His Runner Story
"Many years ago I was extremely overweight (more than 100 pounds heavier than I am now), and once I decided to get serious about losing weight, I started going to the gym. I started slow and worked up, and would run for only 20 minutes plus a 5 minute cool down, but those 20 minutes were very intense. I liked that I could get a good, intense workout in and not take a lot of time. Between the treadmill and lifting weights, I lost a lot of weight, though I initially gained some of it back. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride over the next several years, sometimes being more serious about exercise and sometimes slacking on it. A few years ago I was back to doing my gym routine of intense treadmill workouts and lifting weights, and decided to run outside sometimes just for variety. I would do a few miles, and a few times decided to push a bit farther - usually no more than 6 or 8 miles. Sometimes I would run outside and sometimes do my short treadmill workout. I got to a span of time in late summer or fall of 2016 where I had been running outside pretty often, and one day I was running and was thinking how boring it was getting. So I decided to change things up and run the last mile as hard as I could. Big mistake! I didn't know it until the next day, but I injured myself on that run because I had done nothing to prepare myself for running fast, much less as hard as I could for a full mile. I ended up in physical therapy and couldn't run for quite some time. When I would test it out, it was too painful. Finally I got the go-ahead in December to run again with no limitations as long as there wasn't pain. I had never run outside in the winter, but decided to test it out, and I felt good. But the biggest surprise was that I realized how much I had missed running. I never had enjoyed it before - I only did it because I knew it was good for me. But now I was actually enjoying it. I kept running during the winter, and my girlfriend (now fiance) encouraged me to do a race. So in February 2017 I ran the Twin Cities Valentine's Day 5k, and it went better than I would have expected, and I loved the race environment. Then I ran a 10k in March and a 15k and a half marathon in April. I was hooked, and decided to register for the Twin Cities Marathon in October. I ran some other races before then, but my focus was on the marathon. I found a generic training plan online, but even then I didn't really know how to follow it smartly. I ran the marathon in October, and for a first race I was pretty happy with my time. But I also realized that I had actually gotten slower over the summer leading up to it, and that I didn't know what I was doing. If I was going to improve, I was going to need some guidance. I started looking at options, and that's when I found Coach Ron Byland and Mile to Marathon. I met with Ron in January 2018 and he started coaching me in February. I ran some races with the Mile to Marathon team early in the year, and then at a 10k in April I had an injury that nagged me for most of the year. It was a frustrating year, and yet I also could see that in spite of the injury I was learning to be a better runner. I was registered for the Chicago Marathon in October, and ran it, but it was a disaster. I finished somehow, but everything that could go wrong did, and I was over an hour slower than my first marathon a year earlier. The injury had affected training more than I realized, and then other things went wrong on race day. I remember about mile 20 thinking that this wasn't worth it and that I shouldn't do this to myself anymore. But then laying on my hotel bed an hour after the race I was already thinking about which would be my next marathon. I was still hooked! But I also realized that I needed help. I needed to let the injury fully heal, and I had already learned a lot about running from Coach Ron and my Mile to Marathon teammates, so I knew that was definitely something to continue. But I needed to take additional steps. One of those was weight training. I had lifted weights pretty much on my own for years, and that worked for me for quite some time. But recently I realized it was not effective. I didn't know how to progress, and then with running becoming a major aspect of my life, I didn't know how to effectively combine weight training and running. When I had injuries, there were certain things I couldn't do with weights, and didn't know how to compensate for that. As a result, I was going to the gym, but I could tell I was weaker than I had been in the past. Several fellow runners trained at Discover Strength and had great things to say about it, and Coach Ron was a huge proponent, and got me in touch with Luke. I started training twice a week at DS at the beginning of November 2018. In December, many of us at Mile to Marathon ran a fairly small, low key 5k. Coach Ron pointed out that this was just for fun, and that it didn't really mean anything in terms of training for our other races. But for me, after the year I had with the injury, I needed a good race for my mental state. I set a personal record in that 5k by 22 seconds! Healing from the injury alone did not give me that personal record. I was much stronger than before after just a month and a half at Discover Strength, and it paid off big time. But my sites were set on another marathon. I was going to be in Spain and run the marathon in Sevilla in February 2019. With Coach Ron's training and Mile to Marathon teammates pushing me and encouraging me, and with great trainers at Discover Strength who knew how to prepare me for my goals, I went to Sevilla and set a personal record there by over 16 minutes! I'm still a relatively new runner, having only been running competitively for just over two years. But with Mile to Marathon and Discover Strength, I have found a great combination to help me become stronger as a runner and to achieve my goals. Ultimately, my goal is to qualify to run the Boston Marathon. Whether I end up running a qualifying time in a marathon this fall or next year or the year after, I know that I will continue to improve with the help of Mile to Marathon and Discover Strength, and look forward to seeing what my running future holds".
Looking to improve your running this season?
Consider a running coach.
Ron Byland has coached runners for 30+ years. He has had the pleasure to coach every level and ability of runner. From helping 5 runners make it into the Olympic Marathon Trials to the largest fund raising charity marathon program in the world to every ability in-between. His coaching philosophy stems from his past competitive life, his USA Track and Field Coaching Certification and applying them to real life situations and hopefully holding true to his motto: Are we having fun yet?
Ron offering a free consultation with his to see if he can help you with your running goals!