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I Should Not Be a Runner

By on June 18, 2014 in Guest Perspective, Health and Wellness, Motivation

Eyrn_LynumGuest blogger Eryn Lynum shares her epic journey of finding life, health, and running after Addison’s disease and anorexia.

I should not be a runner.

In fact, there are a lot of things I should not be. I should not be a mother. I should not be a writer. I should not be healthy. I should not even be alive.

When I was fourteen years old my adrenal glands gave up on me. Or rather they put up one heck of a fight yet lost their arduous battle against my very confused immune system, which attacked them until they were completely destroyed.

Never again would I feel the heart throbbing thrill that rushes through your veins as you peak the top of a roller coaster, and then let gravity have its way as you race back to the bottom. Never again would I take a simple ride in an elevator without an inevitable and debilitating dizzy spell at the end. Never again could I trust my body to come to my rescue with its “fight or flight” response when I was in a bind and needed just that extra bit of super strength or endurance. Continue Reading →

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Be Awesome! Interview with Desert Runner Samantha Gash

By on June 9, 2014 in Interview, Podcasts, Ultramarathon

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In this episode we talk with Samantha Gash an ultra marathoner from Australia who became the first female and youngest person to complete Racing the Planet’s Four Deserts Grand Slam in one calendar year.

This race series included the following 250km ultra-marathons:
Atacama (Chile) the driest desert
Gobi (China) the windiest desert
Sahara (Egypt) the hottest desert
Antarctica the coldest desert

Samantha considers herself to be an ordinary runner who decided to attempt something extraordinary.

Take some inspiration from her story, dream big, go out and be awesome! Continue Reading →

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Marathon Pacing

By on May 29, 2014 in Pacing, Podcasts, PR

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One of the most frequent questions that I get as a running coach is about marathon pacing.

Runners often wonder which time goal they should shoot for, what type of strategy they should use during the race, whether they should run with a pace group, if they can qualify for Boston during their first marathon, etc.

For example, Jeff sent in this email:

“How do you avoid losing motivation when you get to the point in a marathon where you realize you aren’t going to finish close to your time goal? In my last two marathons, I felt a horrible deflating feeling when I got to the point when I knew I was not going to be happy with my finish time. I get really down on myself, and it is hard to push through those final miles. I feel particularly awful when I get passed by the pace groups. . . I use my time goal as motivation during training, and then when I fall hopelessly off pace in the later miles my motivation leaves me like air out of a popped balloon. It is just hard to press on when you are dealing with that amount of disappointment.

I hate for people to feel awful about their marathon times, so let’s talk about some of the factors related to marathon pacing. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: The River Towns Marathon

By on May 16, 2014 in Race Recap

rivertownsWhen 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!).

Continue Reading →

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Interview with Joe De Sena – Founder of the Spartan Race

By on May 8, 2014 in Books, Interview, Podcasts

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In this episode we talk with Spartan Race founder Joe De Sena about his new book Spartan Up – a Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles And Achieving Peak Performance.

Joe’s Bio:
Joe De Sena is the founder of Spartan Race the world’s leading obstacle race series with events taking place all over the planet. In addition to being an accomplished businessman, he is a hard core ultra endurance athlete. He and his wife and their four children make their home in Vermont.
Continue Reading →

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Boston Strong! The 2014 Boston Marathon

By on April 28, 2014 in Podcasts

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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 →

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Race Recap: The A2A Marathon – Why We Love Small Marathons!

By on April 14, 2014 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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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).

Continue Reading →

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Taking Care of Your Amazing Feet

By on April 1, 2014 in Health and Wellness, Podcasts

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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 →

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Interview with Jan Seeley -Race Director and Publisher of Marathon and Beyond Magazine

By on March 15, 2014 in Interview, Podcasts

Jan Seeley with Danny Bourgeois

Jan Seeley with Danny Bourgeois

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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 →

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5 Strategies to Help You Break Your Running Records

By on March 8, 2014 in Guest Perspective, Sponsored Post

Published on June 22, 2023

Is running a sport and activity that you feel passionate about? Do you consider yourself a serious runner in that you track your milestones and goals? If so, there’s no doubt you’re well aware of what your personal bests are. So, what if you want to push yourself further and break your current running records? It’s not an impossible task; in fact, with the right tips and strategies, this is a highly attainable goal to have. Here are five strategies that can help you break your running records. Continue Reading →

How to Run a Sub-Four Hour Marathon (Fat Adapted Version)

By on March 7, 2014 in Low Carb, PR

Awkward photo alert: Trev at the Myrtle Beach Marathon photo credit: myrltebeachonline.com

Awkward photo alert: Trev at the Myrtle Beach Marathon
photo credit: myrltebeachonline.com

Last year I wrote a post called “How I Ran a Sub-Four Hour Marathon”.

You can see it here. Amazingly, this little post has continued to generate high numbers of visitors every month.

Well ladies and gentleman, I have broken the 4:00 barrier again! (spontaneous cheering ignites all over the world wide web).

I ran 3:56:35 in Myrtle Beach.

I’m not setting any speed records to be sure. I’m just a middle of the pack runner. At my age I would need to clock a 3:05 to qualify for Boston! Ha, ha, ha . . .

Nevertheless, breaking 4 hours for the second time feels really good. Especially after running a miserable 4:53:23 at the Rocket City Marathon in December. (Let’s not talk about that race).

The cool part about running sub-four this time is that I did not carry a boat load of fuel. What did I carry? Nothing but my fat baby! (sort of).

Continue Reading →

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Race Recap: The Myrtle Beach Marathon

By on March 3, 2014 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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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 →

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