chicago distance series program
train for the chicago distance series with confidence!
Are you running the Chicago Distance Series in 2026? Whether it’s your first time running the series or you’ve run it before and want to train better this time around, having support for the entire journey will help you line up for each race feeling strong, confident, and ready to run your best!
As a Chicago-based coach who has coached many athletes to complete the Series, being intentional about each race and taking recovery between training cycles is key to minimize burn out + injury risk and perform your best at each race.
This first-of-its-kind program combines coaching, learning, and community to take the guesswork out of training and prepare you to be mentally + physically stronger than ever to conquer the 3 race distances.
Registration for the 2026 program is closed, however, there will be opportunities to train with TW Training for Chicago 13.1 and/or the Chicago Marathon individually. Sign up for the TW newsletters to stay informed!
How It works
who is this program designed for?
RACES:
You must be signed up for the Shamrock Shuffle 8K, Chicago 13.1, and Chicago Marathon in 2026, and these 3 races are your main focus for 2026.
You cannot be signed up for another half marathon in the spring or another marathon in the fall before Chicago. It’s okay to have shorter races within your builds (for example, a half marathon in August-September or a 10K in April-May when it makes sense within your training cycle), but training plans will not be modified for other goal races.
MILEAGE + PACING:
You must be consistently running 2-5 days/week and at least 5-6 miles per week but no more than 25 miles per week (on average) when starting the program in early February
This is primarily an online program, so all paces are welcomed. Runs are mostly programmed in minutes, so it is suitable for all levels.
MINDSET:
You don’t need a ton of day-to-day accountability from a coach, but do want to receive feedback on your data + have a place to ask questions to ensure you’re moving in the right direction and course correcting when needed
You are ready to implement a new approach to training and want to learn the why + how behind the training plan to continue growing beyond the program
You value community and are supportive of all levels of runners
OTHER:
If you are currently injured or haven’t properly rehabbed a recent injury, this would not be a good program for you. While support will be given if something happens within a training cycle, you should be healthy and ready to start your training plan in early February.
This program is best for runners who have completed between 0-5 marathons and consider themselves a novice-intermediate runner.
what tw training athletes are saying
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"I felt confident each week and the regular feedback was just what I needed to know if I was on the right track or needed to make little adjustments. It’s a great fit if you’re looking to improve overall or set a new PR, want the flexibility to train on your own schedule, and value structure without the rigidity of a 1:1 coach." - Calla G.
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"With Tammy's group program, I set a new marathon PR after getting progressively slower my last 2 marathons. I also ran 5x/week in training and did not get injured, which was a recurrent problem I'd had in the past." - Elizabeth D.
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"Getting a coach was the best decision ever! I didn’t have to stress out anymore with my training, as I trusted Tammy and followed her advice. It paid off in race day! I got a PR and most importantly, without any injuries." - Mary P.
what is included in the chicago distance series program?
3 Customized Training Plans:
You receive 3 training plans with this program in the V.O2 app - one for each race. They will be customized for your starting mileage and your paces will be customized based on your current fitness level. Garmin, Coros, and Strava sync directly with the app, making it easy to check off workouts as you go along.
Each training plan and chunk of the program will have a different focus. We’ll focus on speed + slowly building mileage for the Shamrock Shuffle 8K; we’ll focus on building your long run + longer speed workouts for Chicago 13.1; and then we’ll be further building your long run + weekly mileage to successfully race the Chicago Marathon. There will be recovery built in between training plans, as well.
Training plans start from your current mileage and build from there. Paces are customized within the platform based on your fitness level (as determined by a recent race or a short fitness test done early in training). So workouts will look different for runners starting at 10 miles/week versus 20 miles/week because if you already have a higher base of miles, your body can handle more speed.
Monthly Feedback: We will look at your workouts + training data in VDOT once/month for the length of the program and provide individualized feedback on what you’re doing well and what to work on to ensure you’re on the right track.
Race Ready Course Materials: Lifetime access to 30+ videos + resources in the Race Ready Curriculum walking you through everything you need to do to train with confidence, from fueling + hydration to adjusting for injuries + life stuff to strength workouts to setting goals + preparing to race day + post-race recovery + more. Peek at what it looks like here.
Injury Prevention + Strength Training: Strength training + injury prevention workshops throughout the program for Chicago-based athletes from a local physical therapist
Ongoing Support: Access to our team Discord to engage with the rest of the TW Training community, as well as a separate Chi Distance Series channel to ask Coach Tammy any training-specific questions as they come up and chat with others doing the Series.
Specific Race Support: Race prep workshop before each of the 3 races + on-course support for each race from Coach Tammy
Community: Monthly team runs in Chicago + events during race weekends
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Chicago Distance Series Program is for novice-intermediate runners, who are doing the series for the first time or want to improve upon a past year’s performance. Paces are customized for you in the VDOT app, so all levels are appropriate, however, if you are a higher mileage runner (running more than 20 miles/week in your off season) or are completely new to running, this wouldn’t be a good option.
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Your training plans will be customized for the mileage you’re starting from, and your paces will be customized for you in the platform based on a recent race [or time trial when you start]. Each training plan will build upon the last one in the series, so you’re never guessing what to do. It is NOT customized for your individual schedule and is NOT intended for runners doing a ton of races outside of the Series. You can use the videos in the materials to help you make adjustments, though, as well as ask Tammy questions in Discord if you’re ever unsure.
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This program is specifically for coaching through the entire Chicago Distance Series. If you want support for just one race, you can join the Race Ready Program.
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Yes, you have the option of splitting the investment into smaller payments.
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Discord is like a Facebook group or Slack. It’s an app that allows us to have a private team community with different channels for different topics. There is a private Chi Distance Series channel for this program to ask any training-specific questions, and you also have access to the other channels with other TW Team members to crowd source, coordinate in-person runs, and build community.
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No, this program is specifically for runners taking on the Chicago Distances Series (Shamrock Shuffle 8K, Chicago 13.1, and Chicago Marathon) as their goal races for the year. If you want to join a program for just a half marathon or marathon, check out Race Ready.
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You are welcome to run with another training group or running groups during your training for community and long run accountability, but you should expect to follow the training plans and feedback provided by this program. Otherwise you aren’t likely to see the same results as other participants.
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There are several videos in the resources that walk you through how to make modifications to your training plans in a smart way. Coach Tammy will also tell you in her monthly feedback if you’ve made adjustments that aren’t smart. Finally, you can ask questions in Discord if you’re still not sure what to do.
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Individualized strength workouts are not included, but strength training is written into all plans, and there are a few strength workouts available in the provided resources to support you. Cross training is programmed in some plans, specifically runners who are running only 3 days/week.
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No, it is not required to have a GPS watch for this program. It is very helpful to have a Garmin or Coros watch, however, as these sync directly with the app and workouts will load in your watch - so it saves you time. But Strava and Apple Watch also sync with VDOT, so if you are using a different watch or just the app on your phone, that works too!
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There are resources to support you if you start having pain and you also have access to Coach Tammy in Discord to ask questions. She’ll help you get back on your feet as quickly as possible if you were to get injured. If you are unable to complete more than half of the training because of injury, you will be given the option of joining Race Ready for another race or rejoining the Chi Distance Series Program in 2027. No refunds will be given.
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Reach out via the contact page [https://www.tw-training.com/contact] and we’ll get back to you with answers!
