Hey Conscious Runners! I’ve got an amazing episode for you! I know I say that about every episode, and it’s true. But honestly, this one is takes it to a another level! Today, I’ve got first time marathoner Brian Madden on the line with me. I met Brian a couple of years ago. He reached out to me about being interested in running a marathon. I didn’t hear from him for two years.

About two months ago, I got a message from him saying that he was going to run a marathon and that he wanted my help. I immediately said yes! To say coaching Brian was an adventure is an understatement! First of all, he came to me never having run over a 5k and in 7 weeks, he wanted to complete his first marathon in 6 hours. But for Brian it was about much more than this. It was about crossing the finish line before he turned 40 years old, it was about challenging himself in a way never had, it was about becoming one of the few who could say they ran 26.2 miles.

Brian knew little to nothing about running. We worked closely together as I coached him towards his goal. There were long solo runs, runs in the bitter cold and runs that began at 2:30 am and lots of doubts to overcome.  Through Skype calls, phone calls, emails, pep talks and even a quick call to easy his nerves the night before his race, Brian was able to accomplish his goal and learn so much about himself and running along the way.

[Tweet “”I enjoy what running has done for me ~Brian Madden”]

Until next time, run strong, run long and be happy.