Big thanks to our client Doug H. for sending in this write-up about his experience with MTA Coaching with the goal of getting faster in the marathon. He writes,
“My marathon journey started late, at age 54. Having been into endurance cycling, a sub-4-hour goal didn’t seem unreasonable. I finished in 3:56:38 and knew I’d be running another one.
Three years later, I started training for marathon #2 with the goal of qualifying for Boston. I had no idea how much athleticism, dedication, and persistence it would take!
After three more years, six failed attempts, several injuries, and symptoms of overtraining, I knew something had to change.
Early on, I started listening to the MTA podcast, but it wasn’t until January 2024 that I finally took the plunge and reached out for coaching help. That’s when Coach Henry came into the picture.
Working with Coach Henry
“Coach Henry created a training schedule that fit my work week, with Sundays off. This time felt different—the weekly plans included strength training, core workouts, speed work in nearly every run, and lots of push-ups.
In April, I ran the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon with a new PR and a BQ time of 3:46:53 (turning 60 helped!). Then, it was straight into another training block with Coach Henry.
Eight more months of injury-free training culminated on December 1st at the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa, FL.
I stayed on goal pace until mile 20—my slowest by 10 seconds—but out came the Kraken. Back on pace for miles 21-25, I finished with my first-ever final kick, clocking in at 3:41:02—a near six-minute PR and just shy of a nine-minute buffer for Boston 2026. The icing on the cake was finishing first in my age group.
Thanks to Angie, Trevor, and the MTA community, and a huge shoutout to Coach Henry! I couldn’t have done it without you all.”
–Doug H.
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