My First Marathon

Paige Spangler’s first marathon had all the ingredients for a disaster: a solo start, limited aid stations, an unexpectedly hilly course, and an 80-degree forecast she definitely didn’t plan for. But somehow, through tears, cramping, and complete dehydration, she made it across the finish line. In this episode, Paige shares how a petty goal to beat her dad’s marathon count turned into a full-on ru...

In this solo mini episode, I’m breaking down five injury-related mistakes I made during my third marathon training block—so you don’t have to. From rushing recovery to trusting the wrong training plan, I’m sharing what went wrong, what I’d do differently, and how I’m approaching things smarter this time around. Whether you’re training through an injury or trying to avoid one, this episode’s for yo...

Emily Bailey never saw herself as athletic. She played sports growing up but didn’t feel like she was naturally good at any of them. Over the years, she stayed active and even ran 5Ks for fun, but it wasn’t until 2022 that she started to take running more seriously. What started as a challenge with a cash prize turned into something much bigger. In this episode, Emily shares how she trained for he...

In this mini episode, I’m answering the most common questions I get from first-time marathoners. Whether you’re deep into training, thinking about signing up, or just trying to figure out where to begin, this is for you. I’m covering how long to train, what to eat on the run, how to pace yourself, and what actually matters on race day. These are real questions from real runners, with simple answer...

John Calabrese turned to running during one of the hardest seasons of his life. After a difficult divorce and a period of personal reflection, he signed up for a marathon as a way to process pain and find purpose. What started with solo training runs quickly evolved into a love for ultras, trails, and the weird, welcoming community that came with them. In this episode, John opens up about how runn...

Theresa Dornburg didn’t follow a strict plan, hire a coach, or even hit a traditional long run before her first marathon. But she still made it to the Charlotte finish line—with a beer and tofu waiting for her at mile 22. In this episode, Theresa shares how a restaurant job with unpredictable hours, a group of coworkers turned training partners, and some creative mileage made her marathon possible...

Sarah had been running for 15 years, but it wasn’t until she hit a rough patch that she finally started running on her own terms. What began as a way to manage body image in high school eventually became a tool for structure, clarity, and self-trust. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to feel like a beginner after years of running, the spreadsheet saga behind her marathon training plan,...

In this episode, I chat with Erin Azar (@immrsspacecadet) about what it took to go from quitting everything she started to training for—and finishing—her first marathon. Erin opens up about running postpartum, the mental battles that came with starting from zero, and how documenting her journey online helped her stay consistent when things got hard. We talk about what it felt like to run in a body...

Colin Fegeley joins the show to break down his first marathon experience—starting with a wake-up call at a routine doctor’s appointment and ending with a finish line under the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona. In just ten months, Colin went from casual 5Ks to completing a full marathon, but what makes his story stand out is the role community played every step of the way. From his high school cross coun...

In this episode, I chat with Courteney Lowe, co-founder of Fuel Goods, about her journey from professional cycling to her first marathon—and all the hard lessons learned along the way. Courteney opens up about what it was like to hit the wall at mile 18, how poor fueling nearly took her out of the race, and why that experience ended up inspiring the launch of Fuel Goods. We cover everything from t...

Colin spent a year training for his first marathon—navigating weight loss, injury recovery, and every mental hurdle that comes with starting from scratch. In this episode, he shares the full story of how he went from going through all the emotions watching the Chicago Marathon livestream to crossing the finish line at Hayward Field in Eugene. His transformation is equal parts inspiring, relatable,...

After battling postpartum depression and feeling at her lowest, Symone turned to the one thing that had always helped her cope—running. What started as a few shaky miles quickly became a goal to run a half marathon... which then escalated into training for the New York City Marathon. In just eight months, she went from zero movement to 26.2 miles, all while juggling mom life, shin splints, and mid...

Cameron Schuler, founder of RNWY Nutrition, joins the show to share how a college bet led to his first (very undertrained) marathon—and eventually sparked the idea for a holistic fueling brand built for endurance athletes. We dive into his running journey from sprinter to sub-3 marathoner, what he learned from 10+ marathons, and how years working at Nike and Vital Proteins shaped his approach to p...

With my solo episode out this week where I dove into my recent injury, for my running nerds out there enjoy today's BONUS episode on injury prevention with Sean Roach, physical therapist, biomechanics expert, and founder of Aletheia Run—a company creating cutting-edge tech to help runners better understand and prevent injuries. Sean shares his deeply personal and professional journey, from battlin...

In today’s solo episode, I’m breaking down every twist, turn, and tear of my third marathon—Eugene. This wasn’t the PR-chasing, hometown comeback I imagined. Instead, it became a crash course in running through injury, navigating self-doubt, and redefining what success looks like when everything doesn’t go according to plan.  From failing training runs and working with PTs, to crossing the finish...

After finding himself lost for an identity outside of his job, this runner had a realization that he needed to re-prioritize some of the areas in his own life, including taking care of his mental and physical health. This drive led him to running, which eventually led him to run his first and second half marathon and then eventually a full marathon. We talk a lot about mental health in this episod...

Today’s runner is a physical therapist, run coach, and running content creator with over 20 years of experience. While her early love for running was more casual—fitting in between high-level tennis competitions—her journey eventually led her to chase the marathon distance. Her first attempt? The 2020 New York City Marathon… and we all know how that turned out. After completing an entire training...

Today's runner's journey started in the hospital on Mother's Day where reality hit with his doctor telling him he needed to make an immediate change in his health. Since then he's lost 160 plus pounds, ran multiple Spartan races, an ultra marathon and eventually ran his first marathon and has no intentions of stopping there.  We get into how much we're in our own ways and how proving to yourself o...

On this weeks episode, I get the mic turned on me on the Super Awesome You Podcast to tell my story! We talk about my journey to running, exploring the power of your words, community, and finding yourself through running.  I hope you all enjoy getting to know me a bit more, and make sure you following along with Sam's show at @superawesomeyou on Instagram and Threads, and check out the show on Spo...

Today's runner went from watching the New York City Marathon on social media to running her own marathon at the Every Women's Marathon in a year.... so you could say she got the marathon bug! Her journey was no easy feat though. She had to overcome the challenges of being a slower runner, a mom of two and struggling with having confidence in her body.  Throughout the process, she was able to shift...

Today's runner ran her first marathon in 2024 at the Philly Marathon in honor of her dad's life. Movement started for her as a softball player through high school and college where quite frankly, she was not a fan of running. After finding some joy in walking, she decided to take the jump to running and after running her first half marathon, she was completely hooked. The passing of her father fur...

Today's runner comes from the classic cross country runner to marathoner pipeline and walks us through her 10 year running journey leading up to the New York City Marathon in 2023. We talk about her experience with the 9 plus 1 program, her experience working with a coach for her first marathon, as well as the electricity of running the New York City Marathon in her home city. For newer runners, s...

On today's episode, we're celebrating the one year anniversary of the My First Marathon Podcast by throwing it back to the very first episode of the show talking about MY first marathon.  We've got a brand spankin' new website out now as well - check out myfirstmarathonpodcast.com for free resources, extended/bonus content, and more!  We'll be back with regular episodes next week, make sure you're...

We're launching a website! March 9th myfirstmarathonpodcast.com will be live equipped with paywall bonus Q&A's + solo chats breaking down our guest episodes, extended episodes, free first marathon resources, and more. Make sure you're following @myfirstmarathonpod on Instagram and TikTok for updates!  Today's runner is a fellow podcaster who recently ran his first marathon at the 2024 New York...

Today's runner has four marathons and five years of running under her belt, each with a different lesson learned. The biggest lessons she's learned over time is to continually be reevaluating your "why" when it comes to distance running because at the end of the day, the marathon distance owes you nothing and it's important to know why you're showing up for you.  Lots of stories on this one from s...