If you had asked me 3 years ago if I was ever going to run a marathon, I would have told you that you were crazy! 5k’s and 10k’s were about all I could do, at least in my mind. But after meeting Coach Brendan, a parishioner and marathoner, who invited me to believe that 26.2 is possible, I have now completed my 5th marathon. Though I always enjoyed the short run, I never imagined myself running a marathon distance. Coach Brendan helped me believe in my abilities to do something so “unimagi…

I had been a middle distance runner since 1971, and started doing marathons in 2002. My first four years of marathoning led me to a 4:42 PR. When I sought to break 4:30, I sought coaching that would deliver a combination of science and strategy that would enlighten my overall approach to training and execution.

The premier insight you shared was also about getting the mental element – setting goals and how to reach them. After a year of turning theory into practice, I took off with another per…

I completed my first half marathon in Miami (2004) and have gone on to finish many races thereafter with your coaching. You taught me what it meant to truly finish a race.

You have continued to teach me. Your patience and advice, even when I didn’t necessarily want to hear it, was exactly what I needed to hear. Your tips, “Good Form Will Carry You Through” are engrained in my brain.

You have molded me into what I am today as a runner. I am truly grateful for your friendship and coaching.

Nine months ago, I injured my back, which kept me from running for over six months. Run walk is the only reason I am able to train again. Now that I am on the mend, run walk provides me just enough rest to let me maintain my form, which, in turn, protects my back — and I can achieve my pace goals at the same time. Coach Brendan’s style of run walk is not just for recovery, though: it can be as challenging as you allow it to be, and I plan to continue to run walk my way through all my ten mil…