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 →
Congrats to James Lacher who ran his first marathon last week. His transformation is definitely one of the most impressive we’ve seen!!
“After topping 400 pounds in 2014 I had bariatric surgery in 2015 and lost over half my body weight. I started rumning 18 months ago and on Sunday I ran my first FULL MARATHON. The pics are me day of surgery and holding up the front page of the local newspaper. I was the cover story on race day. The race was a life changing experience . . . I soaked up every moment and finished in 5hr 25min . . . Thank you Angie and Trevor for all you tips and wisdom I’ve learned from listening to numerous podcast episodes.” -James
James was profiled by the San Luis Obispo Tribune here.
By Henry Howard
When Eric Hamm was in the Marine Corps he was a runner. He just didn’t realize it at the time.
“Running was the main source of physical training in the Corps,” says Hamm, who left the service after five years in 2009. “We ran every day in boot camp and almost every workday in the fleet Marine force. I really enjoyed the cadence, it’s very helpful with controlling breathing.”
Hills. Circuit training. With — and without heavy equipment — on. Sometimes three miles. Other days up to nine miles. Running was routine for Hamm. But after returning to the civilian world, life took over and running was set aside. Continue Reading →
Huge contrasts to one of our coaching clients Marty Gardner on his massive PR at the Snickers Marathon!!
“Hello MTA Family! Just wanted to give an update from my race today. It was my 2nd marathon. My 1st was January 7th this year at Disney. My time was 4:59:45. I learned that I was not properly prepared mentally or physically even though I trained with an online Disney plan for 28 weeks.
After about 2 weeks of recovery, I signed up with MTA coaching in mid January (I have been listening to the podcasts since early in my training) and started working with Coach Lynn Grieger. I signed up for the Snickers Marathon in Albany, GA which I ran today.
I had exactly 6 weeks of training with coach Lynn. my A goal was 4:30. Actually I changed it to 4:29 to beat Oprah’s time. Well I didn’t quite reach my A goal, but I PR’d by over 23 minutes with only 6 weeks of coaching. My time was 4:36:41.
I am so excited to see what Coach Lynn and I can achieve with a full training plan. I have half marathons scheduled in 3 weeks and again in late April, and look forward to those and to crushing my A goal in my Fall marathon whichever one I decide to do. I’m already committed to doing Dopey Challenge next January.
I also listened to the greatest hits episode on the way down last night about mental toughness and it helped me tremendously to deal with leg cramps in my last few miles. Thanks Trevor, Angie, and Coach Lynn!” -Marty Gardner
By Henry Howard
When Judith Dahl first sipped alcohol she knew it would be a problem.
For many years, she was able to contain her drinking to weekends.
“But eventually, it got to be a daily thing,” says Dahl, of Norway. “The last two years it really escalated, I did not manage to hide it from my kids and my extended family any longer. I have always worked, but it was getting hard to keep up. I began to have trouble attending and when I did, I was sick big parts of the day.”
She hit rock bottom, separating from her husband and feeling depressed. But fortunately she reached out to get help through her doctor, who connected Dahl with someone who could help.
“He signed me up with a counselor, who I went to for almost two years,” Dahl recalls. “But the job was mine to do, I had an amazing family who wanted me back. That was my motivation.”
As drinking moved out of the picture, running moved in. Continue Reading →
Congrats to MTA coaching client Cher Tenbush on completing the Disney Dopey Challenge (5k, 10k, 13.1, 26.2) and earning a massive PR! Hearing reports like this is what fuels our fire here at MTA!
Marc Pesse, who played rugby while attending his university in Switzerland, enjoyed the pre-training runs. He even considered himself a casual runner for several years.
But then his priorities shifted: heavy travel demands from his job and then starting a family. The combination of added stress and limited exercise took its toll, and Pesse decided to embrace running again in 2011 “to shed some of the accumulated weight and spend some time with myself.”
Not only did he rediscover his love of running and lose weight, Pesse found that the physical activity helped him “function properly socially and professionally. There is a meditative quality to running outdoors which I find truly regenerative.” Continue Reading →
Here at MTA our mission is to help you conquer the marathon and change your life. The first step is believing that you have what it takes. Then you commit to train.
Huge congrats to Academy member Christie Youngblood for taking on the challenge to train for a marathon and finishing strong at the Honolulu Marathon! She dealt with 16 miles worth of rain but still remained positive.
My first marathon is done! I finished in 4:47:38 and beat my goal of 5 hours. It rained for the first 16 miles, but at mile 20 I saw the most beautiful rainbow! Angie & Trevor thank you for the amazing podcast and all of the advice. I found the magic in the misery and I am more proud of myself than I have ever been. I don’t think I am even close to being done and I cannot wait to see what is next!” #Ihavewhatittakes
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In this episode we bring you a marathon success story with Academy member Karima Modjadidi who kept a recurring knee injury at bay and earned a PR and BQ at her recent marathon.
Plus, Angie talks about the Boston Marathon qualifying standards and what it takes to run a BQ.
Continue Reading →
Big congrats to Academy member Melisa Robles and her fiancé Bradley who completed their 3rd Marine Corps Marathon together recently. Check out their signature finish line photo. We love it!
I can’t say enough great things about Marathon Training Academy! Angie and Trevor are absolutely amazing with their podcast and support! I really enjoy the private Facebook group full of runners on similar goals from all over the world. I’ll be using their training program again for my next marathon but promise to keep the cross training included. -Melisa
Big shoutout to former Academy member Gwen Lingenfelter who is sharing her passion for running today at her company’s wellness fair.
“I only started running in 2011. The MTA podcasts & lessons are the one thing that helped me to learn to run, to quit smoking, and to understand that running is my fountain of youth!
Because of that, in 2013, I did 12 half marathons (one a month). Ten of those were Rock ‘n’ Roll Series races so I achieved all the Heavy Medals that year.
The above picture is my RnR Nashville Finisher Medal. I also did New Orleans, Dallas, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, San Jose, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Antonio, plus two local halves that same year. -Gwen
Pat McCain has achieved running goals and embraced a new family of runners in the Marathon Training Academy.
Pat McCain ran in college because it was required.
“Running was not something I chose to do but rather forced to do,” McCain recalled. “I remember the first time I ran — I couldn’t even make a mile!” After joining the Air Force in 1988, he continued running. “You might say that I have been forced to run for almost 30 years!”
But it wasn’t until recently when McCain embraced coaching and the Marathon Training Academy, both of which helped him achieve what he once thought was impossible. Continue Reading →
