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In this episode we bring you a marathon success story with Academy member Jon Lepley who after a life-long struggle with addiction decided to run a marathon at the age of 40 and well . . . you will just have to hear what happened next!
And in the quick tip segment, Angie will explain how to intelligently gauge your response to training so you know if what you’re doing is working.
A couple of years ago during a business trip, I went to see the Boston Marathon finish line. I did not step on or pass the famous blue and yellow street decoration. I will run through it at another time, I told myself.
I repeated the same scenario last summer during a family vacation to Boston. At that time, I was going through a mix of emotions. I felt confident that my qualifying time from the November 2017 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon would be strong enough to get me into the 2019 race.
However, on that Boston trip, I was only a month out from emergency abdominal surgery. I had not been cleared to resume full activities at that time. Gentle jogging was as hard core as I was able to get at that point. Would I be able to regain the speed, endurance and fitness that I had developed since I began running in 2011? Would I still find the joy in the struggle? Would I still answer the alarm at oh-dark-thirty for training?
It did not take me long to answer my own questions. Continue Reading →
Big congrats to Bill Drinkward on running 3:18:47 at the Vancouver Marathon last weekend!!
He writes, “Many thanks to Coach Dominique Hamel for the guidance I needed to successfully score a massive PR of over 6 minutes and a BQ as well. I nearly lost my A-goal when the 3:20 pace Bunny snuck up on me with only 7k to go. I resolved then to fight off that bunny all the way to the finish. I just asked myself then, “how bad do you want it?” And thought about all those training runs to even put me in this position. I ran steadily and hard all the way to the finish and crossed the line at 3:18:47. Vancouver Marathon is an awesome course with fantastic volunteer and crowd support. I highly recommend the experience.”
More Shoutouts Continue Reading →
Here is a wonderful note we received from a client Angie worked with named Elliot Shelton who ran a PR at the CIM Marathon in December. I love this story because he took bold massive action and wasn’t afraid to set higher goals.
Dear Angie, I wanted to take a moment to thank you and Trevor for the incredible difference you’ve made in my life. About 3 1/2 years ago, I was unhappy with the direction my life was headed. I was about 30 lbs overweight, had not exercised regularly in years, and had few interests outside of work.
I decided to take action. I started a couch to 5k plan and a month later decided to set my goals higher and I committed to running the San Francisco Marathon the following year (without really knowing what I was getting myself into). Continue Reading →
Here’s a note we received a couple days ago from an Academy member named Pat McCain who has been a long time supporter of the MTA podcast and inspiration to us. If your doctor says you will never run again please go get a second and third opinion!
Pat McCain with fellow MTA’er Debbie Gelber at the Texas Marathon
After almost two years struggling with injury, and after a doctor told me I’d never run again, I just finished the Texas Marathon on New Years Day. Thanks to you and the MTA community for being a part of my comeback–y’all have taught me how to train, cross-train, fuel, pace, and stay on top of the mental game that enables all of us to run safely and do much more than we ever think possible. I did a 3:00 run/:30 walk to a 4:35 finish. I crossed the finish line stronger than ever and injury free.
Thanks for all the encouragement from you and our MTA family!” -Pat
Andrew Lorenzo has carved out a big audacious marathon goal for himself.
The goal — a 2:40 finishing time — is a nearly two-hour improvement from his only previous one at the Melbourne Marathon, which he completed in October 2018.
But it represents so much more. It represents his escape from a difficult time in his life when he struggled with severe eating disorders.
Jennifer Oellerich conquered the CIM Marathon, her first.
Below you will see reports from runners who completed the California International Marathon (CIM), as well as the Orlando Half, Chattanooga 50, the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll, and other races.
CIM in Sacramento was especially good to our runners. This is race is known for its flat fast course and is a good place to run a PR. Academy member Tom Wills ran a sub 3 hour marathon there -which is an amazing feat especially after age 40!!
This is a race report sent in by Academy member Logan Collier who improved her time by 30 minutes over her last marathon. The story captures the excitement of the NYC Marathon.
“Here’s a recap of my NYC Marathon experience…
Firstly: I’m amazed at how organized everything is. Seeing ALL those runners gave me a real appreciation for the logistical challenges of putting on an event of this size and scope. There were so many volunteers!! Makes me want to come back and volunteer.
Continue Reading →
This is a report from Academy Member Jennifer Ernst who ran her first marathon last weekend at the Indianapolis Monumental. This post illustrates the beautiful struggle of the last 10 miles of a marathon and how she successful kept herself going.
“I am so, SO excited to share that I am now officially a marathoner!! My goal was to finish in 4:30 or less, but I managed to eek out a finishing time of 4:18:19. I could NOT have done this without all of the amazing, encouraging and supportive people of MTA.
I had more encouraging texts, messages and well-wishes than I ever dreamed I would have and each and every one helped me. I will try to keep this as brief as possible, but many have asked for my recap, so here goes!” Continue Reading →
Here is an email we received recently from a coaching client named Gordon Pape -an architect from Toronto who completed the 2018 Chicago Marathon in 4:26:37 at the age of 58.
This kind of feedback is what get’s us fired up here at MTA! If you are considering hiring a running coach, perhaps this letter will give you an under-the-hood look at the coach/client relationship. Continue Reading →
Academy member Manissa Gunadi after the Chicago Marathon
Below you will see reports from runners who completed the Chicago Marathon as well as the Twin Cities Marathon, Portlandathon, and other races. I wouldn’t be surprised if October 7-8th ends up being the biggest race weekend of the year.
Seeing this year’s medal makes me want to run the Chicago Marathon again (Angie and I ran in 2014).
Congrats to all the runners who dug deep and proved once again that they have what it takes to go the distance! I love to see how all the hard work and months of training paid off on race day.
Ryan Hoffman heard the common Marathon Training Academy motto, “You have what it takes to run a marathon and change your life.”
He did run a marathon — seven and counting, actually. And it did change his life.
Hoffman says he has always been a runner. During his fifth-grade field day, Hoffman ran a 6:55 mile — wearing jeans. In high school, his favorite event was the 800-meter run (in shorts) and in college, he ran to keep in shape. Continue Reading →
