Tampa Bay FIT FAQ

USA FIT Tampa Bay does not have a drop-in program. Our all-inclusive membership covers our seminars, coaching, and training runs. Visiting members from other USA Fit programs are always welcome!

USA FIT Tampa Bay is an award-winning, 25-week running and run/walk program. This same program is currently being held in over 50 cities throughout the U.S. and internationally. USA FIT Tampa Bay will begin its next season in August 2019. Want to meet us now? Check out our events on Facebook and join TBF friends on their next group run – we’d love to meet you!

USA FIT Tampa Bay is perfect for anyone who has a desire to challenge themselves, wants to exercise and make new friends, wants to increase their body strength and stamina, wants to look and feel better, or simply wants to get involved in a healthy lifestyle sport. Whether you have only dreamed of completing a marathon or have done several, this program has something to offer you!

The official USA FIT Tampa Bay season is the six months prior to our final season target race. This usually runs from August to February. This is when we hold our seminars and provide training schedules for our members. Check out the area group runs to Stay Fit in the off season!

We train in the heart of St. Pete, downtown where all the action takes place and beauty abounds! What more could you as for?! We meet in the parking lot at North Shore Drive and 12th Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, FL (next to the tennis courts). We also take field trips to Bellaire Bridge, Clearwater Beach, and Safety Harbor to vary our terrain and get in that great hill training on the bridges.

USA FIT Tampa Bay is not associated with a charity, and you do not need to raise money to participate in this program. There are several good marathon training programs where raising money for a charity is part of the program. While these can be effective and rewarding, we realize that it’s not for everyone, and it may be impossible to do year after year. Some of our members choose to raise money for a charity, but it certainly isn’t a requirement.

It all began in Houston about 25 years ago with about 50 runners, two guys, and an idea that runners needed some guidance and training to achieve their marathon goals.

Our first weekend run is a pace finder run. Your run or walk time will place you in a color group. You should  run at a pace at which you feel you could keep going for a little bit beyond the mileage we have set and be able to talk. If you couldn’t keep running after completing our initial pace finder, then you are going too fast.

Simply because you are training for a marathon or half marathon, not a two- or three-mile race. Walking or running too fast will seriously compromise your training season. If you find your correct training pace from the beginning, you will complete the marathon in less time, you will experience fewer injuries, and you will have a lot more fun.

Most weekends, after the group run, we’ll hold a 15-25 minute educational seminar. Topics will all be health and fitness related, and will be led by knowledgeable speakers. After each seminar, you will break off into your color groups for a brief talk and question-and-answer with your coach.

We meet at a specified time, arriving ten minutes early to sign in. We will run the prescribed mileage for that week and return for light stretching or core work. Then a 15-25 min seminar with a different topic/speaker each time is presented. We then break into our color groups and get a few updates from our color group coach or our organizer.

Our schedule comes from the great folks at USA Fit. Since 1989, they have been training people all over the country just like us. Everybody has a different marathon philosophy, but ours has been tested literally tens of thousands of times.

Yes, you do, thanks to our running store sponsor, St. Pete Running Company.

USA FIT Tampa Bay offers extremely competitive prices you won’t find anywhere else. Our program is nationwide. Tampa Bay Fit’s 25 -week training program costs only $120 for new members. Early bird specials and return members discounts are offered.

• Ability-based group workouts and coaching
• Weekly training schedules
• Group runs with course support, hydration stations, and coaches to motivate and encourage you on the run
• Weekly seminars
• The coveted USA FIT Tampa Bay techt-shirt
• Discounts at local retailers
• Social activities and more!

We will have an in-person sign up party at St. Pete Running Company  time TBA. In-person sign up will also be available at our Orientation on August 11th and the 2018 season Kick Off on August 18th. Sign up for our newsletter on our home page to receive the details.

The sign-up sessions include registration, an orientation, and an opportunity to meet the coaches. Our kick off day will include a short pace finder run or walk which helps place you in the correct training group.

If you wish to pay by credit card, please register online. Otherwise please bring a check or cash to the registration dates.

If possible, we’d like you to attend orientation the first week of the season, beginning in August. All members will walk or run their first 2 or 3 miles at the Kick Off.

Yes, you should still sign up! We’d like you to attend the first week for the reasons outlined in the previous Q&A, but we know not everyone can make it to week 1. That’s why we have another sign-up the following week. The week 2 seminar will be a quick overview of week 1, but we also have Coaches/Assistant Coaches ready to answer any question you have from the previous week.

No, your payment to USA FIT Tampa Bay only covers the cost of your participation in the training program. Each season, Tampa Bay Fit offers a full marathon schedule for the Disney Marathon and the Clearwater Distance Classic marathon, along with a half marathon and full marathon schedule for our season finale target race each year. We are looking into target race options for 2019-20 season and the possibility of keeping it local and partnering with St. Pete Distance Classic. Many members also train with us for these other half and full marathons: Florida Road Races, St. Pete Beach Classic, Best Damn Race, Gasparilla Distance Classic, Marine Corps Marathon, Space Coast Marathon and Half Marathon, New York Marathon, and many other races across the country. If you are trying to qualify for Boston, then our Green group is for you! Many times, you’ll have a new Tampa Bay Fit (TBF) friend, or TBF group of friends, to train and meet up with at any given race. Of course, our scheduled target races are a guaranteed fun time with the whole team!

During the week, we run or walk for minutes. So if the schedule says “30” on a Tuesday, you should run or walk 30 minutes. Do this at a comfortable pace unless instructed to do otherwise. On the weekends, we do miles, so the schedule will say 4 miles. Listen to your coaches on how to run/walk these miles each week.

No, many members are unable to make every weekend session. The weekend seminars are important, but you can always ask your coach or running buddies about what you missed. However, those long runs are a lot easier when you’re doing them with the group! And in our experience, the success of our members is directly proportional to their ability to attend our weekend training runs and seminars. When you do have to miss a week, check our website for the next week’s schedule. REMEMBER AS WITH ANY PROGRAM-YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN. Your participation is vital to your success.

Sure! We encourage you to participate in races during training. In fact, every year we have races as part of our training schedule. These races are meant as intermediate goals along the way, they are a great way to practice the race-day strategies that we will teach you, and they are a lot of fun. The benchmark races for the 2019-20 season are St. Pete Run Fest and St. Pete Beach Classic

Absolutely. USA FIT has programs in many other cities, and you are welcome to attend any USA FIT meeting anywhere.

Send us an e-mail at info@usafitshreveport.com. Thanks!