Angie and Trevor Spencer are the hosts of the Marathon Training Academy podcast and have helped thousands of runners over the years successfully run their first marathons.

Angie ran her first marathon in 2008, promptly got injured, but turned things around in a big way: since then, she's run 51 marathons and 4 ultras with not a single injury (!). A Registered Nurse, she also has USATF-Level 1 and RRCA-Level 2 coaching certifications.

Trevor followed in his wife's footsteps and went from couch potato to marathoner in just a few short years. After his first marathon in 2011, he's since completed 14 marathons, 15 half marathons, and a Spartan Trifecta.

They've both joined me on the podcast to talk about the subject of "Couch to Marathon" or how to:

• Transition from sedentary to marathon with as little injury risk as possible
• Differentiate between training to finish vs. training for performance
• Marathon training mistakes that are common among beginners

Every year, about a half a million runners finish a marathon in the United States (and most of them - nearly all of them - aren't elite athletes blessed with marathon-friendly genetics).

The marathon can be conquered. Success over 26.2 miles just needs a more strategic plan than your neighborhood 5k.

This is how you do it.