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Author Archive | Trevor Spencer

How to Run a Faster Half Marathon

By on December 26, 2012 in Half Marathon
Photo Credit: Jason Q [syntheticj]

Photo Credit: Jason Q [syntheticj]

My first half marathon took 2:02 to finish. Afterwards my feet were too tender to walk back to the hotel. It felt like someone slapped them with a boat oar for two hours.

But alas! That was the young naive Trevor.

Two and a half years later my time has improved to 1:40 without post race soreness!

I attribute all my improvement to Angie’s coaching. I know it works and maybe if I wasn’t such a lazy runner I would follow her advice more completely.

If your goal is to run a faster half marathon next year (2013) I want to give you Angie’s 10 point plan for making it happen.

Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: The Route 66 Marathon

By on December 14, 2012 in Podcasts, Race Recap

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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Angie and I ran the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 23rd.

This race had been on Angie’s wishlist for some time because of it attracts lots of Marathon Maniacs (she is maniac# 4723).

They even gave her a maniac finisher’s medal. How cool is that?

Cooler than anything I’ve given her.

This race proliferated with coolness. Here’s how Continue Reading →

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Fueling Questions with Steve Born from Hammer Nutrition

By on November 30, 2012 in Fueling, Interview, Podcasts

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Steve Born gives fueling seminars for Hammer Nutrition.

He is also an accomplished athlete holding two ultra marathon cycling records. This guy rides his bike 1,000 miles for the fun of it!

We asked Steve to give us a fueling overview. What should a runner do the week before, the morning of, during the race, and post-race?

Here is what he said . . . Continue Reading →

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Strength Training for Runners [part 3]

By on November 2, 2012 in Cross-Training

Side plank with leg extension

Are you ready to strengthen your muscles to become a better runner?

Here are some specific moves that focus muscles neglected in the running motion.

All of these exercises can be done in your living room with little to no equipment.

Yes that is yours truly busting a crazy side plank with leg extension (six pack modestly concealed beneath t-shirt)(I wish).

Let’s get started Continue Reading →

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My Killer Marathon Training Plan

By on September 27, 2012 in Uncategorized

After I ran my first marathon (in 2011) I had no aspirations of doing it again.

“Angie can be the 26.2 miler of the family.” I told myself. “I’ll stick to half marathons.”

I had gone from desk potato to runner. This was a remarkable transformation since I have hated running from a tender age. I failed PE class in 9th grade because I refused to run that mandatory 1 mile.

The marathon was a life changing experience but not one I was too eager to repeat. In the back of my mind I knew I would try it again but I planned to procrastinate it as long as possible.

The Eventual Death of Procrastination
Now I’m officially signed up for the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Feb 24th 2013. Do or die, this should be an exciting race. I personally think it’s worth a drive to New Orleans just to eat in the French Quarter.

Angie has designed a killer training plan for me that will be more aggressive than any schedule I’ve previously followed. This time I will be as strong as possible when I nudge my way into the corral on race day.

Here is a look at my training regimen Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: City of Roses Half Marathon

By on September 18, 2012 in Race Recap

City of Roses Half Marathon Finisher's Medal

Click to see enlarged image


[Race location] Cape Girardeau, Missouri

I ran my fastest half marathon to date (1:44:28) this weekend!

There is no logical reason for why I set a PR.

I’ve never done speed work (ever). It rained non-stop. There were hills. I developed a massive blister. And I stopped to tie my shoes three times.

Angie is flabbergasted.

It must be a boost in mental power after interviewing Dean Karnazes (episode 66) and Eric Strand (soon to be released episode 67). Amazing runners!

Here is my race recap . . . Continue Reading →

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Race Recap | Winthrop Marathon and Half Marathon

By on June 16, 2012 in Race Recap

What is vacation without running a half marathon?

We vacation every year in Port Townsend, Washington. Angie, being the marathon junkie that she is, signed us up for the Winthrop Marathon about 180 miles away.

My initial response was, “That’s too far to drive for some obscure little race.”

To get to Winthrop from Port Townsend requires taking the ferry to Whidbey Island then a 4 hour drive over the Cascade Mountains.

Angie’s response was, “What would be so bad about a scenic drive through the mountains?”

I acquiesced. We left our three kids in the capable hands of their grandparents and we headed to Winthrop.
Continue Reading →

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Six Tips for Big Marathon Logistics

By on May 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

When Angie and I go to a big city marathon she leaves all the logistics to me.

This includes finding the hotel, finding the expo, finding the starting line, getting back to the hotel, and parking the car in crazy downtown environs. (In New Orleans we paid $35 to park for 1 hour!)

We recently ran the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, KY -a city of 741,096 according to their Wikipedia page.

Here are my tips for getting to the starting line stress free. Continue Reading →

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How To Get A More Athletic Looking Body – Interview with Fitness Expert Ben Greenfield

By on February 29, 2012 in Interview, Nutrition, Podcasts

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Ben does 15-20 triathlons a year. This means he is not unaccustomed to stripping down to Speedos to hit the water.

Lucky for him he’s tri-ripped (a ripped triathlete).

After perusing his website I (Trevor) see that once you are tri-ripped, you can pose for half of all photographs with your shirt off.

The last time I had my shirt off in public I spent all day sucking in my non tri-ripped stomach.

The problem is . . . even though I am in pretty good shape because of marathon training my muscles are concealed under a cozy blanket of fat.

The Skinny Fat Look

This happens when runners have a lot of fat deposits along the waistline (love handles, muffin tops, gut) yet skinny legs, arms, and chest. This skinny fat look stems from a combination of low amounts of muscle, a lot of aerobic training, and a high carb diet.

And after reading that last paragraph you never need to see me shirtless.

The Fit Fat Look

Ben describes this as a runner who is built more like a rugby player. The body has stored its fat in various places throughout the body and copious amounts of exercise can’t blast it away. That’s because the real problem is often a hormonal imbalance which needs to be diagnosed by a hormone specialist. Also, the fit fat runner is dealing with the same dietary and exercise imbalances of the skinny fat runner.

Where to Go From Here
I would love to be an endurance runner with a more athletic looking body. I want less body fat and more toned muscles. I want to rip my shirt off at the next family gathering and say, “Somebody call a veterinarian cus’ these puppies are sick!”

And if you are like me and are tired of being skinny fat or fit fat then listen to my take-a-ways from this episode. Three simple action steps. Continue Reading →

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Accidentally Setting a Personal Record

By on June 10, 2011 in Beginner

This picture was taken at about mile 12 of my recent half marathon in Port Angeles, Washington. Angie is turning me into a lean mean running machine.

I was planning on just taking it easy and running alongside my Dad (2:18:01) the whole way. But suddenly I felt a competitive streak and decided to push hard, throttle on, and surge ahead. My Dad said, “Go for it”. Or maybe he said, “Run Forest!” I can’t remember.

I felt like a gazelle. The weather was hospitable. The scenery was spectacular. I wanted to RUN FAST!!! But I could hear Angie’s voice in my head telling me to save some gas in the tank for my later miles. She was right.

Continue Reading →

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My Calf Muscles are Ripping Apart – And Other Strange Fixations

By on May 24, 2011 in Beginner

Lately I have been haunted by a strange sensation in my calves. It feels like a small electrical spark under my skin. I can’t say that it is a sharp or deep pain . . . just a mild twinge now and again.

My brain had me convinced that my calf muscles were ripping apart. Maybe these strange twinges were microscopic tears? Maybe my muscle fibers were cleaving with each awkward foot strike?

Soon I was running on my tip-toes in order to save my calves from utter ruin.

I’ve heard of runners who rupture a ligament and hit the pavement face first. Everything is fine then all of a sudden “snap”! Perhaps it was about to happen to me!

Plausible explanation don’t you think? Continue Reading →

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Confessions of a Lazy Runner

By on January 17, 2011 in Beginner, Podcasts

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In this podcast episode Angie interrogates me about my training for the Little Rock Half Marathon.

Many of you know that I am a new runner. The furthest I have ever run is 10 miles, reluctantly.

I am taking on the half marathon challenge to prove to myself that I have what it takes. And because I think it will be a cool thing to brag about to my co-workers.

Here are my startling revelations from the first six weeks of my training Continue Reading →

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