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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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Race Recap | The Kentucky Derby Marathon

By on May 3, 2012 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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My plan is to run a marathon in all 50 States. I’m always looking to add a new state to my collection. I had my eyes on the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, Kentucky for some time hoping I could work it in on my calendar.

This is a large event with almost 18,000 runners –most are participating in the half or “mini” marathon.

Every marathon has its own personality. We found this race to be fun, well organized and able to capture the personality of the city. Here is my race recap: Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: Wisdom from the New Orleans Rock n Roll Marathon

By on March 15, 2012 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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I finished the New Orleans Rock and Roll Marathon in 3:36:47. I missed qualifying for Boston by 1 minute and 47 seconds!

Even though I didn’t qualify, I’m not overly disappointed with my performance. I set a personal record -beating my previous best time by 7 minutes. I think that the lessons I learned during this race will be helpful as I continue to reach for my personal best in the future.

If you take the time to analyze your race experience you’ll find valuable lessons to apply to future marathons and even other challenges in life.

“Every time I fail, I assume I will be a stronger person for it. I keep on running figuratively and literally, despite a limp that gets more noticeable with each passing season, because for me there has always been a place to go and a terrible urgency to get there.” -Joan Benoit Samuelson

Maybe you’ll be running a half or full marathon this spring. Here are three essential marathon strategies. Continue Reading →

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I Survived My First Marathon!

By on November 15, 2011 in Guest Perspective, Race Recap

Andy Richardson (pictured left) is a blogger at Start Running for Beginners. He trained for his first marathon using Angie’s Official Guide Ebook.

November 5th, I embarked into the unknown territory of running a marathon for the first time. During that time I found why they call this ‘endurance’ running. It wasn’t the prettiest race, and with a time of 4:54, I did not break any records. But I did somehow pull myself through those last few miles, and now I can join the ranks of that small segment of the population that calls themselves a marathon runner.

Ready, Race!
I found my way to the starting line of The Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon along with 15,000 half-marathoners and about 5,000 full-marathoners. You could taste the excitement and anxiousness in the cool morning air. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap – Trevor Runs His First Marathon

By on November 7, 2011 in Beginner, Podcasts, Race Recap

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After almost two years of hard work my husband Trevor has been transformed from a desk potato to a successful marathon finisher.

He ran his first full marathon on October 23rd in St. Louis, Missouri. His official time was 4:31:40.

In this episode I talk with Trevor about the agony and joy of running his first marathon. What you are about to read is the brutally honest battlefield report of a first time marathoner and former “non-runner”. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap – Battle Tested Insights from The Wineglass Marathon

By on October 17, 2011 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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One of the great things about running is the chance to continually learn new things and push past personal boundaries. It doesn’t matter if you can only run 1 mile or if you’ve finished 20 marathons.  You need to continue to learn and grow.

I recently ran the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY. This race has been on my radar for a long time because I heard that the course is both beautiful and conducive to setting a PR (personal record).

Over the summer I trained harder and smarter than ever before and I’m glad to say my hard work paid off. I managed to finished in 3 hours and 44 minutes. This is my fastest time yet.

Here is some advice that is applicable whether you’ll be racing your first 5k or trying to PR in the marathon. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap | The Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon

By on June 24, 2011 in Race Recap

I’ve run lots of races in my life and one thing I can say for certain is that you never know what to expect.

It’s great to learn from past experience, but each race is a new puzzle for the runner to solve.

I signed up for the Iron Mom Half Marathon in Paducah, Kentucky, shortly after running my last full marathon in Washington State. I knew I’d need a goal once I got back home. Some source of inspiration to keep me training in the heat.

I recovered very quickly from the North Olympic Discovery Marathon and all was going well. Until I threw my back out while picking up my eight month old son (who is 25 pounds). I started taking it easy hoping the pain would disappear. That didn’t work. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: North Olympic Discovery Marathon

By on June 16, 2011 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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The North Olympic Discovery Marathon in Port Angeles Washington has been called the best boutique marathon in North America (according to their website).

What is a boutique marathon? Is boutique even a category? Googling this term didn’t yield many results.

Here’s what I can tell you about this marathon: (1) the scenery is grand, (2) parking is easy, (3) people are friendly, (4) the medals are cool, (5) and the post race food is plentiful.

Although I’ve got a few marathons under my belt I still learn something about myself at each race. Here are my discoveries from the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap -Lessons from the Little Rock Marathon

By on March 14, 2011 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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This podcast episode deals with a lot of racing firsts.

My sister Autum ran her very first marathon. Trevor completed his first half marathon (a long anticipated event). And this was my first time going 26.2 after having a baby 5 months ago.

You may be preparing for your first marathon or going into your one hundredth race. Each time your training is going to be unique and there will be some firsts to deal with.

I want to help you be prepared for your marathon experience. Here are some tips to remember going into your race. Continue Reading →

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