When I’m traveling I often look to see if there will be any marathons in the vicinity—especially in a new state that would put me closer to my 50 States goal.
When I decided to visit family in Pennsylvania I found the River Towns Marathon which was only 2.5 hours away from where I was staying.
As a bonus, it was easy to convince my youngest sister Autum to join me for the race. Here’s my recap (with pics!).
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
The 118th Boston Marathon was held on April 21, 2014. 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).
Entrants must qualify using a set of gender and age specific standards or run for charity. Every running of the Boston Marathon is a historic event. This year had even deeper significance because it was one year after the horrific bombings that took place on Boyleston Street near the finish line in 2013 where 3 people were killed and 264 wounded (not to mention all the emotional scars left behind).
A year later it’s still hard to grasp that something like that would happen at an event like this—one that holds so much pride for the community, the running world and the many charities it supports. If you read running magazines, blogs or follow various running outlets on Facebook you’ve probably read some of the amazing stories of loss and triumph. Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
We were invited to run the A2A Marathon in Ardmore, Oklahoma, by the race director -Alison Smalley.
MTA was the race’s official training partner and was even featured on the local news!
After running 23 marathons I must say . . . small town races have a special place in my heart. The A2A Marathon is friendly, well organized, and unpretentious.
Ardmore seems like the kind of place you would want to raise a family and the race volunteers are the sort of folk you would want as neighbors.
I went there expecting to make some new friends, run another marathon and enjoy a nice (kid free) weekend with Trevor. I didn’t expect to hear what they told me as I crossed the finish line (keep reading to find out).
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
During the course of a marathon the average runner will take between 30,000-40,000 steps so it’s obvious we rely on our feet a lot!
I’ve read that the running motion causes impact forces on a runner’s feet 2-3 times his/her body weight.
This episode and blog post is all about taking care of your amazing feet that survive 26.2 miles of pavement pounding each marathon.
I will give you a little anatomy lesson about the foot, and information on how to deal with problems like blisters, arch pain, plantar fasciitis and more. Your feet will love it! Continue Reading →
Jan Seeley with Danny Bourgeois
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a big marathon?
In this episode we talk with Jan Seely co-race director at the Christi Clinic Illinois Marathon in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
This race attracts more that 20,000 runners each year and was ranked as one of the best new marathons in 2014 by Runner’s World.
Jan is also co-owner of Marathon and Beyond Magazine -a bimonthly magazine tailored specifically for marathoners and ultrarunners. Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
This episode is about our experience running the Myrtle Beach Marathon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Myrtle Beach Marathon is in its 17th year and also features a half marathon, 5k and family fun run the night before. They also brought back the marathon relay this year.
The Myrtle Beach area has approximately 60 miles of shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean and around 30,000 permanent residents. However they get an estimated 15 million tourists per year. It’s actually very cost effective to visit in the off season as most of the hotels and eating establishments are nearly empty.
The race partners with the Rare Species Fund, a non-profit conservation program, and Ripley’s Aquarium (you can get a discount on entry with your race bib). This area, known as the “Grand Strand” must be the mini-golf capitol of the world, although the majority are closed in Feb. Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
In this special 100th episode of the marathon training academy podcast we answer real questions from every day runners who are trying to take their running and their health to the next level.
I answer questions about running multiple marathons, hill training, the 10% rule, 50ks, proper recovery, eating a high fat low carb diet, speedwork, running form, and questions about our family.
*[Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now]
Dr. Tim Noakes is a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
He has completed more than 70 marathons and ultra-marathons and is the author of Waterlogged, Running Injuries, Challenging Beliefs, and the Lore of Running.
The Lore of running (900 pages) is the first running book Trevor bought me before we started the MTA podcast. I have kept it by my reading chair for reference ever since. It is worth its weight in gold.
While we had Dr. Noakes on the phone we were eager to talk with him about how the brain governs one’s performance in the marathon. Here’s what he had to say, Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
As we enter the New Year many of us have ideas about what we’d like to do and accomplish in 2014.
I think it’s healthy to have goals and dreams and work toward these things. However, I’ve read that only 8% of people’s resolutions actually get carried out.
I know I’ve been guilty of letting many good intentions go by the wayside. One common roadblock to accomplishing goals is the fact that we’re already so busy. Sometimes it seems overwhelming to add even another good thing to our schedule.
Here are my three tips for getting things done . . . (and loving it) Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
On December 14, 2013 we got to run the 37th annual Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL put on by the Huntsville Track Club.
Huntsville is located in the north central part of Alabama and was a 5.5 hour drive for us. The city has around 180,000 residents and is the home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and US Army Aviation and Missile Command.
This race is geared toward marathoners as it doesn’t offer any other races except a kids “marathon” later in the morning. The entry fee is very reasonable (around $60) considering the good organization, support and swag.
Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
In this blog post/podcast episode we want to delve into a few more components of understanding how your body ticks by discussing heart rate variability (HRV), V02 max and anaerobic threshold (AT).
I received a question from a listener related to our podcast about heart rate training. He says,
“The only thing you did not discuss and maybe there is no answer to this, but I’d like to know more about monitoring and tracking recovery heart rate after a workout. I “appear” to recover very quickly after a long or hard workout, as my heart rate comes back to normal quickly. Do you have any data or thoughts on this?”
This excellent question leads into the topic of heart rate variability (HRV). Continue Reading →
*Audio Content Available For Members Only. Click Here to Join Now
In this episode we talk with Chuck Engle the man who holds the record for most career marathon wins of any person in the United States.
He has won 164 out of 332 marathons with an average time of 2:43. At age 42 he continues to race almost every weekend and he continues to win.
Chuck lives in Coos Bay, Oregon, and is the internet marketing director for marathonguide.com. His approach to marathon training is “run more”.
Ten questions for the marathon junkie: Continue Reading →
