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Author Archive | Trevor Spencer

Things I Learned from the Jerusalem Half Marathon

By on March 17, 2019 in Guest Perspective, Race Recap

Editor’s note: Here’s a short race report from one of our coaching clients named Brooke Taylor who ran the Jerusalem Half Marathon last Sunday.

Dear Angie and Trevor, Greetings from Israel! As we wait to board our flight back to the U.S., I wanted to check in and thank you for helping me get ready for the Jerusalem Half Marathon.

This race has been in the works for many months. It was my first-ever international race and I was also rehabbing my knee. I decided to become an MTA member and was paired with Coach Lynn to get me ready. I can say now, there is no way I would’ve had such a successful race without her help. Continue Reading →

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MTA Podcast Featured by Competitor Running

By on March 16, 2019 in Podcasts, Update

Big thanks to Competitor Running for featuring the Marathon Training Academy podcast in their list of 7 Podcasts For Your Next Solo Run!!!

If you’re a student of running who looks to train smarter, not harder, Marathon Training Academy is for you. Coach Angie Spencer, a nurse and experienced marathon runner, began running in 2008 as a way to get in shape. She fought through her first 26.2 miles despite being injured and quickly decided she needed a better way to train. 55 marathons later, she and her husband Trevor use their platform to discuss the science behind training, mental toughness, endurance, and using pain to your advantage. Elite athletes, sports doctors and authors regularly join their show for advice on getting the most out of your marathon training. Recent episodes have included ultra-runner and author Akshay Nanavati as well as Olympic medalist Meb Keflezighi. -Competitor Running

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How We Help Runners Achieve Their Goals

By on January 23, 2019 in Coaching

We all have the tendency to imagine that a future version of ourselves will be more disciplined than the present version of ourselves. Why is that?

Studies have been done in which people were asked if they would rather have fruit or cake one week from now. They usually say “fruit”. But a week later, when a slice of chocolate cake is offered along with an apple, test subjects were more statistically likely to go for the cake.

This is called Present Bias, the belief that what we want now isn’t the same thing you will want later. The future version of ourselves that we imagine always has more willpower and a flatter stomach than the present actual version.

Author David McRaney says, “When you are making plans your better angels point to the nourishing choices, but in the moment you go for what tastes good”.

The trick is to realize that you can only control the now you. Make the future you thankful for the action that the present you takes.

This could mean signing up for your first marathon or half marathon, hiring a coach, joining a yoga class, or cutting out sugar from your diet.

You’d be amazed by what your future self can become! This video explains how our MTA coaches help runners go from the present version of themselves to a stronger, faster, more confident version. Continue Reading →

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What Happens When You Take Action

By on January 12, 2019 in Coaching, Success Story

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 →

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Doctor Said He’d Never Run Again

By on January 10, 2019 in Success Story, Update

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

“Hi Trevor and Angie,

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

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Happy Holidays from MTA + A Quick Word of Thanks

By on December 23, 2018 in Podcasts, Update

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We have one more episode to go before 2018 ends! Keep an eye out for it. Over the last 3 days we had to migrate the website and podcast to a faster server so we apologize if you’ve been having trouble accessing it.

Special Thanks . . . Continue Reading →

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Another Great Weekend in MTA Land!

By on December 5, 2018 in Race Day, Success Story, Update


Jennifer Oellerich conquered the CIM Marathon, her first.

We love seeing the stories come back from runs and races over the weekend.

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!!

Continue Reading →

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Interview with Pete Kostelnick, Self-Supported Run from Alaska to Florida!

By on November 30, 2018 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

*[Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now]

Pete Kostelnick was looking for a way to unlock his wildest dreams so he ran from Kenai, Alaska to Key West, Florida. He set out to accomplish this as a self-supported run, pushing all of his gear in a jogging stroller.

He began on July 31st, 2018 and reached Key West on November 5th, 2018. In this interview you will hear how he got into long distance running ten years ago, why he decided to take the adventure of a lifetime, and how he managed to pull it off. Enjoy! Continue Reading →

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