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SPRING IN TRAINING

The official training program of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon, Dave's Spring In-Training Program offers personal coaching with a training plan designed to help you reach your goal. Each program has different pace groups to meet individual needs and dedicated coaches to assist each group. We pair a structured training plan with live coaching, weekly group workouts, and the kind of accountability that gets you out the door on a dark February morning. You don't train alone here.
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Structured Training

16-week training plan for 5K, half-marathon or marathon.

Experienced Coaching

25 coaches, including Boston qualifiers and former collegiate runners.

Health and Fitness

Mercy Health PT staff on-site at every track workout for health and fitness questions.

Multiple Options

Run-walk option available — no experience required.

We're Official!

Official training program of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon.

Daves Running Shop

START TRAINING WITH A GROUP

You Can Download a Training Plan Anywhere. You Can't Download a Community.

Anyone can find a free 16-week plan online. What you can't find online is a group of people running your exact pace who notice when you're not there.

That's the difference at Dave's. Runners in this program get more consistency and more accountability because they're not doing it alone — they're doing the same workout, at the same pace, with people who become genuine friends. Coaches report entire pace groups keeping their group chats alive long after a season ends, meeting up for summer track workouts and post-program coffee runs that started in this program and never stopped.
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25 Coaches. One Training Director. A Lot of Combined Experience.

Dave's Spring In-Training is led by Bob Masters, Dave's Director of Training. A Toledo native, Bob was a four-time All-MAC athlete in cross country and track at the University of Toledo, qualified for the 2000 Olympic Marathon Trials, and later coached the Bedford High School cross country and track programs to multiple league and regional titles. He's a USATF Level 2 Coach with an Endurance Specialty, and he personally builds every training plan and pace structure in the program.

Supporting Bob is a roughly 25-person coaching staff that includes Boston qualifiers, former collegiate and high school coaches, Ironman triathletes, and healthcare professionals — many of whom started as participants themselves before becoming coaches. Every coach completes a required coaching seminar before leading a group, with an emphasis on being engaged, encouraging and present — not just fast.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

A Simple Weekly Rhythm for 16 Weeks to help you succeed and get to Race Day.
1

Your Week Mapped Out

Every participant gets a weekly email laying out the week's workouts, meeting times and locations, plus training articles for anything you're not sure about.
2

Indoor Track Nights

Sessions run at the BGSU Perry Field House then move to the Walt Churchill Track. Sessions alternate between a 6:00–7:30 PM and 7:30–9:00 PM so no one is stuck coming early or staying late.
3

Long Run Training

The week's key run. Groups meet at 8:00 AM at rotating Toledo locations (7:00 AM for marathon trainers after January). Includes route water/fuel support and a post-run recovery base.
4

Race Week Buildup

Sixteen weeks builds to your goal race — the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon, Half-Marathon (run-walk option available) or Savage 5K.

Program Perks

Everything you need to succeed in your training

16-Week Training Plan

Tailored to your goal race and pace group

Structured Weekly Practices

Two structured weekly practices, including indoor track training

On-Site PT Staff

Mercy Health PT staff on-site at every track workout

Premium Race Entry

Premium/discounted entry into Dave's Dine-N-Dash and Dave's Spring Training Run

Training Tilt App Access

Training calendar with Strava/Garmin sync, videos, recipes and more.

E-Coupons

E-coupons on shoes, apparel and accessories at any Dave's Running location

Find Your Pace Group

A Group for Every Runner, From Couch to Boston Qualifier

Pace groups run from sub-8:00 milers to run-walk beginners, so you're always training alongside people at your level:

Pace Group Best For
Sub-8:30 Competitive and experienced racers
8:30–9:30 / 9:30–10:30 Strong, consistent runners with race goals
10:30–11:30 / 11:30–12:30 Steady mid-pack runners
Open Pace Flexible, social pacing
5K & Beginners (Run-Walk) First-timers and run-walk participants

NOT SURE WHERE YOU FIT?

You can switch pace groups at any point in the program. Some runners split their week between two groups depending on the workout.

NEVER RUN BEFORE?

The 5K Beginner track takes you from walking to running gradually over the course of the program — no prior running experience required.

CHASING BOSTON?

Several of Dave's coaches are Boston qualifiers and former collegiate runners who can help you build a competitive race plan for runners chasing especially fast times.

Daves Running Shop

Access to the Training Tilt Platform

The Training Tilt app is such a fantastic tool for remote trainers that Dave's is now including the app as an option for anyone in the program as another training resource. One of the most useful features in the Training Tilt app is the interactive training calendar, where you can sync your Strava account or Garmin device. The Dave's REMOTE TRAINERS will receive weekly coaching advice and encouragement from Dave's Training Team through the Training Tilt Platform.
Daves Running Shop

THE PT POSSE....

Jeff Swartz and Dayna Pirrwitz, licensed Mercy Health physical therapists who specialize in working with runners, are on-site at every track workout. Sign up for a session through the program's online scheduling link, and they'll help you head off nagging issues before they become injuries — with direct referrals to running-focused physicians and specialists when needed.

Practice Races Built Into Your Season

Every long run builds toward race day, these events let you test how you are doing.
Dave's Dine-N-Dash
FREEMIUM RUN
5K

Dave's Dine-N-Dash

TBD
5580 Centennial Rd. Sylvania, Oh
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Hot Cocoa Run
5k/10K

Hot Cocoa Run

February 8, 2027
6930 W. Sylvania Ave Sylvania, OH
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Toledo Mini Marathon
Half Marathon / 10K

Toledo Mini Marathon

March 20, 2027
1505 Front St. Toledo, Oh
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Dave's Spring Training Run

Dave's Spring Training Run

TBD
1040 N. Westwood Ave. Toledo, OH
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Looking to Achieve a Specific Goal?

We're with You every step

Whether your goal is a simple 5K or even a Marathon, we have plans designed to get you there.
Reach out today and don't just hope you reach the finish line.

 Start Your Journey