Archive | PR

A Desire to Improve

Here’s a report from our client Irina who earn an amazing PR at the Chicago Marathon this year finishing in 4:01:25. She writes,

“This weekend was an absolute blast. I ran the Chicago Marathon and got a 42 min PR. This was my 5th marathon and I couldn’t be more thrilled with my performance.

Now, let me give you a little background. I’ve been a dedicated listener of your amazing podcast ever since I started running 3 years ago, when I was 35.

My previous 4 marathons were not too shabby for someone with zero athletic experience, finishing between 4:43 and 5:03. But, listening to everyone’s journeys, I’ve had a desire to improve and push myself further.

Enter Marty Gardner’s inspiring story in a July MTA episode. It hit me right in the motivation bone! So, I reached out to MTA and they paired me up with the incredible Coach Cindy.

Continue Reading →

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3:04:22 Marathon at Revel Mt. Charleston

Congrats to our client Bill Drinkward on earning a new PR at the Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon in Las Vegas! He writes,

“Wow… what a special day at Revel Mt Charleston Marathon in Nevada. Despite a frigid wait in 24 degree temperatures for 90 minutes, I was able to shake out the stiffness and cold to get the legs moving well soon after starting.

With careful pacing, I was able to save enough energy to execute a negative split on the course and finish 3rd in my age group (M55-59) as well as PR/BQ. Many thanks to MTA Coach Steven for helping me complete my best marathon build up yet and finish in 3:04:22. Continue Reading →

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Sub-Four Marathon at Forty

Here’s a nice email we received from a customer named Stephen who used the Resilient Runner to help with IT Band injuries and used the MTA 4:00 Marathon plan to earn a shiny new PR!

“Hello MTA family!

With all our races being cancelled, I was excited to see all the great things that the MTA podcast was doing to help keep us all sane. I completed the 100-mile challenge at the end of last year.

Later when I saw the medal for the 300-mile challenge as well as the theme: I Run to Burn Off the Crazy, I had to sign up. I justified signing up for another virtual race with the thought that if the spring race I sign up for does not happen, at least I will have this cool medal and a sweet new hat.

I decided that this was the year I try to attempt to break 4 hours in the Marathon. Under 4 hours now that I am 40! Continue Reading →

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How to Improve Your 5k Time

On my birthday I decided to attempted a 5k PR on the treadmill.

Without a marathon on the calendar and lack of travel to in-person races I’ve had to get creative and think of other running goals.

Since running 42 miles to celebrate turning 42 seemed pretty daunting I decided to go for the 5k PR attempt.

I was happy to finish in 20:27 and average a 6:34 pace.

Here are some tips on improving your 5k time . . . Continue Reading →

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Hawaii Race Recap- My 50th State Marathon

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In this long awaited episode we recap the Revel Kulia Marathon on the Big Island of Hawaii, the final race in my quest to run a marathon in every state.

This happened to be my fastest marathon to date with a finish of 3:19:55 (20 minutes under my Boston Qualifying time)!

Plus in this episode you will also hear practical tips on how you can run a PR (personal record) this year.

Continue Reading →

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The Hartford Marathon Race Recap + How to Set Yourself up for a Personal Record

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In this episode Angie recaps the Hartford Marathon in Connecticut -her 60th marathon and fastest to date. Plus, Trevor talks about his experience at the Kaisermarathon in Austria. And in the quick tip segment you will hear how to set yourself up for a marathon PR. Continue Reading →

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My Boston Marathon Qualifier, Thanks to MTA Coaching

image2In the weeks leading up to the Indianapolis Monumental on Nov. 5, I was feeling properly trained, thanks to Angie Spencer and MTA Coaching.

Her plans have guided me through two ultras and then onto recovery and preparing for Indy.

I knew I was physically ready for my first real attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon, which would mean a 3:25 or better. But I also needed to make sure that I was mentally prepared for the challenge. Continue Reading →

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An Inspired Ultra Challenge 

img_4006My first two 50Ks, just 10 weeks apart, met a goal a year in the making and also paved the way for new challenges.

By Henry Howard

Last year, I had the opportunity to interview one of the most inspirational people I have ever met, Noah Galloway

Best known for his amazing performance on Dancing With the Stars, Galloway is a double amputee from injuries he suffered in the Iraq war. 

During our interview, Galloway told me “everyone should do something that scares them.” I decided to accept his challenge, upping my ultra ante — doing my first two 50Ks just 10 weeks apart.  Continue Reading →

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Speedwork Makes the Dream Work!

track-workoutIf you dream of running a faster marathon or half marathon you will need to incorporate speedwork into your training.

I personally loath speedwork.

But I know it’s good for me (like eating beets). Every time I’ve incorporated speedwork into my training I’ve markedly improved in the marathon.

No wonder Angie assigns speedwork to all her coaching clients who want to PR. Speedwork makes the dream work!

In this post I will explain key speed workouts you can use to get faster. Continue Reading →

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Why Half Marathon Times Don’t Translate into Full Marathon Times

Here’s a question I received from a fellow runner named Chris,

Hi Angie! I’m 50 years old and have been running for 2 1/2 years (after losing 105 pounds, but that’s another story). My times for the half marathon are decent, generally in the 1:55 area. I’ve run three marathons with a PR of 4:27:34 and a worst of 4:58:30.

Anyway, based on various race predictors, it looks like my “expected” marathon time is in around 4:05. Why am I so far off, and how can I get my half marathon ability, such as it is, to translate to the marathon distance? I’m training for the Long Beach (Ca.) Marathon in October and I’d really like to come in around 4:10 or so. Thanks, and keep up your great work! -Chris

My answer . . . Continue Reading →

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Marathon Success Story with Lee and Colleen Staats

Looking good and loving life.  Colleen and Lee Staats with Meb Keflezighi before the Columbus Marathon.

Looking good and loving life. Colleen and Lee Staats with Meb Keflezighi before the Columbus Marathon.

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In this episode we bring you a marathon success story with Lee and Colleen Staats, two Academy members from Galion, Ohio, who are transforming their lives through running.

They have both lost weight since starting to run and recently completed the Columbus Marathon.

Colleen set a PR in the half and Lee qualified for Boston by running 3:21:52.

They have both battled through injury and a busy work load to achieve their goals.

It has been my great honor to be their running coach. Continue Reading →

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Marathon Pacing

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One of the most frequent questions that I get as a running coach is about marathon pacing.

Runners often wonder which time goal they should shoot for, what type of strategy they should use during the race, whether they should run with a pace group, if they can qualify for Boston during their first marathon, etc.

For example, Jeff sent in this email:

“How do you avoid losing motivation when you get to the point in a marathon where you realize you aren’t going to finish close to your time goal? In my last two marathons, I felt a horrible deflating feeling when I got to the point when I knew I was not going to be happy with my finish time. I get really down on myself, and it is hard to push through those final miles. I feel particularly awful when I get passed by the pace groups. . . I use my time goal as motivation during training, and then when I fall hopelessly off pace in the later miles my motivation leaves me like air out of a popped balloon. It is just hard to press on when you are dealing with that amount of disappointment.

I hate for people to feel awful about their marathon times, so let’s talk about some of the factors related to marathon pacing. Continue Reading →

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