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First Marathon Story: Why Not Me?: The Road To 45 Marathons w/ Krissy Murphy

  • Writer: Taylor Sayles
    Taylor Sayles
  • Mar 23
  • 4 min read

Krissy was not an athlete growing up. In her early 20s, she wanted to find a type of movement that worked for her, and one day she downloaded a "Coach to 5K" app, ran a 5K in the Florida heat, and she was hooked. She loved following a plan and checking off a box. She liked challenging herself. She liked that she could run on her own without any pressure from teammates or others around her, and if she went out and failed, no one would know.


Running is the Best Excuse

In a My First Marathon first, Krissy ended up running her next race to avoid going out for drinks with a group of new coworkers when she moved to northern Virginia. Attempting to get around her social anxiety, Krissy immediately looked up races that were taking place the next day, and settled on a 10K.


Even though she hadn't run the distance before, the race vibes were high, and she had a great time. She wondered if she might be able to keep running more.


As a former Disney employee, Krissy thought it would be fun to run one of the Disney races. She first looked at a race in Disneyland California in September, before a friend told her that if she ran in Disney World, in January, she could get a special medal for participating in both. And that's how she ran her first half marathon.


Half Marathon Training Turns to Marathon Training

She was already signed up for another half marathon in Disneyland in September, but she had already started thinking about what else was next. Now living in central Virginia, she started researching more training plans through the library, wanting to have a great base heading into her next race.


As she thought through the logistics of training through a hot summer, she thought maybe she should have another race on the docket as well. After going to her local running store for advice, they started to try and talk her into a marathon (she originally said, no way). But eventually, as she was convinced by other runners to run longer distances ahead of her half marathon, she realized maybe she could run a marathon. So she signed up for the Richmond Marathon.


Using a paper plan from Runner's World and checking off her workouts, Krissy used marathon training to get familiar with her new city and learn where things were.


She ended up meeting some runners who convinced her to sign up for her second marathon - before she had even run her first! In some ways, it took the pressure off of her first marathon, knowing she had another race down the line.


Reaching the Finish Line

Krissy headed to Richmond after work on Friday for the race on Saturday. She was secretly hoping for a sub-four hour marathon, but knew she'd have a second chance at the next marathon a few months later, too.


She was staying super close to the start line, and spent the morning getting everything ready - fuel, outfit, shoes were perfect (and very 2011). The weather was perfect, and Krissy couldn't wait to start. Even though she was excited, she tried to start slow. At mile 20 or 11, she had to stop for the restroom, and then it got windy. She tried to tell herself she wasn't bothered by it, but it definitely impacted her.


At mile 14, she crossed a huge bridge in Richmond, and her headphones stopped working. There was nothing she could do, so she looped the songs in her head. She picked up the pace, but by mile 23, she was wondering if she could make it to the end. Encouragement from her fellow runners kept her going. She did walk/run intervals in the hills of Richmond, holding out for the downhill finish. Krissy could start to hear the finish line at mile 25, and knew if she could just get it in sight, she could finish.


She crossed the finish line in a sprint, sure she didn't reach her goal. But then, she got the official results, 3 hours and 59 minutes.


Lessons Learned

  • Ask yourself "why not me?"

  • You don't need a time goal for your first marathon.

  • Accept the things you cannot change (like your headphones dying).

  • Remind yourself why you are running a marathon.

  • Just do it!


Want to hear Krissy tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: Why Not Me?: The Road To 45 Marathons w/ Krissy Murphy— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: How To Dial In Your Fuel Strategy



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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