Podcast
My First Marathon
Hosted by My First Marathon · EN
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.
Ready to tell your story? Fill out the below form for your chance to be featured!
MFM Request Form
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.
Ready to tell your story? Fill out the below form for your chance to be featured!
MFM Request Form
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
128: You Owe It to Yourself to Try: Training for a Marathon She Almost Didn't Start w/ Alyssa Newman
1w ago01:01:13Tap to summarizeAlyssa didn't grow up as a runner. After graduating college in 2023, she found herself with free time and a Planet Fitness membership, and slowly worked her way from the weight machines to the treadmill to a half marathon finish line. A run club and a few convincing friends later, she was signed up for her first marathon, telling herself that if she'd already done 13.1, she might as well see what 26.2 felt like.She put in 25 weeks of training, ran up to 20 miles in the Florida heat, and showed up to Space Coast race morning with her stomach in knots. The nerves won that day, and she dropped to the half. But she drove home knowing she hadn't given herself a real shot, and that feeling stuck with her. So she found a race two weeks out with no half option to fall back on, toed that start line, and run-walked her way through every loop until she crossed the finish line a marathoner. This episode is a lesson that sometimes the race you were meant to run isn't the one you originally signed up for.Follow along with Alyssa: @alyssasrunsFollow 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
Transcribe →127: Go Stupid Slow: Finding Running, Community, and Her People in the Ultra World w/ Keneshia Raymond
2w ago00:57:57Tap to summarizeKeneshia came to running the way a lot of us do, not because she set out to become a runner, but because she needed somewhere to put everything she was carrying. A former dancer and professional roller skater, she found herself battling depression after adopting two teenagers and needed something that could get her out of her own head. A local Mother's Day 5K with her mom was the answer, and once she crossed that first finish line, there was no going back.What followed was one of the most packed first years in running you'll hear about on this show. A run walk group that gave her permission to go slow and actually build something real. A half marathon that made her cry at the finish line and two more already booked before she even got there. A marathon training block in Arizona summer heat that included a 29-mile overnight ultra and 20 miles on a treadmill. And then the Every Woman's Marathon itself, which turned out to be nothing like she planned and everything she needed anyway. If there's one thing Keneshia's story makes clear, it's that the right people around you can carry you further than any training plan ever could.Follow along with Keneshia: @blissfulcreativesFollow 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
Transcribe →126: Scarier Than a 50K: A Trail Runner's First Road Marathon w/ Jon Hwang
3w ago01:07:09Tap to summarizeJon Hwang came to running the way a lot of us do, sideways and by accident. A 5K with coworkers turned into a half marathon, and then a rough year in 2017 where a relationship ended and his mom was diagnosed with cancer solidified running as the thing that got him through each day.By the time Jon signed up for the San Francisco Marathon, he had already met his wife through Spartan racing, tackled obstacle courses together, and built years of trail miles between them including a full 50K ultra. So why did 26.2 miles on a road feel more terrifying than anything he had ever done in the mud? That's what this one is all about!Follow along with Jon: @jhwang on Instagram / @hwangsmiles on TikTokFollow 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
Transcribe →28: How To Not Panic Running In The Summer (Mini Epsiode)
4w ago00:05:01Tap to summarizeIf you've stepped outside for a run lately and thought "why does this feel so much harder than it did two months ago," this one's for you. Summer running is humbling, and if you're in the middle of a training block right now, it can feel like everything is going backwards. It's not. You're just doing the hardest training of your cycle in the hardest time of year to do it.In this Wednesday mini episode, I'm walking you through three things you can do right now to make summer running way more manageable, from hydrating like you actually mean it, to a few freezer tricks I wish someone had told me way earlier in my running career, to heat acclimation and why starting slow now pays off in a big way come fall.Slow summers equal fast falls. Trust the process!Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Shop merch! myfirstmarathon.co - click on "shop"Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
Transcribe →125: $10 Walmart Shoes to Marathon Finisher: Running the Austin Marathon w/ Ashley Bree
May 1800:42:46Tap to summarizeAshley never considered herself a runner. As a kid she dabbled in sports, hated cross country, and didn't think twice about it. It wasn't until her early thirties, going through a divorce and looking for somewhere to put all that energy, that she laced up a pair of $10 Walmart shoes and headed out onto the country roads behind her house with nothing but cheap earbuds and an Eminem playlist. She had no plan, no training knowledge, and no idea what was coming.Fast forward a few years and Ashley, a 911 dispatcher who has spent nearly two decades taking calls from the streets of Austin, decided on a whim one late summer night to sign up for the Austin Marathon and run the very roads she's been protecting for her entire career. She built her own training plan from scratch to fit her rotating shift schedule, tackled the heat and humidity of a Texas summer, and showed up to the start line ready to prove something to herself that had been a long time coming.Follow along with Ashley: @ashleybblankFollow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Shop merch! - myfirstmarathon.com - click on "shop"Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
Transcribe →124: 4:30 AM, No Bib, No Crowd: Running the Anniversary of Her Surgery w/ Carly Schrom
May 1100:53:34Tap to summarizeCarly Schrom grew up in a running family and carried the sport all the way through college, where she also quietly battled years of stomach issues that nobody could explain. What eventually got diagnosed as Crohn's disease derailed her senior season, and just when she thought she was finally turning a corner after graduation, a routine scan revealed something scarier waiting on the other side.What followed was a surgery that changed everything, a long road back, and a decision to mark the one year anniversary in the most Carly way possible: a 4:30am marathon on a random Friday in December, no race bib, no crowd, just her and the guy who had been there through all of it.Follow along with Carly: @carlyschromFollow 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
Transcribe →27: What If Removing the Goal Got You the Result? (Mini Episode)
May 600:12:25Tap to summarizeI just got back from my honeymoon in Portugal, ran a half marathon a week later, and somehow walked away with a two minute PR. In this mini episode, I'm breaking down what this training block actually looked like, why I made the call to drop my sub-two goal weeks before race day, how a heat wave, a wedding, and a week of zero running in Portugal accidentally became the best thing that could have happened to my fitness, and what it taught me about the difference between giving up on a goal and just knowing it's not your season to chase it yet.Follow along with the show:👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resourcesBook a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
Transcribe →123: The Last Song on the Playlist: Grief, Sobriety, and 42K w/ Jose Martinez
May 401:01:00Tap to summarizeJose Martinez has always had a complicated relationship with running. Growing up in Vancouver, it was something he returned to in waves, usually when life got messy and he needed somewhere to put it. When 2021 took his cousin and then his father, Jose found himself somewhere he didn't quite recognize. It wasn't until he and his wife started talking about making a change that he gave himself a reason to start moving again, early morning walks that slowly turned into something more. And when he stumbled across an old race record on his phone from the year 2000, he made a decision from his couch that he couldn't take back. He was running the Vancouver Marathon again, 25 years later, whether his body agreed or not.What followed was a training block that tested just about everything he had. Injuries, loss, COVID two weeks out, and a tragedy in his city that put the whole race in question. Jose showed up to the start line anyway, carrying his dad with him and running on a mantra and the handful of familiar faces who showed up along the course when he needed them most.Follow along with Jose: @jose604 Follow along with Jose's wife Sarah and her beautiful jewelry work: @sarahmulderjewelry & sarahmulder.comFollow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resourcesBook a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon
Transcribe →122: Throwback Episode: Ariel Greenstein
Apr 2700:53:32Tap to summarizeHey friends! I'm officially off getting married and soaking up every second of it. I'll be back with brand new episodes on May 4th, but in the meantime I'm bringing back one of your all-time favorite episodes for you to enjoy. Thanks for all the love and support. It means everything. Now let's get into it!Ariel Greenstein didn’t grow up as an athlete. She didn’t fall in love with running early. And for a long time, movement just wasn’t part of her life. But in her early 30s, something shifted. What started as Broadway-themed Peloton classes during the pandemic slowly turned into outdoor runs, then half marathons, and eventually a very intentional, very patient build toward her first marathon at the Chicago Marathon.In this conversation, Ariel walks us through what it looks like to take your time with the sport. She shares how releasing pace and time expectations helped her actually enjoy running, how documenting her slower-paced journey online helped other runners feel seen, and why community, strength training, and consistency mattered far more than rushing to the next distance. We talk about training with a run group, navigating the mental side of marathon prep, handling tough long runs, and what it was like to race 26.2 miles through her home city with zero pressure beyond finishing and having fun.This episode is a reminder that anybody can go the distance, that there is no timeline you need to follow, and that running can be something you build slowly, joyfully, and on your own terms.Follow along with Ariel at @arielgreenstein_ on Instagram and TikTok!Follow along with the show: Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resourcesBook a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! -> https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440
Transcribe →121: Throwback Episode: Gabby Averill's First Marathon Story
Apr 2000:48:14Tap to summarizeHey friends! I'm officially off getting married and soaking up every second of it. I'll be back with brand new episodes on May 4th, but in the meantime I'm bringing back one of your all-time favorite episodes for you to enjoy. Thanks for all the love and support. It means everything. Now let's get into it!Gabby’s running journey didn’t start with a finish line goal or a desire to be fast. It started after stepping away from Division I college sports, when the structure she’d built her identity around suddenly disappeared and movement no longer had a clear purpose.In this episode, Gabby walks us through what it looked like to relearn running on her own terms. From seeing running as punishment growing up, to signing up for a half marathon on a whim, to slowly building confidence through consistency, community, and letting go of pace expectations. Over the course of a few years, that approach led her to her first marathon at the Every Woman’s Marathon in Arizona, where she focused on fueling well, smiling often, and finishing strong without a time goal attached.We talk about pace inclusivity, why slow and steady actually works, how community shaped her training and race day, and what it meant for her to cross the finish line feeling proud without tying her identity to one result. This is a conversation about rewriting what success in running can look like, especially for former athletes learning how to move without a coach or a clock.Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resourcesBook a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440
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