Foot Traffic University Group Training & Coaching

Spring program begins Feb. 24th!

GROUP WORKOUTS & COACHING

  • Weekly Saturday group workouts rotating each weekend between different quadrants of the city.
  • Pace group mentors for runners, walk/joggers, and walkers! Find your pace with us!
  • Weekly email with workouts and guidance.
  • Guest speakers.
  • Member shirts and a free pair of socks from our sock sponsor!
  • BONUS! Program completion medals! New members (those who haven’t earned a medal yet) will receive a program medal upon completion! All members, returning and new, will also earn extra lanyard pins for every session you complete!
  • Exclusive discounts to races and Foot Traffic stores.

VIRTUAL WORKOUTS & COACHING

  • Receive weekly emails and a training plan for the season.
  • Separate virtual pace leader to check in with virtual members.
  • Exclusive race and store discounts.
  • Free technical running/walking socks, member shirt.
  • BONUS! Program completion medals! New members (those who haven’t earned a medal yet) will receive a program medal upon completion! All members, returning and new, will also earn extra lanyard pins for every session you complete!
  • Train on your own with expert guidance and motivation!
  • Access to coaches with questions or training tips.
  • Stay motivated by following along with the group training and setting goals with others!

WE MAKE CALCULATING PACE EASY!

Pace is highly individualized, but sometimes you just need a simple assessment to get you started. But sometimes you just gotta get started and make it easy at first. Here’s our suggestion to get you going before the season starts:

  1. Find a course that is exactly a mile long and pretty flat (4 laps on a track works, of course!
  2. Warm up for about 5 minutes with active stretching and a light walk or jog.
  3. Time your mile and try to keep it at a pace where you can have a conversation the whole time with someone (or if you’re alone, sing a song quietly under your breath for the entirety of the time).
  4. Plug your mile time in the calculator below, pick your distance goal, and you’ll find a pretty close estimate of your time!

Have questions about Foot Traffic University?

I can't make the first meeting or I may miss some early workouts or even the goal event. Is that a problem?

Nope! The first day is a fantastic time to get acquainted, but the workout is brief and you’ll be able to pick up where we left off the next week with little problem. The rest of the workouts are absolutely imperative to your success, but we all miss a few weekend because of tough schedules every now and then. You will get weekly workouts emailed to you, so you can always do some on your own! And the final event…well, you can choose any event to work towards! The events we chose just happen to be great for first timers.

Where and when does this program meet?

FTU meets pretty much most Saturday mornings at 8am. We meet ALL over the Portland/Vancouver area and alternate locations each weekend so you don’t get bored with the same course over and over again and it keeps it interesting. We usually rotate between each Foot Traffic store location so there is a bathroom and coverage in bad weather. There are optional group workouts during the week around Portland, but the workouts we give to you are meant to also be done on your own during your busy work week.

I have NO idea what pace I am. How do I know which group to join.

Use our pace calculator above and follow our step by step instructions! Or just wait until our pace evaluation day during the program. Pace groups are not set in stone and we usually expect your to switch pace groups up or down as needed when you settle into a rhythm during the program. We have tons of pace groups and it is expected that you will start in one pace group and switch to a different one after a few weeks of training.

Which pace groups do you usually have?

These can adjust based on on the pace of our membership each season, but usually we cover: Running groups: 8 min miles (sometimes faster if it’s needed!), 9-10 min, 10-10:30, 10:30-11, 11-11:30, 11-12, Walk jog groups: 2-3 different walk jog combo groups with varying paces based on membership. Walking groups:  14 min. and under, 15-16 min., 16-17, 17 and over.

I can't run the whole time, but I'd like to try. Is there a jog/walk combo group?

YES! We usually have 2-3 different walk/jog pace groups with different walk/jog ratios and different paces overall. We adjust these a bit to accommodate our members each session, but you’ll find something that works for you! Something for just about everyone!

Do I have to attend every meeting? I'll be gone on certain weekends?

No! We understand that we all have busy schedules and family and jobs often take priority. FTU is meant to compliment your busy life, not become another source of anxiety. Most of the workouts you can do on your own. Of course, the more meetings you make, the better success you’ll see!

Can a friend show up with me the first day to see if they like it and pay afterward?

Absolutely! The first day is a TON of fun and a great way to find out what you’re in for! If they decide that it’s not what they’re looking for, no problem! But we think they’ll like it!

Are there weekday workout options?

YES! They are not mandatory, but we STRONGLY encourage you to look at the group workouts at the bottom of this page and join fellow members there.

I'd love to find training partners from this group. How do I do that?

We LOVE the sense of community our program provides and we want to encourage that. As a result, we HIGHLY recommend members join our Facebook group to post their progress, look for training partners, post pictures, and ask questions. We can’t give everyone’s email out, so this is the best way for participants to communicate outside of the group in a safe way. In addition, we work on facilitating communication at the meetings as well.

My friend has much more/less experience than me. Do we start at the same mileage?

Everyone starts each workout together so we keep everyone sticking together no matter what your background is. However, each course will have ‘loops” or “butterfly” routes that allows those with more fitness background to continue farther based on their ability. But all pace groups stick together for the first “loop” or section of the courses!

How do I find out what mileage to do each week? How do you contact me?

You will receive a weekly email with a detailed workout summary with EXACT workouts you need to train at. The email will also remind you about where we’re meeting the next weekend and what the mileage/topic/course will be as well.

I'm not getting the emails. Help!

Email systems don’t always like new email senders, so emails can often end in spam folders or just be hidden altogether. Here are the steps we recommend you follow. 1.) Click here and just add your email again, just in case you accidentally marked us as spam in the past. 2.) Do a SEARCH in your inbox versus just checking spam folders. Look for “ftu” or “foottraffic.us” as key words. 3.) Call the store or email us and let us know if these aren’t working!