train for her first marathon with me at Boston Fit. Hooray for fit friends!!

Oh yeah, if you haven’t yet, head on over to my fundraising page to support my NYC marathon run for the Celiac Disease Foundation. And if you or anyone you know wants to train with us for a fall marathon, tell them about Boston Fit–there’s still time to join!

Happy running,

Leah