Forget flashy banners or smart marketing copy. The proof is in what the people have to say about Marathon Nation and how our system works!

Marathon Nation Benefits

	“So 3 weeks ago I ran a 5K in 24:54……today I ran one in 24:11……43 seconds faster!!! My splits weren’t the best but I felt so much stronger during the last mile compared to 3 weeks ago! I am just finishing week 5 of the “Get Fast” program, can’t wait to see how I race in 3 weeks when I’m done with this program!!!” — Lindsay Van Sickle
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	“I am sooo pumped to report yesterdays accomplishment. All the stars lined up for me and I ran the race of my short running life. 2012 BQ time for me is 3:45. I aimed for 3:40 and was able to run 3:39:10. I ran with the 3:45 pace team (who was running even splits) for the first 5 Mi in order to have some help in keeping my enthusiasm in check. They were running just about the right pace. At Mi 5 I left them to follow my MN plan.At 1/2 point I felt like I had just been for a jog in the park and at Mi 20 no crash. Felt tired but still strong. In the last few miles I could tell I had something left and picked up the pace. Was able to finish almost a minute under my goal. I give the credit to the MN pacing plan. That and the training of course.I even sprinted the last half block against a much younger relay runner…and crossed the finish nose and nose with him. What a great day and what a difference from my previous three marathons. Thanks again coach P and MN. Going to BOSTON! WaHoo!” – Barton Leavitt
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	“Training and execution methods promoted by Marathon Nation helped me post a 9 minute PR on a tough Boston course. Marathon Nation methods let me start the race seeded 12079, but finish 3901. That’s fully 2/3 the field that qualified faster than me that I beat by training and racing smart.”"No coach or training method can do the work for you, but I’m convinced that this philosophy allowed me to get the most of out of the work I put in.” — William Jenks

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I cannot believe how the six weeks of Marathon Nation pre training help with my Xterra tri race this last weekend. I really had to make up time on the run! Wow is all I can say I took five minutes off a very hard run!  Too bad my mountain bike skills are not there this year! But not my focus! Thanks!
~ Karen

The last couple of weeks were difficult without marathon nation… — Donnakelly
“I can really tell a difference in speed and endurance since I have been following your guidance, so reinstated first thing this morning. I have been running for almost 4 years but haven’t made any real progress in that time, but can definitely tell a difference in the past few weeks since following the training plan you have provided. Thanks a ton for the help! I am really looking forward to seeing how all this pays off at my first marathon in November. Thanks again!”

Martian Half Marathon — April 10, 2010 — Steve Miller

“Let’s start with the numbers. I built my pace sheet using a vDot of 34 based on a 56:57 10k I ran in September 2009. This set my pace at 9:57 for miles 1-3, 9:37 4-10 and 9:43 for the rest of the race.

I was a little excited and ran the first mile in 9:36 then I settled in and hit 9:57 and 9:51 for the next 2. Then I picked it up at mile for and hit 9:37, 9:35, and 9:31 for the next 3. Very close to being dead on pace. The turnaround point came and I got a little carried away with 9:18 and 9:27 for the next two. I realized it was to early still and dialed back and popped off 9:39 and 9:30 to get to mile 10.

This was the point I decided I was feeling good and would turn it on. It was also encouraging because I was picking off people like crazy and I only remember getting passed by a handful of people from mile 11 in. I ran mile 11 and 12 in 8:46 and 8:42 and managed to get my heart rate over 180. Mile 13 was back to near schedule pace of 9:37. At this point I could see the finish and gave it all I had.

By my Garmin, I ran the last .18 in 1:22 which was 7:50 pace and I was passing people all the way to the finish chute. My finish time was 2:04:35 which was ahead of my 2:07:17 schedule. I had 2 thoughts the whole race, keep the cadence up and trust the pace.

I have to say, the execution plan was excellent. I got to mile 10 with enough energy left to actually race the last 3.1 miles. It was way more energizing to be passing people that being out of gas those last miles. I carried my own water and gels and even ran past the aid stations. I was also pleased with myself that I didn’t quit in mile 12 when it really started to hurt.

I’m looking forward the Marathon Nation Training Plan and hope to set my goal for the Detroit Free Press Marathon based on my vDot set today. If you are interested, you can see the stats from my Garmin at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29563151.”

Boston Marathon — April 19, 2010 — Matt Ancona
“About 3 years ago I stopped running at whatever pace I felt like and begin to closely follow the VDOT system that was created by Jack Daniels and is used in all of Patrick McCrann’s training plans.  The VDOT system establishes specific training pace zones based on actual race results.  Through continued training and testing cycles in various Marathon Nation and Endurance Nation training plans I have increased my VDOT by over 12 points in less than 3 years.
During that same period I learned to race marathons and half marathons using Patrick’s pacing guidance.  This year at the Boston Marathon I set a new marathon PR of 2:49:39 with limited training and only three long runs.  I went out at a 3:00 marathon pace for the first 6 miles and slowly dropped my pace until I reached the final 8 miles where I ran as hard as I could.  Learning to negative split has not only helped my performance, but it sure is fun being able to surge at the end when others are slowing down.

Thanks to Patrick I am continuing to get stronger and learning to execute better every race I do.”

- Matt Ancona – 2009 Ironman Wisconsin 1^st place M25-59, 2010 Boston Marathon 2:49:39

Boston Marathon — April 19, 2010 — William Jenks

“It’s plain and simple:  at age 45, I just ran – by far – the best marathon of my life.

I ran marathons in 1989 and 1990, and returned to competitive running about 5 years ago.  I bought all the books.  I learned out to train and race with a heart rate monitor.  I thought I knew pretty much everything I needed to about tempo runs, long runs, intervals, and heart rate zones.  However, a huge problem was gauging my effort for the marathon.  I “blew up” on two separate occasions on the same course, having incorrectly guessed what I could do.  On the second of these, I painfully ran for an hour with my heart rate well over my lactate threshold and finished with my HR near its max.  Fading more than 90 seconds per mile, I barely qualified for Boston, where I ran most recently and finally found success.

What made the difference as I prepared for Boston was training with pace and the Daniels vDOT method instead of HR as my primary guide.  Understanding how fast I had “earned the right to run” took the guesswork out of my training and race paces. Marathon Nation plans are built on this ethic, and coach Patrick gave me some valuable feedback just as Marathon Nation was starting.

The other key factor for a marathon is race execution. The marathon is a distance you don’t get to race very often, so having to “guess” your strategy does not make sense if it can be avoided!

With Coach Patrick’s help, I put together a simple race-day plan, and I nailed it.  I had a nearly ideal run because I was prepared for one.  My average pace was exactly on target, and my first and second half splits were within 30 seconds of each other.  My heart rate slowly drifted up, but never crossed lactate threshold.  I won’t quibble about a few seconds, but I assure you these results were not because I took it too easy; I sincerely doubt I could have run that race 2 minutes faster.

Training and execution methods promoted by Marathon Nation helped me post a 9 minute PR on a tough Boston course.  Marathon Nation methods let me start the race seeded 12079, but finish 3901.  That’s fully 2/3 the field that qualified faster than me that I beat by training and racing smart.  No coach or training method can do the work for you, but I’m convinced that this philosophy allowed me to get the most of out of the work I put in.”