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Females in Training (FIT) will begin training for this year’s Women’s Distance Festival 5K. Beginning Thursday, April 5 and running through Thursday, June 7 at 6:30 pm and ending by 8:00 pm each week on Thursday participants will meet for 10 weeks at Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, MD.

This beginning running program is designed for women who want to start running. FIT assumes you have never run before, and gives you the tools to run a 5K (3.1 miles) distance by the end of the program. The goal of the program is to get all participants to train for and complete the 5K Women’s Distance Festival. If you are already running you are welcome as long as you don’t run faster than a 10 minute pace. If you have graduated from this program in a previous season we encourage you to try Building to Bagel.

We will form groups based on your current fitness level. All participants will receive workouts that will gradually increase in distance and intensity. Each week, groups will be working out either on the track or the road depending on the purpose of that night’s goal, and will be expected to run on their own two other days of the week.

It is VERY important to just start where you are right now, since the workout will be building in intensity every week. If you have a medical condition that limits your exercise, we recommend you discuss this program with your doctor before participating. Do not increase your pace a lot the first night, and make sure you are walking or running at a heart rate that is safe for you.

This is an all-female group for women 18 and over. Registration will be done completely on-line. The fee is $50. Early Bird Registration is $45 from February 14-March 5. We ask that you complete your on-line registration prior to attending the first night so that we have an accurate count of participants. Please plan to arrive early the first night so that we may check everyone in and answer any questions. Traffic can be difficult at this time of day, so please expect it to take longer to get there than it would normally.

The fee for FIT is $50.00 for the 10 week program. This registration fee goes to the cost of using Howard County Public Schools Facilities as well as a premium for everyone completing 5 weeks or more, priceless advice from guest speakers, communication website and training schedules to begin your running lifestyle.

As a member of FIT, it is necessary for you to become a member of the Howard County Striders. Please ensure you are a member of the Howard County Striders prior to completing the F.I.T. application and pay for each individually. Sign up to be a Howard County Strider for the calendar year (online registration).

The Next Step FIT fee does NOT include the registration fee for the Women’s Distance Festival Race. Race Day for the Women’s Distance Festival in Columbia is set for Saturday, June 24, 2017. If you intend to participate in the race, you must sign up for it separately. You will receive a shirt with your registration and completion of the race.

1. You must sign the waiver before participating in F.I.T. A copy of this can be found on the application form.
2. The F.I.T program follows the RRCA’s safety rules: NO headsets/I pods on the track or road; NO strollers; NO pets. Please leave children at home as we do not offer child care.
3. For safety reasons the leadership reserves the right to cancel or alter the schedule for the evening activities if weather or conditions are unsafe.

We meet rain or shine, except when there is a threat of lightning. If there is a Code Red ozone day the workouts will be suspended. On Code Orange days we often hold optional and/or less intense workouts.

Since it will be hot out make sure you drink plenty of water before coming out and try to bring a bottle of water for hydrating during and after our workouts. Wear clothes that are comfortable and appropriate for the weather. Be sure to wear good shoes. We will have a guest speaker who will assist you in decision making for running shoes if you do not currently own a pair.

For more information, please use the Contact the Organizers link in the left column.