As we navigate through weeks six and seven of the Dopey Marathon training season, this is usually where the shiny new training plan feeling starts to wear off.

In this episode of the Training Together series, we're getting ahead of what comes next:

Back to school schedules, the holiday season, changing priorities and the point in training where your plan starts asking more from you,

We're talking about why marathon training becomes more specific, what speed work is actually doing, strides, speed play, cadence, run-walk training and why harder does not automatically mean better.

And maybe most importantly...Stop trying to win the workout.

Your training doesn't need to look impressive online to be effective. You don't owe anybody your splits, your heart rate, OR an explanation for every adjustment you make.

If the workout only feels valuable when you can prove you did it, we've lost the plot.

Your body is the receipt. The adaptation is the proof.

We're keeping the ball in play, and I'll meet you back here for part two, where we're getting into cumulative fatigue, soreness vs pain, undertraining, shoes, fueling, and what happens when all this work starts adding up.

Around week 6, marathon training starts to change.

The mileage climbs, life gets louder, and suddenly you're balancing work, kids going back to school, family, social plans, recovery and everything else that doesn't stop just because you're training for a race.

In this episode of Lace Up and Listen, we're talking about what to do when life gets in the way. We dive into the difference between adjusting and making excuses, how to use cross-training the right way, why strength starts to matter more, when to trust the plan, and why protecting your mindset might be just as important as protecting your legs.

I also share the role visualization has played in my own training, the sacrifices that come with chasing big goals, and the lessons marathon training has taught me that have carried far beyond running.

Because sometimes the most important thing you can protect isn't the workout...

It's the person you're becoming while you train.

In this weeks Training Together , we're talking about something I wish someone had explained to me when I first started running.

Every workout has a purpose.

From Marathon Pace and Threshold to Strides, Hill Repeats & VO2 Max, we'll break down what each workout is trying to teach your body and why your watch isn't always the best measure of progress.

More importantly, we'll talk about how understand your training builds confidence, helps trust yourself and makes marathon training feel a whole lot less intimidating.

Because the goal isn't just to become a faster runner.

It's to become a runner who understands why they're doing the work.

The first month of training is about so much more than building fitness.

It's about learning to slow down, building consistency, recovering well, and understanding what your body has been trying to tell you all along. In this episode, we're checking in together...not with pace, not with Instagram, and not with your watch, but with ourselves.

We'll talk about what's happening inside your body during these first few weeks, why strength training matters, how to recognize the difference between normal adaptation and warning signs, and why recovery is every bit as important as the workouts themselves. I'll also walk you through a monthly self-check that I hope becomes apart of your training for years to come.

In Post-Run Clarity, I share what my first week back to marathon training looked like after returning home, why I chose consistency over mileage, and the unexpected realization that this season of life isn't teaching me how to survive.. it's teaching me how to trust again.

Whether you're training for your first 5k, your first marathon, or simply trying to become a healthier version of yourself, I hope this episode leaves you feeling a little more confident, a little more composed, and a little more ready for whatever comes next.

This episode is for every runner who's ever wondered "Why isn't this working yet?"

We're breaking down what actually happens during the first few weeks of training, why so many runners lose motivation around weeks four through six, and how your body is adapting long before you can see the results.

We talk about aerobic fitness, running economy, confidence, comparison, and why your watch can only measure so much.

Most importantly, I want to help you understand why you're doing what you're doing, because when you understand the process, it's a whole lot easier to trust it.

Then in this weeks Post-Run Clarity, I share some exciting life updates! Including an unforgettable week, what it's taught me about purpose, and some news that completely changed my upcoming marathon season.

If you're training for Dopey, your first 10k, your first Half Marathon, your first Marathon, or you're simply trying to build a healthier relationship with running, I hope this episode leaves you feeling reassured.

Because you're not solving someone else's equation.

You're solving your own.

Most training plans tell you what to do.

Very few explain why.

If you've ever looked at your training plan and wondered what a tempo run actually is, why I talk so much about zone 2, whether you should stop during speed work, how to approach your long runs, or why recovery matters just as much as the miles themselves....this episode is for you.

Today we're breaking down terms, workouts and philosophies that transformed the way I train. We talk about everything from fartleks, strides, tempo runs and V02 max workouts to fueling, long-run structure, simulation weekends, recovery, heart rate, pacing and how to know when you're ready to level up your training.

Whether you're training for your first 5k, your first Dopey Challenge, Wine & Dine or chasing a new personal best, my hope is that you leave this episode asking better questions about your own training.

Because the goal isn't to become a runner who blindly follows a plan.

It's to become a runner who understands it.

Before you choose a training plan, before you buy new shoes, before you do anything, ask yourself one question: Where are you starting from?

This week, I'm talking about honesty in training, friendships, fueling, expectations, burnout, belonging, and why inventorying your life might be more important than inventorying your gear.

A few weeks into recording this podcast, I got tired of introducing myself as someone who wasn't qualified. What started as a search for credibility became something much bigger...

A path back to education, curiosity, and the version of myself that never stopped wanting to learn.

This week, I'm talking about the difference between grace and excuses.

After missing workouts, delaying an episode, navigating divorce, furnishing a new home, and trying to hold myself together through one of the biggest transitions of my life, I've been reminded of something running has taught me over and over again...

Not every setback requires a restart.

Training plans are written in pencil. Life is too.

In this episode, we're talking about shame, self-trust, adjustment, emotional regulation, and why growth isn't about being perfect. It's about learning how to keep showing up without abandoning yourself in the process.

Everybody talks about marathon blocks, PRs, stacked race weekends, and pushing harder. Nobody talks about what happens in between.

In this episode I'm getting brutally honest about burnout, obsession, identity through performance, injury culture, emotional regulation, and why sitting in your base might actually be the smartest thing you can do as a runner.

We're talking about:

• overtraining in runDisney culture
• ego and pace attatchment
• maintenance vs stagnation
• learning to stop abandoning yourself
• rebuilding life during grief and major change
• why consistency matters more than hero workouts

By the end of this I hope you've asked or answered if you're building fitness...or are you building a life you can actually stay inside of.