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Author Archive | Angie Spencer

Race Recap: The Boston Marathon [part 1]

By on April 28, 2015 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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The 119th Boston Marathon presented by John Hancock was held on April 20, 2015. Started in 1897, this is the world’s oldest annual marathon held the third Monday of April on Patriot’s Day. It is also one of the 6 World Marathon Majors (joining Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City).

As most people know, entrants must qualify using a set of gender and age specific standards, run for charity or be really important and get a bib. Over 170 million dollars has been raised for charity in the last 30 years!

It’s interesting to note that in the beginning the distance wasn’t 26.2 miles/42.2k. Instead it started in Ashland and was around 24 miles (the distance wasn’t standardized to what we currently know until the London Olympics in 1908). The inaugural field in 1897 was 15 men and 10 finished that first Boston Marathon. Things have certainly changed because the race was capped at 30,000 this year with an elite field followed by four waves of runners.

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How to Run-Walk-Run a Marathon -Interview with Jeff Galloway

By on April 18, 2015 in Beginner, Interview, Podcasts

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Jeff Galloway has had one of the most influential careers in the history of running.  He  competed in the 10k distance at the 1972 Olympics. 

He’s run a 2:16 marathon.  He’s the author of many books and owner of the oldest specialty running store in America.

Many know him as the creator of the Galloway Run-Walk-Run program which has helped hundreds of thousands of people realize their dream of finishing a marathon. 

In this interview we have Jeff take us through how and why his method works for runners of all abilities. Continue Reading →

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Qualifying for the Boston Marathon –Interview with Chris Russell

By on April 5, 2015 in Interview, Podcasts, Speedwork

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Chris Russell has qualified for the Boston Marathon 16 times.  He is the creator of the Run Run Live podcast and author of Marathon BQ – How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon in 14 Weeks. 

With the Boston Marathon approaching we thought it would be appropriate to bring you an episode about how to run a BQ time. Here’s what Chris had to say. Continue Reading →

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10 Questions About Pregnancy and Marathon Training

By on March 31, 2015 in Health and Wellness, Safety

photo credit: Michael Hollander; Flickr Creative Commons

photo credit: Michael Hollander; Flickr Creative Commons

Many women have asked me if it’s possible to safely run and train for a marathon while pregnant.

This is a very important question and I’ve thought about dedicating a whole podcast episode to this topic.

Well, lo and behold I was recently invited to speak about this on the Run Run Live podcast. A big thanks to Chris Russell for having me on the show! You can hear me on episode 4-308.

Chris sent over 10 really great questions about pregnancy and running that he wanted me to tackle during the interview.

Here are the answers I gave based on my own experience of running through two pregnancies and the science I’ve read on this topic. Continue Reading →

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The Case for Core Training –How Strong Core Muscles Make You a More Efficient Runner

By on March 8, 2015 in Cross-Training, Podcasts

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If you’ve been around the running world for any length of time you’ve probably heard the term “core” and “core training” thrown around quite a bit.

Training for a marathon requires a time investment it can be challenging to add one more thing to your busy schedule if you really don’t see the importance of how it directly relates to your success in running. That’s why many runners mistakenly don’t focus on exercises to balance and strengthen their running muscles.

Building core strength is an essential element to running effectively since it will improve your running form and decrease the chance of injury.

Here’s why you can’t afford to ignore your core. Continue Reading →

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Effective Core Training for Runners

By on March 4, 2015 in Cross-Training

CORE.002Core work is a must if you’re going to be a successful marathoner. It’s such an important topic that I’m getting ready to do an entire podcast episode on The Case for Core Training.

It provides your body with a solid foundation, giving your legs more strength and increases your running efficiency.

So in this post I want to share three rules and six simple moves you can start implementing today to strengthen your core. Continue Reading →

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Interview with Hal Elrod -How to Have a Miracle Morning

By on February 8, 2015 in Interview, Podcasts

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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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Indoor Marathons and Developing Mental Toughness

By on January 31, 2015 in Motivation, Podcasts

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

By on January 27, 2015 in 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).

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

By on January 11, 2015 in Motivation, Podcasts

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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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Run More and Recover Better

By on December 20, 2014 in Beginner, Health and Wellness

IMG_2443Here’s a question from our Academy Facebook group:

“Ran my first marathon yesterday at the Dallas Marathon. One thought I had often “how the heck does Angie do back to back marathons without falling apart?!” –Ashley

First of all a big congratulations goes out to Ashley for running her first marathon! I certainly wasn’t thinking about running multiple marathons before or during my first marathon in 2008. It was just one of those big challenges that I had to do.

At the time I didn’t have any friends who were runners and didn’t know anyone personally who’d ever run a marathon. Despite making lots of mistakes in training I crossed the finish line in 4:10 and knew that I’d run another marathon.

However, ITBS (iliotibial band syndrome) forced me to lay off running for the next several months. But I knew that I’d learn from my mistakes and come back stronger. I recovered properly, trained smarter and ran a marathon in 2009 breaking four hours. From there it was a process of learning more, setting bigger goals and running more marathons.

Now I’ve run 29 marathons and know that there are many, many more in my future. Here are my tips for running more and recovering more quickly whether your goal is to run more 5ks or marathons: Continue Reading →

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