Congrats Rachel Everett who worked with MTA Coach Nicole to achieve a PR of 4:38 in her marathon! Here is a wonderful note she shared with our team.

Here is what she had to say . . .
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“I’d like to share with you and the MTA team my deepest gratitude to Coach Nicole Hart for training me to a PR at the Go! St. Louis Marathon last weekend!

Her guidance, training and encouragement were absolutely perfect and everything I needed to achieve this stretch goal.

Achieving a stretch goal

When I started training with Nicole, I had initially set my marathon goal for sub-5 hours. Based on my marathon and ultra times in recent years, that would have been a reasonable goal.

However, as we got into the training, my abilities were improving even better than expected – I think from both my perspective and Nicole’s. It may have been around the peak weeks of training that a much faster goal could be expected and I was really shocked when she said a 4:35-4:40 marathon was possible.

I began to visualize that a new PR was within reach. I knew would have to draw really deep within myself to make it happen.

As it turned out, the day was ideal and I fully trusted my training. While the elevation wasn’t ideal on this course, I had trained for hills. I started the marathon conservatively and ran relaxed for the early miles. I picked up the pace where I could and kept myself at a manageable pace.

It wasn’t until mile 20 that I was confident that a PR was within reach. The last 6 miles were rough, as expected, but I pushed with all I had left to get to the finish line, which was on a ridiculously steep hill no less.

Now, at the age of 50, I have a new marathon PR of 4:38, plus a newfound confidence in pursuing new marathon goals.

Coach Nicole was exactly the right coach for me and I can’t thank her enough for a strong training plan and the encouragement to race toward a PR.

Seriously, I can’t thank her enough! Thank you, Coach Nicole!”

Rachel Everett