Steve Yee -Call him Mr. Marathon Maniac

Marathon Maniac founders Steve Yee, Chris Warren and Tony Phillippi  [click to enlarge]

Marathon Maniac founders Steve Yee, Chris Warren and Tony Phillippi [click to enlarge]

Steve Yee coined the term with his marathon friends and has presided over the growth of the popular group of yellow-clad runners since 2003.

By Henry Howard

Steve Yee’s running passion started innocently enough. In 1983, Yee learned of the Seattle Mariners Fun Run, an 8-mile run that included four tickets to a ball game.

“With a few weeks training I was able to complete it without stopping so I got really excited, started training more and signed up for races every single weekend after that,” he says. “With each race more challenges emerged, I started running half marathons and finally took the plunge with my first marathon six months after the Mariners Fun Run.”

Turn the clock ahead 20 years and many marathons later, Yee was having lunch with Chris Warren, Tony Phillippi, Sue Fauerbach and Terry Watanabe after — of course — a marathon. The runners talked about how many marathons they ran throughout the year. Friendly oneupsmanship took over as the runners started throwing out race after race that they would do.

At one point, Yee said,

“I feel like I’m amongst a bunch of Marathon Maniacs.”

The name stuck, and Yee, Warren and Phillippi became the original founders and co-presidents of the most popular marathon group active today. Continue Reading →

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Two Simple Steps to Analyze Your Last Tempo Run

1-4-1ZoneBy Philip Miller, creator of GraphMyRun

Runners whose goal is just to finish a marathon only need a very simple training tool. It’s a check list.

“Did I do my long run this weekend, yes or no?”

But if you’re training for a marathon with a different goal in mind – like qualifying for Boston – your training plan will be more complex. And that means you’ll need better analysis tools, too. Continue Reading →

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Interview with Hal Elrod -How to Have a Miracle Morning

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Hal Elrod is a motivational speaker, success coach and best-selling author of The Miracle Morning -The not so Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform your Life Before 8 a.m..  

At 20 years of age Hal was hit head on by a drunk driver traveling 70 mph.   Despite being clinically dead for 6 minutes, spending 6 days in a coma and being told he would never walk again, Hal made a comeback and went on to become a runner and even complete an ultra-marathon.  Hal lives in California with his wife and 2 children. Continue Reading →

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Dozen Runners Crossing USA for Charity

RaceAcrossUSACoast-to-coast event spans 140 days, allows participants to break through boundaries and raises money for 100 Mile Club.

By Henry Howard

For some, finishing a marathon is the ultimate achievement in running. It’s a worthy goal and one that less than 1 percent of the adult population achieves.

Right now, a dozen runners are going on an epic multi-marathon challenge across the United States. They are participating in the Race Across USA, which is literally what they are doing — from California through the southern part of the United States to Washington, D.C.

It’s a 140-day journey, with 120 planned days of running and 3,080 miles. They will run 112 marathons during that time.

Darren Van Soye is the creator and organizer of Race Across USA, along with his wife, Sandy. He is running the entire race so she is taking on the primary role of race director, handling logistics and everything else that comes up along the way. Continue Reading →

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Indoor Marathons and Developing Mental Toughness

Just another lap at the Hawk Indoor Marathon and 50k.

Just another lap at the Hawk Indoor Marathon and 50k.

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This podcast episode was inspired by my first ever indoor marathon -the Hawk Indoor Marathon and 50k in Hagerstown, Maryland.

If I could emphasize any one of the points about running an indoor marathon it would be to focus on your mental attitude.

Thinking and vocalizing negativity is rarely helpful. Dealing with monotony, pain, and even loneliness can be a way to develop mental toughness. Why is mental toughness so important? Because the tough stuff in life can either make us or break us.

In this post I’ll share some tips for successfully running an indoor marathon and then finish by adding a few words about developing mental toughness. Continue Reading →

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The Hawk Indoor Marathon and 50k Race Recap

With the race director Bill Stewart

With the race director Bill Stewart

The 3rd annual Hawk Indoor Marathon was held on Dec. 31, 2014 in Hagerstown, Maryland.

We were going to be in the area visiting family around that time and I couldn’t resist the chance to run one more marathon before the end of the year.

I’d never previously considered running an indoor marathon or thought it sounded like anything but torture. But as ideas do, this one continued to grow in my mind until I decided to just go for it (see podcast #128).

Continue Reading →

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Toughness, Faith Fuel Ultra Runner

BryanBurkAir Force veteran uses lessons learned from high school football, military career and his religion to bring him to the finish line of endurance races.

By Henry Howard

In high school, Brian Burk played running back and safety on the football team. He had grown up playing a variety of sports but did not fashion himself as a runner.

Burk — aka “CleDawg,” a nickname stemming from his passion for the Cleveland Browns — readily admits that back in those days he lacked discipline and any knowledge about conditioning. Instead, he just wanted to play the game he loved.

That all changed one day when the coach made the team run a mile after practice. Continue Reading →

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Interview with Michael Wardian – Endurance Athlete Extraordinaire

Mike and his dad at the Hawk Indoor 50k

Mike and his dad at the Hawk Indoor 50k

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Michael Wardian is an accomplished marathoner and ultra-marathoner from Arlington VA. Last year he won the Big Sur Marathon and the Disney Dopey Challenge, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

His most recent accomplishment was setting a new indoor 50k World Record at the Hawk Indoor 50k in Hagerstown, MD, finishing 250 laps in 3 hours, 6 minutes and 7 seconds. Continue Reading →

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Six Steps to Filling out Your Race Calendar

5374200948_539b10fb1c_mRunners face the daunting challenge of plotting out a to-do list of races that won’t break the bank or bust up their body.

By Henry Howard

Right now I have no fewer than 21 races on my race calendar for 2015.

That’s about triple the number I have averaged in the past four years since I began my running journey.

I’ll probably end up doing about 10 races and have already committed and signed up for two, the Phoenix Marathon and the Indianapolis Monumental. I’ll run the full 26.2 in each race but will flush out my race calendar with shorter distances.

Or maybe try an ultra. Continue Reading →

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Just Go For It! Four Mantras for Attempting Great Things in Your Marathon Training and Life

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When the New Year arrives many of us think about making changes and undertaking certain challenges.

Our theme for this podcast and year is “Just Go For It.” This is a reflection of what Trevor and I are aiming for in our business and running.

For most goals there will never be that “perfect” time. You have to make the perfect time.

Your goals and challenges for 2015 will be unique to you. But I want to make some suggestions on how to decide on goals and how to carry them through. Continue Reading →

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Athlete-Foodie Combines Two Passions

07_04_12_Giro_06_Stage6_066Endurance cyclist was looking for a healthy, nutritious energy bar portable enough for long bike rides, runs or hikes. She found it in her kitchen.

By Henry Howard

Ally Stacher, who grew up in a small town in California, says she has always been a foodie. “My family and friends were always making great meals and I fell in love with the process of making food with the best ingredients and from the ground up.”  Continue Reading →

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Athlete Overcomes Back Surgery to Run Half Marathon

Alex_Johnson_blogrunA cold race day in Indianapolis gave way to a series of heart-warming moments for Louisville man and his girlfriend.

By Henry Howard

When Alex Johnson arrived in Indianapolis for the Monumental Marathon on Nov. 1 of last year, he was greeted by an unusually cool fall evening. Race-time wind chills were around 20 degrees for Johnson, who was running his first half marathon, and his girlfriend, Taryn Scampoli, who was running the full.

“I’m not a cold weather runner, or cold weather anything, so I was not in a great mood the morning of the race,” admits Johnson, who lives in Louisville, Ky. “However, I also kept in mind that the previous three months had all led to this morning, and that there was one goal to the day, and that being to cross the finish line. As the race started, I turned my music up loud, latched on to each next fastest runner I could find in the pack, and leaned forward.”

While Johnson trained three months for his first 13.1-mile race, his quest was actually years in the making. Continue Reading →

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