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Secrets of Proper Recovery

By on November 30, 2011 in Health and Wellness, Podcasts

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When I was training for my first couple of marathons I didn’t give recovery much thought.

My biggest priority after finishing a run was getting a shower. I didn’t know that what I did in the minutes and hours after a hard workout was almost as important as the workout itself.

The body has the capacity to work hard and improve, but it also needs time to recover. When you don’t take time to recover properly this can take a toll on the body. Here are the secrets to proper recovery. . . Continue Reading →

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I Survived My First Marathon!

By on November 15, 2011 in Guest Perspective, Race Recap

Andy Richardson (pictured left) is a blogger at Start Running for Beginners. He trained for his first marathon using Angie’s Official Guide Ebook.

November 5th, I embarked into the unknown territory of running a marathon for the first time. During that time I found why they call this ‘endurance’ running. It wasn’t the prettiest race, and with a time of 4:54, I did not break any records. But I did somehow pull myself through those last few miles, and now I can join the ranks of that small segment of the population that calls themselves a marathon runner.

Ready, Race!
I found my way to the starting line of The Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon along with 15,000 half-marathoners and about 5,000 full-marathoners. You could taste the excitement and anxiousness in the cool morning air. Continue Reading →

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Race Recap – Trevor Runs His First Marathon

By on November 7, 2011 in Beginner, Podcasts, Race Recap

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After almost two years of hard work my husband Trevor has been transformed from a desk potato to a successful marathon finisher.

He ran his first full marathon on October 23rd in St. Louis, Missouri. His official time was 4:31:40.

In this episode I talk with Trevor about the agony and joy of running his first marathon. What you are about to read is the brutally honest battlefield report of a first time marathoner and former “non-runner”. Continue Reading →

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Six More Miles!

By on October 31, 2011 in Beginner, Guest Perspective

Andy Richardson is a blogger at Start Running for Beginners. He is training for his first marathon using Angie’s Official Guide Ebook.

With just a few days to go until my first marathon, I have a few thoughts I wanted to share with the MTA community. I think this title “6 More Miles” summarizes where I am right now in more than one way.

Six More Miles is Not So Hard . . . (I Think)
Just a few weeks ago, for the first time I was able to reach the 20 mile mark in my long run. It was actually the first time of running one of these really long runs that I thought I might actually be able to finish a 26.2 mile marathon. Usually when I would get back from the long run, I was absolutely spent, but the last two long runs were a little different. I know that I will have to run 6 more miles than I ever did during my training, but I really feel like I can run those 6 miles, and finish my first marathon. Continue Reading →

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Interview with Fueling Expert Steve Born

By on October 21, 2011 in Nutrition, Podcasts

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Steve Born is a fueling expert at Hammer Nutrition. Steve is also an accomplished athlete holding two ultra marathon cycling records and has been inducted into the Ultra Marathon Cycling Hall of Fame.

We brought Steve on the podcast to help us unravel the mysteries of fueling for long distance running.

Ten Questions for Steve Born

1. How did you get started in endurance sports and what is your role at Hammer?

My sport was the financially lucrative (sarcasm) sport of ultra marathon bicycle racing. I did the Race Across America five times. I have spent so much money and made so many mistakes with fueling and I don’t want people to make the same mistakes. That’s pretty much why I have a job.

Continue Reading →

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Race Recap – Battle Tested Insights from The Wineglass Marathon

By on October 17, 2011 in Podcasts, Race Recap

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One of the great things about running is the chance to continually learn new things and push past personal boundaries. It doesn’t matter if you can only run 1 mile or if you’ve finished 20 marathons.  You need to continue to learn and grow.

I recently ran the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY. This race has been on my radar for a long time because I heard that the course is both beautiful and conducive to setting a PR (personal record).

Over the summer I trained harder and smarter than ever before and I’m glad to say my hard work paid off. I managed to finished in 3 hours and 44 minutes. This is my fastest time yet.

Here is some advice that is applicable whether you’ll be racing your first 5k or trying to PR in the marathon. Continue Reading →

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Interview with Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano

By on September 30, 2011 in Motivation, Podcasts

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Adam and Tim are the authors of the Book Running the Edge – Discover the Secrets of Better Running and a Better Life.

The edge is the outer reaches of your potential as a runner. We are all pursuing that edge to discover what we are capable of (because we know we are capable of more).

In running everyone who participates is a hero. Every runner must undergoes a training process and every runner must stick it out to be successful. You must push back against adversity and discomfort to accomplish your goal.

You may not be an elite runner but you are striving for a personal best. The only person you must beat is your former self. Even if you can only run 3 miles so far, you have reason to celebrate because a few months ago you couldn’t run even 1 mile.

The first step to running the edge in your running and life is INITIATIVE.

What if Superman lacked initiative to save the day? What if all his potential went unused? Superpowers are great, but without initiative, responsibility, determination, adaptability, integrity, and personability you can’t tap into your latent potential.

Are You a Distance Maven?:

Adam and Tim say a distance maven is a person who is dedicating themselves to pursuing excellence in their running and life. See how many of the following points apply to you. Continue Reading →

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The Final Surge

By on September 27, 2011 in Guest Perspective

Andy Richardson is a blogger at Start Running for Beginners. He is training for his first marathon using Angie’s Official Guide Ebook.

I had been running for 14 miles when it happened . . .

My run started at 6:15 a.m. when it was dark and much cooler. But after running for over two hours things had changed. I was now out of fuel, not to mention energy.

My cardio endurance was doing okay, but my legs were burning, and seemed to have turned to jello. I still had three miles to get back home, but it might as well have been another 14 miles. I was unsure if I would even make it back to the house. Sound familiar?

Motivation to Keep Going

At that point I had a thought that gave me some motivation to keep going. I realized that my race day was approaching quicker than my mile pace, and if I wanted to finish the marathon I needed to get some good long runs in over the next few weeks. After all, my marathon date of November 5 is just a few weeks away. I knew that now is the time to work in order to be ready; and I knew it started with this training run.

You see – before that day, my best run was about 14 miles. For a long time my training had hit a plateau, and for some reason I just could not get past running that distance. But this new revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, and I knew it was time to really have a final surge in my training in order to finish the race, much less have a good race time.

So back to my training run: you know…. legs burning, body aching? Right. So I just kept asking myself how I would feel about myself later if I gave up. I thought about how I would feel if I came up short during the race. These thoughts pushed me forward. I just told myself to keep going; keep going; keep going.

I did keep going, and somehow I was able to eek out that 17 mile run. I may have had to walk part of that last 3 miles, and I definitely did not break any records, but I did it. But when I was done with that run, make no mistake about it, I physically felt terrible. I didn’t even have enough energy to do a proper cool down. (Shh, don’t tell Angie). And part of me wondered how I would ever be able to run another 9.2 miles.

With time though, I began to rest and recuperate from the run. By the way, isn’t it funny how runs are not nearly as difficult when you are back at the house in the air-conditioning as they are when you are chugging along. Anyway, with time I started to feel better about myself, and my ability to run the race.

The Surge in My Training

I realize that my body is building strength and endurance each day, and that I will probably be fine as long as I can train right these last few weeks. I have built a good base over the last several months, and now is the time to surge to the finish.

I really want to hit the 20 mile mark in my training runs before I actually run the race, and I will make one final surge to finish strong with my training and ultimately the race. I have spent months just building up to this point, and now is the moment of truth. I am confident in saying that I am ready for it!

What do you think?
Are you ready to make a final surge in your training so that you can be ready for race day?

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Don’t Make These Fueling Mistakes

By on September 20, 2011 in Fueling, Nutrition, Podcasts

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When I ran my first marathon I knew next to nothing about fueling. Oh, I did plenty of research on the internet, but still my fueling on long runs was haphazard at best. There was the time when I ate a chicken dinner 2 hours before running 16 miles and it didn’t stay down. There were times when I got light headed from inadequate fueling.

In the last few months I’ve come across some information that has revolutionized my personal fueling. I can’t take credit for coming up with these ideas. Here are some guidelines for smart fueling success: Continue Reading →

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Answers to Your Questions About Marathon Training

By on August 31, 2011 in Podcasts

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In this episode Angie answers questions about minimalist shoes, running with asthma, busting down the wall, IT band pain, plantar fasciitis, pronation, pre and post race meals, mantras, and motivation!

Because our attention spans are short (mine has only been about 10 minutes lately) I’ve provided abridged answers to the listener questions below.

Here is the first question . . . Continue Reading →

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Love and Hate of the Long Run

By on August 24, 2011 in Beginner, Guest Perspective

Andy Richardson is a blogger at Start Running for Beginners. He is training for his first marathon using Angie’s Official Guide Ebook.

In training for my first marathon, I understand the importance of the long run. Some days my long run is great, and some days the long run is not so great. You could say that I have a love hate relationship with the long run.

Let me share with you some ways that I love (or hate) the long run.

I Love Long Runs Because…. Continue Reading →

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How to Set a PR at Your Next Race

By on August 15, 2011 in Podcasts

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Want to set a personal record (PR) at your next 5k, 10k, half marathon, or marathon? This podcast will tell you how to shave minutes off your time.

Running a PR can even be more satisfying than winning an age group award because most of us run to compete against ourselves. We know that we’ll never be Olympic athletes or even win a marathon. Yet we know that somewhere deep down inside of us resides the best we are capable of.

Click here to reserve a room with Drury Hotels, the official hotel sponsor of the MTA podcast. Save $10 on your room and get 2 free months of membership to Marathon Training Academy. Check out our video below.

Are You Ready to PR?

Setting a PR will require a goal, focus, and mental, physical, and psychological commitment. If you’re a beginning runner then this is not the time to set ambitious time goals for yourself. Your goal should be to establish a solid running base and simply finish the race.

After you finish a few races you’ll start thinking about how to get faster. If your last marathon was 2 years ago and you haven’t been running regularly since that time, it wouldn’t be advisable to train for a PR. You have to push the “reset” button if you’ve taken some time off. Continue Reading →

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