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Author Archive | Angie Spencer

Still Running after Parkinson’s and Brain Surgery – Interview with Rhonda Foulds

By on December 13, 2014 in Health and Wellness, Motivation, Podcasts

Rhonda Lee Foulds

Rhonda Lee Foulds

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I met Rhonda Foulds at the starting line of the A2A Marathon in Ardmore, Oklahoma, earlier this this year. We later became Facebook friends and she has become one of my biggest sources of inspiration.

In this podcast episode you will hear how Rhonda, a mother of three boys, witnessed her health and fitness deteriorate due to early onset Parkinson’s Disease and was forced to stop running and doing other things she loved.

In the years that followed she became very tired and depressed, gained weight, and needed wheelchair assistance.

In 2003 Rhonda underwent a procedure called “DBS” (Deep Brain Stimulation) which places electrodes in certain areas of the brain to block the signals of Parkinson’s.

The surgery was a success and she began to reclaim her health and fitness one mile at a time. She has lost close to 100 pounds, gone from thirty-three medications to zero and has now completed over eighty half marathons, eighteen full marathons and two ultras.

Rhonda is proof that you really do have what it takes to run a marathon and change your life!

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The Bizarre World of Race Cheaters

By on December 6, 2014 in Podcasts, Safety

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A day after the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, which I ran this year, it was reported that the first place woman was disqualified for an inconsistent time.

Tabatha Hamilton of nearby Trenton, GA had finished the race in 2:55:39 claiming first place.

Upon closer inspection the chip times didn’t add up. It turns out her first half split was 2:06:51 and her second half was run in 49 minutes (which is 9 minutes faster than the current men’s world record)!

Reading about his unfortunate news made me wonder how frequently cheating goes on in the racing world, specifically during marathons.
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Marathon Success Story with Lee and Colleen Staats

By on November 22, 2014 in Interview, Podcasts, PR, Success Story

Looking good and loving life. Colleen and Lee Staats with Meb Keflezighi before the Columbus Marathon.

Looking good and loving life. Colleen and Lee Staats with Meb Keflezighi before the Columbus Marathon.

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In this episode we bring you a marathon success story with Lee and Colleen Staats, two Academy members from Galion, Ohio, who are transforming their lives through running.

They have both lost weight since starting to run and recently completed the Columbus Marathon.

Colleen set a PR in the half and Lee qualified for Boston by running 3:21:52.

They have both battled through injury and a busy work load to achieve their goals.

It has been my great honor to be their running coach. Continue Reading →

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Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon Race Recap

By on November 17, 2014 in Race Recap

IMG_2447I’ve been thinking about doing a Georgia marathon since we’re within driving distance here in Missouri.

So after the Marine Corps Marathon I made the last minute decision to sign up for the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in Fort Oglethorpe, GA on Nov 8, 2014.

It was around a 6 hour drive each way and we left the kids with my Mom and drove down there on the Friday before the race. I entertained myself by reading reviews of the race on Marathon Guide and was happy to see that most everything was positive. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: The Marine Corps Marathon

By on November 11, 2014 in Podcasts, Race Recap

Marine Corps Marathon 2014. Photo credit: Elvert Barnes, Flickr Creative Commons.

Marine Corps Marathon 2014. Photo credit: Elvert Barnes, Flickr Creative Commons.

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In this episode we recap the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., one of my favorite marathons to date. This is definitely a marathon I’d like to repeat!

One of the things that stands out about MCM is the exceptional organization and communication.

The Marine Corps motto is “Semper Fidelis” (always faithful) and they were definitely faithful to carry out an exceptional marathon experience. Continue Reading →

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The Aging Marathoner – How Getting Older Affects Your Running

By on October 7, 2014 in Health and Wellness, Masters Runner, Podcasts

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I envision myself running my whole life but I’d never really thought about how the “mechanics” of aging would affect my running.

Hopefully by digging into this topic now those of us who are younger can be mentally prepared and able to gracefully adjust to the natural slow-down that comes with age.

This should also be a help and encouragement to those runners who are noticing an age related slow-down in their running.
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Interview with Traci Falbo – 242 Miles in 48 Hours

By on September 19, 2014 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

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Traci Falbo recently set the World Indoor 48 hour record by running just over 242 miles at an event called Six Days Under the Dome.

Traci is a pediatric physical therapist. She belongs to all 3 of the 50 states clubs and is a Marathon Maniac. She lives in Charlestown, IN, with her husband Mike and two teenage children.

Ten years ago Traci decided to lose weight and train for her first marathon. She lost 80 pounds and completed her first marathon and has since run a marathon in every state and many 100 milers.

See the before and after picture: Continue Reading →

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Harnessing the Power of Habit in Your Marathon Training

By on September 6, 2014 in Motivation, Podcasts

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We recently read the book The Power of Habit—Why we do what we do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg.

It’s an excellent book that I’d highly recommend. In fact while I was reading it I thought of numerous examples how developing the right habits can help us achieve our running goals.

You may also be trying to implement positive habits (like running and healthy eating) in your life and working on cutting out bad habits.

This post will help you understand how to make habits work to your favor! Continue Reading →

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Mental Toughness – Lisa Smith-Batchen on Completing a Badwater Quad

By on August 15, 2014 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

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She did it! In July of this year Lisa Smith-Batchen became the first woman to complete a Badwater Quad.

That’s four back to back Badwater Ultra Marathons, 584 miles through Death Valley where temperatures reached as high as 127 degrees.

Lisa is an accomplished ultra-marathoner and coach and lives with her family in Driggs, Idaho. The first time we spoke with her was on podcast episode #78.

In this interview we talk with Lisa about her record setting run, her training, mental toughness, hallucinations, her money raising efforts to provide clean water to villages and much more. Continue Reading →

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Q and A with Dean Karnazes

By on August 1, 2014 in Elite Runner, Interview, Podcasts

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Dean Karnazes is author of the NY Times best selling book Ultra-Marathon Man –Confessions of an all Night Runner.

He is known for pushing the limits of human endurance, like when he ran 350 continuous miles without sleep, or the time he ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.

Dean is also an accomplished entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He has succeeded in convincing millions of people that they can go far beyond their perceived limitations.

List of questions Continue Reading →

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