My First Marathon

Join host Taylor as she sits down with runners from all walks of life to delve into their unforgettable first marathon experiences.

From the nerves at the starting line to the euphoria of crossing the finish, each episode offers a candid look at the highs, lows, and unexpected twists of preparing for and conquering 26.2 miles for the first time.

Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or just considering lacing up your running shoes for the first time, this podcast is your go-to source for motivation, inspiration, and real-life insights from those who've been there, done that. Tune in as we celebrate the triumphs, share the struggles, and uncover the lessons learned along the road to that unforgettable first marathon finish line.

Follow along on TikTok and Instagram at @myfirstmarathonpod!

Have feedback? We'd love to hear it! Reach out at myfirstmarathonpod@gmail.com.

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#147
Yesterday · 56 min
147: You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup: Finding Something Just for Me w/ Jess O’Brien
Jess O’Brien became a mom at 18, and for years movement took a back seat to raising her son. Running didn’t stick the first time she tried it, but joining a CrossFit gym had built up her endurance, so when a Revel marathon popped up on her favorite New Hampshire highway, she signed up and figured she’d learn the rest along the way. And of course as anyone does training for their first marathon, she learned plenty that winter. Fueling, learning how to push through the hard, you name it, she was learning it along the way throughout training. But the bigger surprise was what those miles gave back. Running was the first thing she’d ever done only for herself, and she found she showed up better as a mom, wife, and friend because of it. Follow along with Jess: @Jessgets_fit33 Donate to Jess' London Fundraiser! https://secure.qgiv.com/event/20tclondonma/account/2403919/ Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#146
October 12 · 39 min
146: Follow Your Curiosity: 30+ Marathons, Ultras, and Chasing Sub-3 w/ Casey Cline
Casey’s running story starts with summer camping trips, where she raced anyone who would line up and tried her hardest to beat the boys. Thirty-plus marathons later, she’s a landscape architect and run coach who credits curiosity for just about everything. We talk about how it took seven marathons to qualify for Boston, how canceled races during COVID nudged her toward her first 50K, and how ultras eventually led her to the CCC on the Mont Blanc trail. Casey also walks through her most recent block, training for a 100K and the Sydney Marathon at the same time with weeks topping 70 miles, and why she believes the marathon doesn’t owe you anything. With a 100-miler on the horizon and a sub-3 marathon still on her list, she shares what it looks like to keep showing up and play the long game. Follow along with Casey Klein: @caseycline_ Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#145
October 5 · 51 min
145: Back Where It All Began: Running Sydney, the City That Became Home w/ Sandy Engler
When Sandy moved from Switzerland to Australia in 2020, she was quickly swept into the country's active, early-morning lifestyle, though running wasn't on her radar yet. That changed when the owner of her community gym dared her to try a 5K trial, and her competitive streak did the rest. A friend's nudge (and a little FOMO) got her signed up for the Cairns half marathon, which she ran alongside her run buddy Amy, catching the sunrise and realizing she was having a blast. By the celebration that evening, a full marathon was already on the table. Sydney was the first city Sandy called home in Australia, so landing a spot through the ballot meant a lot. The road there included a Hyrox in Melbourne, time off for surgery, and shin splints that kept her from running for two months, which she got through with rehab, modified group classes, and a brand new road bike. Then a fresh foot pain showed up after her longest run, and she held off on booking flights until four weeks before race day. Follow along with Sandy Engler: Sandy's Strava Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#144
September 28 · 59 min
144: A Bad Race Doesn't Erase the Training: Unfinished Business w/ Steve Carrier
Steve Carrier spent decades lifting heavy and hated cardio for a long time. When COVID closed the gyms, he started hiking and kayaking with his wife, and after she mentioned a 5K she wanted to do, he decided to give running a try. That race never happened, but Steve fell in love with running anyway. A few months in, he found the Central Mass Striders through a Facebook group, and their Sunday long runs slowly built him from a 3.5-mile loop to a half marathon, a year full of halves, and eventually the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts. Training with that group brought one new longest run after another, along with a miserable 13 miles in the rain and a nerve-wracking first 20-miler. But race day was a different story, and the trouble started early. Steve talks through what kept him moving, how he felt when it was over, and why one rough day didn't take away from everything it took to get to the start line. Follow along with Steve Carrier: @scarrier1999 Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#143
September 21 · 47 min
143: The Wall That Never Came: Running Her First Marathon on Her 40th Birthday w/ Aimee Jones
Aimee spent over a decade running half marathons, one a year, showing up and enjoying the distance without chasing a specific time. It started with a charity flyer that landed in her parents' mailbox when she was twenty one, tied to a disease for a cause she cares a lot about, and that was enough to get her to sign up for her first half marathon. She kept coming back to the distance year after year, watching a coworker take on marathon training and deciding early on that the full distance wasn't for her. Then her husband asked why she wasn't running a full, and a PR in Charlotte gave her the confidence to finally sign up for one. She picked her fortieth birthday as the day and chose Eugene as the race, training through the winter months to get there. Everyone warned her about the wall waiting at mile twenty, and she spent the back half of the race bracing for it to hit (spoiler! It never did) Follow along with Aimee Jones: @ayogamama Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#142
September 14 · 55 min
142: "This Is My Tribe": Marathons, History, and The Long Run w/ Martin Dugard
Martin Dugard has been running since the early 1970s, but it all traces back to one moment at eleven years old, watching Frank Shorter win the 1972 Olympic marathon and being so moved he ran straight outside in his jeans for four miles. From there it was 5Ks, 10Ks, and a half marathon at White Rock in Dallas, until a marathon started to feel like the obvious next step. Martin went on to become a longtime running coach and a bestselling author, though for years his book career had nothing to do with running at all. That changed with his new book, The Long Run, which traces the sport's history from ancient Greece all the way to today's running boom. His first marathon came during his senior year of high school, squeezed into the gap between cross country and track season with barely any of the mileage a marathon really calls for. What he carried into that race, and what it left him with by the finish line, ended up shaping the way he thinks about running and coaching for decades afterward. We get into all of it, along with what pulled him back to writing about the sport after building a career writing about everything else. Follow along with Martin Dugard: @authormartindugard Get The Long Run! https://www.martindugard.com/ Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#141
September 7 · 56 min
141: I Can Do Hard Things: Running New York in Her Uncle's Honor w/ Jay Wood
Jay spent years playing soccer and dabbled in other sports, but running itself was never her thing until she signed up for a local 5K in her off season as another way to move. That race quickly turned into a half marathon in DC, and crossing that finish line left her with one very unexpected thought: she could probably go further. So she set her sights on the New York City Marathon, and started to poke around charities that she could apply for and along the way found an organization that would allow her to run for her uncle. He had always been active, and Jay saw a shot at running in his honor when she applied for a charity bib with ALS United's Greater New York chapter. Training through a brutal, humid summer tested her in ways she didn't expect, and she leaned on a running buddy, a rewards system built around her favorite snacks, and a mantra she repeated when the miles got long. But nothing quite prepared her for what race day itself would throw at her. Between the nerves, the heat, and a curveball she never saw coming, Jay had to find a completely different way to get to that finish line than the one she'd trained for. Follow along with Jay Wood: @fit.w.jayy Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#140
August 31 · 1 hr 2 min
140: It's Our Duty to Give Back: Ainsley's Angels and Finding Community w/ Hunter Pardue
Hunter didn't set out to become a runner. He joined his high school's cross country team on a whim (mostly because his friends were doing it) and discovered he loved being part of a group more than he loved the actual running. That pull toward community followed him through college, a couple years teaching in Korea, and eventually back to North Carolina, where a local run club led him to Ainsley's Angels. Pushing other runners through races so they could cross the finish line changed how he saw the sport entirely, and it planted the seed for chasing a marathon of his own. Hunter went into the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh without a real time goal, just a plan to find the 4:30 pace group and stick with them for as long as he could. That plan hit a snag before he even reached the start line, but he pushed on regardless.. He leaned on that same pacer to get through the miles that followed, one mile at a time, and at the end of the day ended up a marathoner. Follow along with Hunter Pardue: @runhuntrun Learn more about Ainsley's Angels: https://ainsleysangels.org/ Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
#139
August 24 · 45 min
139: A Joyful First Marathon: Running Chicago w/ Sierra Wehrenberg
Sierra grew up in a running family and found her own love for the sport through a middle school team in Georgia. She ran through high school and rediscovered it years later during a hard stretch in college, but just as she was building back toward a half marathon, her body threw her a curveball. A case of long COVID sent her heart rate soaring to 175 just from walking, and running immediately had to take a back seat. It took her two years to feel like herself again, and by no means was that comeback easy. When she finally toed the line in Chicago, she went in with a mindset rooted in joy rather than performance, and it shaped everything about how her race day unfolded. Follow along with Sierra: @sierra.von Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#31
August 19 · 8 min
31: Survival Guide To Running Your First Marathon (Mini Episode)
This one's for all my fall marathoners who are deep in training right now!! I'm pulling together my full survival guide for running your first marathon, five things I wish someone had told me before my own first one. We're talking fueling strategy (and why the back half of the race is where it really matters), why respecting your easy pace is about more than just your fitness, and why the bad runs in your training block might actually be the most useful ones you have. If you're in the thick of a block right now and need a little reset, this one's for you. Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#138
August 17 · 57 min
138: "Fail Forward": Finding Strength Through a Marathon Gone Wrong w/ Barry Scruggs
Barry Scruggs came to running with his wife after some health struggles when they decided to make change happen together. It started with a Spartan race , and that single decision opened the door to a running life neither of them expected, eventually pulling them into Charlotte's trail and ultra running community and setting Barry on the path toward his first marathon. By the time race day arrived, training wasn't the hard part. Days before the Charlotte Marathon, Barry was diagnosed with bronchitis that had turned into pneumonia, and both his doctor and his wife told him not to race. He toed the line anyway, and what followed became one of the hardest tests he's ever faced on a course. Somewhere in the miles that came next, Barry learned what his body could actually carry him through when his mind wanted to quit, a lesson he still leans on today. Follow along with Barry Scruggs and his run club on Instagram: @runbear_runnc @locolocal.runclub Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#137
August 3 · 1 hr 1 min
137: Watching Someone Else's Finish Line: How a Stranger's Marathon Story Became Her Own w/ Abia Mallick
Abia Mallick never planned to run a marathon herself until she volunteered at the finish zone of the New York City Marathon, where a woman stopped by the fence near her to catch her breath and ended up sharing her story, a story that stuck with Abia so much she threw her own name into the marathon lottery, assuming she'd never get in. But spoiler alert: she did. Her training tested her more than she expected: her body kept finding new things to ache, and she leaned hard on her physical therapist and her community to get through it. Race day brought its own complications, and by the time she reached mile 26, what carried her through was the community of people that she's built around her. Follow along with Abia on Instagram: @abiamallick Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#30
July 29 · 4 min
30: Why I Program Speed Work (Mini Episode)
I get this question all the time from my first-time marathoners: if I don't have a time goal, why do I need to do speed work? In this week's mini episode, I'm breaking down exactly why I still program speed work for athletes who aren't chasing a specific finish time, what it's actually teaching your body and mind, and how something as simple as picking up the pace at a colorful mailbox can prepare you for those brutal last six miles of your marathon. Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#135
July 27 · 1 hr
135: "Anybody Could Do This": The Chicago Marathon, Take One w/ Sara Shimala
Sara played tennis all through high school, but running stayed casual for her, a mile here or there, until 2023, when she signed up for her first 5K and then got sidelined by a health complication for most of the year. By summer 2024 she was back on the trail outside Chicago, and after watching the para-athletes and half marathoners at a local race, she reached out to a charity for a Chicago Marathon bib almost on impulse. She texted her fiancé that she thought she'd just signed up for 26.2 miles. He wrote back, "You think?" But by no means was training easy for her. A flooded house sent her and her husband to live with his in-laws for nine weeks that August, running took a back seat to insurance calls and contractors, and her peak mileage never got close to where it needed to be. She made it to the start line anyways, but a chaotic corral search, the Chicago heat, and something that happened to her knee around mile seventeen turned the back half of that race into a fight she wasn't sure she'd win. What got her from that curb to the finish line is a story you're going to want to hear. Follow along with Sara on Instagram at @thatssosaaraa ! Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
#134
July 20 · 1 hr 1 min
134: "What If I Just Stopped": Hitting the Wall at Mile 12 and Finishing Anyway w/ Julie Satterthwaite
Julie grew up in a sports-obsessed family, her dad a longtime Broad Street runner, her brother a former D1 lacrosse player turned distance runner. She played soccer growing up, but sports also came with real anxiety for her, and by college she thought that part of her life was over. It wasn't until her senior year of college that she started easing back into running, and she found herself thinking if her dad and brother could run a marathon, she could too. Philly had already sold out by the time she looked into it, so Julie signed up through a Parkinson's fundraising team inspired by her grandfather and started an 18 week training block while in her second year of medical school. Race day started strong, but somewhere around the halfway point, Julie hit a wall she wasn't expecting, and was forced to make a decision many of us make in a marathon: Do I keep going? Follow along with Julie: Instagram: @juliemsatterthwaite TikTok: @jms3400 Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#29
July 15 · 14 min
29: How I'm Approaching Returning To Running (Mini Episodes Are Back!)
I took a two month break from running dealing with personal issues we'll get into in this episode. These personal issues forced me to take 2 full months off of running for the first time in my running journey, and today we're breaking down what it's actually looked like to come back from that, not just physically, but mentally too. I'm walking you through the exact plan I built for myself, the mindset shifts that made the biggest difference, and the practical stuff like how I'm structuring my weeks, my long runs, and my strength training as I work my way back up to running continuous miles again. If you've ever had to start over from scratch for any reason, I hope this gives you both a plan to follow and permission to go easy on yourself while you're doing it. Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#133
July 13 · 1 hr 3 min
133: Finding Her People: How BAR Run Club Changed Everything w/ Rachel Howard
Besides the dreaded mile in high school PE class, running was fairly casual for Rachel for a long time until the stress of working front lines at a hospital during COVID turned it into a huge stress reliever for her. A few years later she set her sights on a half marathon, and after three tries and a few injuries, she finally got there. Shortly after, she found BAR Run Club, and being surrounded by people just a little further down the road than her helped her believe a marathon was also for people like her. Training meant fitting three hour long runs around a demanding hospital schedule, and by no means was training easy for her. A rough twenty mile run right before taper shook her confidence, but she showed up to race day anyways. Unseasonable heat, GI issues that hit mid race, and a stretch where she had every reason to stop all showed up before the finish line did. What got her through it, and what she carried into a second marathon just months later, are lessons you're going to want to hear. Follow along with Rachel Howard: @rachelizhoward Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
#132
July 6 · 46 min
132: The Race She Had to Run Twice: Redemption at the Eugene Marathon w/ Gina Loschiavo
Gina didn't grow up loving running. In fact, she hated it, right up until a spontaneous half marathon at Disneyland in 2017 changed her mind for good. After two kids and a long break from racing, she found her way back through a run club that pushed her further than she expected, and a new goal started forming in the back of her head: a marathon. She signed up for the Eugene Marathon and built a training block around long runs, speed work, and whatever pockets of time she could carve out as a mom of two. Her first attempt at the distance came with a rough patch nobody plans for, a wrong turn on course that cost her time and nearly her composure late in the race. She crossed that finish line anyway, but it left her wanting a different ending, and a year later she signed up for Eugene again, determined to get the experience she felt she'd missed the first time. Race day brought its own last minute scares, a sick household in the days leading up, and a course she swore she knew by heart this time around. What actually happened out there, and whether she finally got the finish she was chasing, is worth hearing straight from her. Follow along with Gina: @ginalosch Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about
#131
June 29 · 53 min
131: Slow and Steady, Keep to the Left: A Late Bloomer's First Marathon w/ Jude Harper
Jude didn't grow up as an athlete. She spent her childhood with a violin in her hands instead of running shoes, and didn't run her first step until she was 38. From there, the goals kept coming: a 5k, then an 8k, then a half marathon at 40 that she ran through a painful foot injury. After a decade away, she came back to the half at 49, and that race at Melbourne's MCG planted a seed she couldn't shake. Standing at the festival boards scanning for her husband's name among the full marathon runners, one thought wouldn't leave her alone: could she do that too? Eleven months of training followed, built from research, online coaching, and a plan she pieced together herself. But the road to the start line wasn't smooth, and just two weeks before race day, everything almost fell apart. What happened on the course, the strangers who became part of her story, and the moment she ran into the MCG as a marathoner for the first time, that's all ahead in this episode. Jude is now training for her second marathon with a totally different mindset, and she opens up about what's changed for her this time around. Follow along with Jude: @Jude.ch.11 Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
#130
June 22 · 1 hr 2 min
130: "You Don't Have to Put a Period at the End of the Sentence": From Trauma to Trail Ultras w/ Mikaela Gomez
Mikaela Gomez is a mom of three, a Navy veteran, and somehow, until last July, not a runner at all. She found running through the unlikeliest of doors: a dark romance book rabbit hole on TikTok that led her to an ultra runner known as the Ghost Runner. What started as a way to move her body for her mental health turned into something much bigger once Mikaela started processing the loss of her father to suicide, a loss she was carrying while nine months pregnant and unable to be there for her family in the aftermath. In just eleven months, Mikaela went from her first mile to a 40 mile ultra in Flagstaff, Arizona, training through a breast reduction recovery, an autoimmune disease that once left her unsure if she'd walk again, and a household full of toddlers. She had six weeks to prepare after an invitation from a friend she'd never met in person. What happened on that course, between the blisters, the tears, and a phone call to her mom that changed everything, is the kind of story that reminds you just how strong you actually are. Follow along with Mikaela Gomez: @findingmika_ Support Mikaela's charity: https://supporting.afsp.org/campaigns/50milesforlife?language=en&referrer=mf%3A3486336%3Ayou-copy Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon

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