The Marathon Training Academy Podcast was started in 2010 to inspire and empower everyday people to live healthier lives and achieve fitness goals by unleashing their marathon potential. The show features actionable training wisdom delivered in a funny and relatable style. Co-hosts Angie and Trevor want you to believe that you have what it takes to run a marathon and change your life!
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Angie and I recently finished the Missoula Marathon in beautiful Missoula, Montana (Angie’s home state).
This marathon is abundantly picturesque -think mountains, valleys and rivers. Not only that, I found it to be well organized. I heard that this race fills up every year and I can see why. The race caps off at 1,500 full marathoners and 3,500 half marathoners. I would definitely run it again. Continue Reading →
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In this podcast episode and blog post I will zero in on two common difficulties that can make your marathon a lot more challenging —bonking and cramping. I have heard from many runners who have experienced one of these mishaps. It is time to understand why they happen and what you can do about it.
Bonking is often referred to as “hitting the wall” and this phenomenon happens during long runs and marathons. Bonking can occur when you don’t take in adequate carbohydrate replenishment during your run.
Because the average runner burns 100 calories per mile the body will have depleted its muscle glycogen fuel store after approximately 90 minutes of running (if you haven’t been replenishing the lost calories). When you bonk, your body has burned through its reserve supply of muscle glycogen and what you’ve put into your body hasn’t kept up with the demand. You may feel a sudden fatigue, loss of energy and start taking long walking breaks. Other symptoms may include nausea, dizziness, feeling faint, shakiness and rubbery legs which may indicate that your blood sugar is low.
Bonking may also have a mental component where you feel hopeless or like you can’t go on. If your brain is low on glycogen it logically will be signaling your body to stop whatever folly you’re engaged in.
Here’s what you need to do to prevent bonking:
Continue Reading →
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I‘ve been thinking a lot about body image in recent weeks. Why do so many of us struggle to love our bodies?
The more I studied the topic of negative body image and the never ending attempt to attain physical “perfection” the more disturbed I became. It is sad that a large marjority of people are dissatisfied with their bodies and often go to dangerous lengths to change it. I admit that I’ve been guilty of body dissatisfaction and I have purposed in my mind to start changing that.
This episode is all about body image. I want to show you how the Western concept of beauty is influencing the world and suggest three ways to improve your body image. You will also be inspired to hear how real people from the MTA community are using running to change the way they look at their bodies.
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The Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz is held in the town of Olathe, KS in April. The word Olathe is Shawnee Indian for “beautiful.”
The town has around 100,000 people and is a 25 minute drive from Kansas City. This race is in its 12th year and is a well-organized small marathon. You’d think that KS would be flat, but this area certainly has plenty of hills. Continue Reading →
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This is a special tribute to the 2013 Boston Marathon. In this episode we read emails from people within the MTA community who were at the Boston Marathon, and speak to our friend Angela Coloumbe who was volunteering near the finish line.
Glued to our laptops, Angie and I watched the live streaming of this year’s Boston Marathon until the elite runners crossed the finish line. We have truly grown to love these running icons (especially Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan) and every year we cross our fingers hoping an American will win. No offense to my non-American friends . . . it’s a rooting for the home team sort of thing. The last American to win Boston was Greg Meyer in 1983.
You gotta take your hat off to both Lelisa Desisa Benti, who has only ran one other marathon before winning Boston, and Rita Jeptoo who won in 2006, took 7 years off to become a mother, then returned to win it this year!
In case you didn’t see this yet: Continue Reading →
I shared a hotel room with Danielle (left) at the 2013 Go! St. Louis Marathon
In this podcast episode we talk with Danielle Hastings (T-Rex Runner) about her eleven year battle with an eating disorder.
I’ve followed Danielle’s blog for some time and was able to meet her at the recent Go! St. Louis Marathon. She has written an excellent series on Eating Disorders for her blog.
Reading these posts made me realize that this serious issue is often avoided or minimalized. I’ve had a few friends over the years who’ve struggled with an eating disorder and I know that there are many people out there with the same battle.
This episode will help educate you on this very important topic. Continue Reading →
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In addition to running over 100 marathons, Lisa Smith-Batchen has completed the Badwater Ultra Marathon 9 times (winning twice).
In 2010 she ran 50 miles in 50 states in 62 days raising money for orphan charities.
Her new challenge is completing the Badwater Quad (4 back to back Badwater crossings). To accomplish this feat she will run a total of 600 miles in the merciless summer heat of Death Valley, California.
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Last weekend we rocked the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon. It was great to be in the “Big Easy” again and enjoy the sites, sounds, and food. We stayed at the beautiful Drury Hotel located downtown in the business district. All in all we had a wonderful mini-vacation/marathon experience.
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join NowT[/drocap]his podcast episode celebrates the 3rd anniversary of MTA.
I can definitely stay that time flies (or more appropriately that time can run away if you’re not careful).
It has been an amazing experience to interact with thousands of runners over the years and personally help people achieve their goals through the Academy.
We want to thank each one of our faithful listeners.
Building Confidence as a Runner
In this episode we answer personal questions that many listeners want to know and talk about building confidence.
It doesn’t matter where you’re at in your life right now. You can move forward and reach your goals. First, you must allow yourself to dream.
Next, you must take action and put in the hard work. You’ll finally see the rewards if you have confidence in yourself and don’t give up.
Marathon training is about so much more than running 26.2 miles. You’ll find that your self-esteem will grow by leap and bounds when you dedicate yourself to reaching that goal. Suddenly a whole world of possibilities opens up to you. That’s why we always say,
“You do have what it takes to run a marathon and change your life.”
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Ben Greenfield is a fitness and nutrition expert who competes at the Ironman and Half Ironman World Championships.
What does it mean to become superhuman?
Everyone is born with a certain number of genetic triggers. Your diet can unlock or keep locked those triggers that have the power to activate your genetic potential. Becoming superhuman means to become the strongest version of yourself possible.
Here are the questions we asked Ben:
Yaktrax pro for running in the snow!
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Camille Herron is an elite marathoner from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has taken first place at 7 marathons –most recently the Rt. 66 Marathon in Tulsa.
Her marathon PR is 2:37!
She made it to the US Olympic Marathon trials in 2008 and 2012.
She also holds the Guinness record for the fastest female runner wearing a superhero costume. Dressed from head to toe as spider woman she finished in 2:48:51.
We had the chance to talk with Camille via Skype and ask her what life is like as a professional runner.
Here is what we discovered Continue Reading →
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In this episode we talk about setting and maximizing your running goals in 2013. And for this episode’s quick tip we recommend a running app with live tracking and voice feedback.
When I look back on 2012 I have to say that it was a good year. However, from the perspective of achieving my running goals it was a mixed bag.
I came close to qualifying for Boston two times. The first time I missed my goal by 1 min, 47 seconds. The second time I missed the goal by 41 seconds. It was exciting to come so close, yet disappointing to be so far away.
At the beginning of December we went through a hard time. I was 18 weeks pregnant and had a sudden miscarriage because the baby had a genetic disorder. I was hospitalized after losing a lot of blood and going into shock. Since then we have done our share of grieving the loss of our baby and I’ve also had some physical challenges to cope with. I was left very anemic which has affected my energy levels and strength. For the first week I would get fatigued walking across a room and was plagued with dizziness. I currently can only run a half mile without getting very short of breath and fatigued. I’m definitely not going into the New Year where I want to be physically.
I share this experience because I know that many of you are struggling physically and emotionally. We want to provide some realistic encouragement to you as you go into 2013.
So here are a few suggestions of ways to maximize your running and fitness goals in 2013. Continue Reading →
