Champions Fit FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about Champions FIT:

Yes!  Registration will open on June 1, 2023 and stay open until August 30, 2023.  

USA FIT Champions does not have a drop-in program unless you are a visiting member of another USA FIT program. Our all-inclusive membership covers our seminars, coaching, and training runs/walks.

USA FIT Champions is an award-winning, 26-week running and walking program. This same program is currently being held in over 40 cities throughout the U.S. USA FIT Champions will begin its next season in July.

USA FIT Champions 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.

The official USA FIT Champions season is the six months prior to the Chevron Houston Marathon and the USA FIT Marathon, which occur in January and February. The season usually runs from mid July through early January. This is when we hold our seminars and provide training schedules for our members.

During the season, we meet at Vintage Park.

Walkers are welcome! We have a wonderful walking program that will enable you to complete the Houston Half Marathon in October, Cypress Half Marathon in November, and the Aramco Half Marathon and USA FIT Ft. Bend Kia Half in January or February.

USA FIT Champions 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 30 years ago with 50 runners, two guys, and an idea that runners needed some guidance and training to achieve their marathon goals.

Questions About the Program:

USA FIT Champions consists of a full marathon group, a half marathon group and a walking group, each with a head coach.  Assistant coaches (or run leaders) train with the various paces in each group. This system works because it allows you to train with those who are at your ability level.

Our first weekend run will be a two- or three-mile pace-finder walk or run. Your time for pace run/walk will place you in a group. You should walk or run at a pace at which you feel you could keep going for a little bit beyond those two or three miles. If you couldn’t keep walking or running after completing our initial pace finder, then you are going too fast.

 Simply because you are training for a 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.

Each weekend, after the group run, we’ll hold a 15-20 minute educational seminar. Topics will all be health- and fitness-related and will be led by industry professionals. After each seminar, you will break off into your color groups for a brief talk and question-and-answer with your coach.

We do our group runs and than afterwards hold either/or a seminar and a light core workout.  We will start at 6:30 during the summer months.  As our runs get longer, we will usually start earlier usually between 5-5:30am.  After our run, we spend a few minutes talking with the coaches and other members, asking questions, and making plans for the next week, etc.  Before the weekend, you will be given the starting time for the group run in the e-newsletter you’ll be receiving every Thursday.

 Our schedule comes from the great folks at USA FIT. For over 30 years, 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.

Questions about signing up

Signups for the 2023 season start on June 1 2023. You can sign up online by clicking on the red “Register Now” button at the top of the page.

USA FIT Champion’s 26-week training program for new members is $125.00

  • Ability-based group workouts and coaching
  • Weekly seminars
  • Weekly training schedules
  • USAFit Performance T-shirt
  • Discounts at sports apparel stores
  • Social activities and more!

USA FIT Champion’s 26-week training program for new members is $125.00

 Yes. When you register online by clicking on the red “Register Now” button at the top of the page, you can pay with a credit card.  

If possible, we will cover all the details of how the program works the first Saturday morning (July 15). The content of the first two seminars is also different. The first week is information about USA FIT Champions; the second seminar is a mandatory session on “Hydration and Warm Weather Running.”

The first meeting includes sign-ups, an orientation seminar, and a short group run. Everyone is strongly encouraged to come to both of the orientation/sign-up sessions (weeks 1 and 2), as the seminars will cover different information. The kick-off meeting takes approximately 1 hour.

Yes, you should still sign up! We’d like you to attend the first week to hear the orientation talk, but if you can’t join until a later week we’ll make sure you get all the information you need.

No, your payment to USA FIT Champions only covers the cost of your participation in the training program. We are not affiliated with the goal races in any way — we just train for them.

Questions about the Training

Realizing that most people lead very busy lives, this program is one that can easily fit into your schedule. For the most part, the program calls for running only four days a week. Your long run will usually take place on Saturday with your group. The day after your long run is always a rest day. During the week, you run for time only (i.e., 30 minutes), not for distance.

Realizing that most people lead very busy lives, this program is one that can easily fit into your schedule. For the most part, the program calls for running only four days a week. Your long run will usually take place on Saturday with your group. The day after your long run is always a rest day. During the week, you run for time only (i.e., 30 minutes), not for distance.

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

While those long runs are a lot easier when you’re doing them with the group, we know there are times when you won’t be able to make a weekend meeting. The seminars are important, so be sure to speak with your coach or running buddies about what you missed. In our experience, the success of our members is directly proportional to their ability to attend our weekend trainings. If you do have to miss a week, check this website for the next week’s schedule.

Sure! In fact, the entire group will be participating in one or more races this season. You certainly don’t have to be competitive about it, but it’s fun to run in a different place, get a race number, and cross the finish line.  It is also great experience and practice for your goal race.

Absolutely. USA FIT has programs in over 50 cities around the world, and you are welcome to attend any USA FIT meeting anywhere.

Other Questions

Of course you could. However, most likely you’ll get a nice T-shirt, a finisher’s medal, bragging rights, and a lot of cheers from spectators and coaches.