Welcome to the Running Explain podcast. I'm your host, Elizabeth. I'm a marathoner, coach, and answer seeker.

When I first started running at the age of 29, I had so many questions and what felt like nowhere to turn to for answers.

And now I'm here to answer all your running questions about anything that you might want to know.

If you're a new runner, or you've been doing this for a long time, there's always something more to learn about running. So let's get started. My guest this

week to talk all things marathoning is Running Explains's very own coach Jesse Gruca. Jesse is a 25-time

marathoner. She is a half-iron man finisher. She is a mom. She is a full-time engineer. She is also a run coach. She's busy. And she has learned a lot over her years of marathoning and coaching. And she's here to share that with us today. So whether you're a very first time marathoner or you're looking at some more advanced things, Jesse and I are here to talk about the evolution of being a marathoner,

the mistakes that we all make the beginning and how to get better cycle over cycle as you progress

through your running career. And if you're looking for a little bit more support than just a

podcast episode, don't forget that Running Explain has a bunch of options available for you as a

runner, whether you're a marathon or 5K

or anywhere in between, we are here to help you, whether that's a training plan, run

coaching, or training plus programs, masterclasses and more. Check out runningexplain.co for all of your

running needs. Jesse, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you here. Thanks, Elizabeth. I'm so excited to be here.

So tell us, how did you become a runner? Well, I'm probably one of those typical, like, start later in life. I did soccer and field hockey in high school, so running was punishment.

And, I mean, my dad was, he'd had his normal three-mile route that he'd do. So he'd try to drag

us in for some 5Ks, but not like I ever trained. And it really wasn't until college that I started

picking up running and just, I didn't have any more sports team activities, so something to stay in shape.

And one of my roommates who did track and cross country was like, oh, let's do the Detroit half marathon together.

And so I'm like, all right, well, why not?

I know nothing about this.

So let's get started. And the thing with that was, so it's an international half marathon. So you get to run into Canada over the bridge and come back through the tunnel, so you need a passport. Well, her passport expired, so she kind of bailed on me while I already changed. She's like, oh, I can't do it now. I'm like, oh, this is great.

So I'm committed alone to run this half marathon, but I liked it. After it, it went pretty

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