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2026 is not a restart—you’re not starting over. You’re building from what you already started.

In the first episode of 2026 on the Run Strong Run Podcast, Steph shares a powerful mindset shift for runners who may already feel their New Year motivation fading. Instead of resolutions, she focuses on choosing a word for the year—rooted—and explains how staying grounded in who you are can help you build consistency, confidence, and joy in your running.

This episode is a reminder that all runners count, that progress doesn’t disappear when motivation dips, and that your running journey—at any pace or stage—is valid and worth celebrating.

Resources Mentioned:

• Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Running: Everything You Need to Get Started
• Interval Running for Beginners: Starting Smart and Strong
• Full race schedule + blog: runstrongrun.com

Connect With Steph:

• Instagram: @RunStrongRun
• TikTok: @RunStrongRun
• Facebook: Run Strong Run
• Blog: RunStrongRun.com

Let’s Stay Connected

If this episode encouraged you, please:

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Share this episode with a friend who needs a little encouragement
• Leave a review—your support helps this message reach more runners

Thank you for being here and for letting me be part of your running journey.
Here’s to a rooted, strong, and steady 2026.

Support the show

Welcome to the Run Strong Run Podcast! The show where I, Stephanie Dunlap, empower runners of all levels to lace up, chase their dreams, and cross every finish line stronger than ever. To join the discussion live, follow me on Instagram @runstrongrun, TikTok @runstrongrun, Facebook @runstephstrongrun or on my website at runstrongrun.com

About Stephanie:

Stephanie is a beginner run coach, marathon pacer, and your number-one cheerleader! Stephanie went from couch potato to marathoner in 2012 and "Run Strong Run" was born. Since running her first marathon, she's run over 60 full marathons! Stephanie believes that ALL runners count from the fast to the back of the pack. In Stephanie's words, "If you run, you are a runner!"

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Usha’s story is proof that our bodies — and our spirits — are capable of so much more than we think. In this episode of the Run Strong Run Podcast, Steph sits down with Usha, a marathoner, mom, photographer, and all-around powerhouse who turned years of healing, two major surgeries, and motherhood into a powerful CIM marathon PR.

Usha first ran a full marathon back in 2018 at the San Francisco Marathon, finishing in just over six hours with minimal fueling. Then life happened: pregnancy, postpartum recovery, an ectopic pregnancy, emergency surgery, and later a second major surgery. Each time, she had to relearn how to walk before she could even think about running again.

Despite all of that, Usha set her sights on the California International Marathon — not just once, but multiple years in a row. In 2024 she finished just behind the sweepers at CIM and didn’t get an official finish time. In 2025, she came back stronger, ran in a saree that she considers a blessing from a sacred temple in India, joined a CrossFit gym to rebuild her strength, used run-walk intervals with Steph’s 5:50 pace group, and crossed the finish line with a HUGE PR: 5:48:55.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How Usha went from “gym regular” to marathoner
• Navigating pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, surgery, and long recoveries
• What it was like to run CIM in a saree
• Using run-walk intervals and a Gymboss timer to chase a marathon PR
• Mental tricks for getting through the hard miles (hello, “just get to the next tree”)
• The power of supportive partners and family during marathon training
• Usha’s encouragement for anyone scared to sign up for their first marathon

If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really do this?” — this episode is your answer.

Related Links

• Connect with Usha on Instagram: @therun_theworkout_themom
• Follow Steph on Instagram: @runstrongrun
• Learn more about the California International Marathon (CIM)
• Interval Running for Beginners: Starting Smart and Strong (Steph’s course)
• Download a 5:50 Marathon Pace Band
• 🎥 Watch this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XtP6FGdulc8

Support the show

Welcome to the Run Strong Run Podcast! The show where I, Stephanie Dunlap, empower runners of all levels to lace up, chase their dreams, and cross every finish line stronger than ever. To join the discussion live, follow me on Instagram @runstrongrun, TikTok @runstrongrun, or on my website at runstrongrun.com

About Stephanie:

Stephanie is a beginner run coach, marathon pacer, and your number-one cheerleader! Stephanie went from couch potato to marathoner in 2012 and "Run Strong Run" was born. Since running her first marathon, she's run over 60 full marathons! Stephanie believes that ALL runners count from the fast to the back of the pack. In Stephanie's words, "If you run, you are a runner!"

Send us a text

In this episode of the Run Strong Run Podcast, I sit down with new marathoner and mom of two, Vicky Hurd, a.k.a. @marathonmamav, who went from zero running routine to 26.2 miles at the Every Woman’s Marathon in just over a year.

Vicky shares how she went from running eighth-grade cross country “just to make the soccer team” to becoming a runner again after kids, inspired by everyday runners she saw online. We talk about her decision to run one race every month, the brutal first half marathon that almost broke her, and how she turned that experience into a full-hour PR at her next half simply by trusting her plan.

We also dive into what it’s really like training for a first marathon as a full-time working mom with a 3-year-old and 18-month-old, why she did most of her early miles on the treadmill out of fear and embarrassment, and how community—online and in person—carried her through the hardest miles of race day in Scottsdale.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really do this?” when it comes to a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or full marathon, Vicky’s story will feel like a permission slip to start scared and show up anyway.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Vicky went from “not a runner” to racing every month for a year
• The couch-to-5K journey that turned into multiple half marathons and a full
• The disaster first half marathon that taught her to stick to her plan
• Why she spent four months running only on the treadmill before braving the park
• Training for a marathon as a working mom of two small kids (4 a.m. alarms and all)
• The emotional highs and lows of the Every Woman’s Marathon
• Vicky’s go-to gear and fuel: Goo Tane, Bonk Breaker chews, and Brooks Glycerin
• Her advice to anyone afraid to take the first step: “Do it scared.”

🎧 Listen in if you need a reminder that you belong at the start line—no matter your pace, your age, or how long you’ve been away from running.

✨ Helpful Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Download your free 5:50 marathon pace band.
• Watch the full episode on YouTube.
• Join the Interval Running for Beginners course (Starting Smart & Strong).

Connect with Vicky on Instagram: @marathonmamav

Support the show

Welcome to the Run Strong Run Podcast! The show where I, Stephanie Dunlap, empower runners of all levels to lace up, chase their dreams, and cross every finish line stronger than ever. To join the discussion live, follow me on Instagram @runstrongrun, TikTok @runstrongrun, or on my website at runstrongrun.com

About Stephanie:

Stephanie is a beginner run coach, marathon pacer, and your number-one cheerleader! Stephanie went from couch potato to marathoner in 2012 and "Run Strong Run" was born. Since running her first marathon, she's run over 60 full marathons! Stephanie believes that ALL runners count from the fast to the back of the pack. In Stephanie's words, "If you run, you are a runner!"