Author Archive | Trevor Spencer

How We Help Runners Achieve Their Goals

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

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

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


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!


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!

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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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Photos from the 2018 MTA Virtual Half

Raley Parker releasing the kraken in Delaware.

Here are some photos from this year’s MTA Podcast Virtual Half Marathon.

The way it works is . . . participants complete their half marathon sometime in the month of November and we ship them out their finisher’s medal. We had 375 people participate this year!

We love seeing the running routes and race reports . . . Continue Reading →

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Hear us on the Get Fit Guy Podcast

Angie and Trevor were recent guests on the Get Fit Guy Podcast to talk about how to train for a long distance race. It was a short but fun interview. Listen here. Topics covered include:

  1. The dangers of doing too much too soon.
  2. Why you shouldn’t always push your training pace in an attempt to feel “like a real runner.”
  3. Why it is a mistake to make running your only activity. Cross training is important!
  4. How to set a realistic time goal.
  5. Why you shouldn’t worry if your half marathon times don’t correlate to your full marathon times.
  6. Tips for race day, like finding the start line before the race, worrying about sleep the night before the race, and allowing adequate time to digest before you run.
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Listener Q & A with Angie and Athena


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In this episode we do a listener Q & A session!

Angie and special guest Coach Athena Farias tackle questions about recovery, what to do in the off season, back-to-back marathons, how to train for a 50k, dealing with taper madness, and more.

Plus we will give you a quick rundown of the 2018 New York City Marathon. Continue Reading →

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From the New York City Marathon with Love

This is a race report sent in by Academy member Logan Collier who improved her time by 30 minutes over her last marathon. The story captures the excitement of the NYC Marathon.


“Here’s a recap of my NYC Marathon experience…

Firstly: I’m amazed at how organized everything is. Seeing ALL those runners gave me a real appreciation for the logistical challenges of putting on an event of this size and scope. There were so many volunteers!! Makes me want to come back and volunteer.
Continue Reading →

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