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First Marathon Story: Finding Her People: How BAR Run Club Changed Everything w/ Rachel Howard

  • Writer: Taylor Sayles
    Taylor Sayles
  • Jul 13
  • 4 min read
Podcast guest Rachel is interviewed by host Taylor Sayles

Rachel didn't grow up running. She remembers the first time she enjoyed running was a class in her senior year of high school, which required her to complete a mile. The competitive side of her kicked in, and she trained super hard to run that mile. She was the fastest in the class, and it inspired a future competitor.


Running was very casual for Rachel. She ran a mile a few times a week, did a few 5Ks, a few 5K training plans, but she never took it too seriously. It was during COVID, while working at a hospital, on the front lines of the pandemic, that running became a regular outlet for her.


She started chasing higher and higher mileage, and then in 2023, she decided to try for a half marathon. Rachel kept getting injured during training blocks, and eventually decided to take a step back to figure out what was going on. She was determined to reach the goal.


Becoming Addicted to Pushing Yourself

After her first half marathon, she very quickly got hooked on the distance. She ran three more half marathons that year. She describes it as "becoming addicted to pushing yourself."


Rachel found BAR Run Club, which she credits with pushing her to train for a marathon. While running half marathons, she originally couldn't picture running a full marathon. How, when she felt like THIS at Mile 10, was she supposed to run three more, PLUS another 13.1 on top of that? Plus, she worked the night shift at a hospital. How was she supposed to put another full-time job (marathon training), on top of an already difficult schedule?


But seeing the others in her group pushing towards new goals, she gradually started to think maybe she could. Rachel looked forward to long runs because she was running with her friends. And honestly, she had FOMO...she didn't want to miss out on what her friends and fellow runners were doing.


"Am I Really Doing This?"

Rachel didn't fully process that she was training for a marathon until week one. She started training before she even signed up for the race, doubting that she could do it. She promised herself she'd register as soon as she was able to hit a certain distance. It wasn't until she got past the ten-mile long run, the longest she had trained for her previous half marathons, that it felt real.


Halfway through training, she finally started to believe she'd run the race. She finally registered, a little less than two months before the race - she was really doing this.


But the doubt kept creeping in. She was invited to a long run with a large group (15 miles), and barely made it through. It was terrible. She couldn't hold the pace, she had severe GI issues, and she ended up walking the entire last four miles. The run shook her confidence. Could she really do this? Could she maintain the pace needed to meet the time limit?


There's No Turning Back

After completing her longest run, 20 miles, Rachel's confidence was shaken. She was so worried about making the cutoff. But there was no turning back now. During the taper, she started having hip pain. Figuring it was the "taper crazies," she kept training, refusing to miss a single run. Turns out, it may not have been the taper crazies, but a real injury.


At the start line, she felt halfway between "let's just get this done" and "OMG I have to run 26.2 miles."


The first half of her race was amazing. Her hip wasn't hurting, she was receiving voice messages from her friends and family - things just flew by, and she felt on top of the world. She was going to be ok.


At the halfway point, it was the furthest she had ever raced. It was uncharted territory. At Mile 14, she remembers starting to feel soreness in her hip. And then, she started to have stomach cramping. She forced herself to take one more gel to get to Mile 16, and then she negotiated through the next four miles to Mile 20, relying only on salt tabs and Gatorade. At Mile 16, she had ten more miles - how was she going to do this?


She broke down the remaining miles into shorter chunks. Just get through the next 5K. The next mile. The next half-mile. At about Mile 20, she saw her family for the first time, and it was perfect timing. The boost of energy she needed.


The last two miles, she started to get really emotional. She was TIRED. She was ready to be DONE. Questioning all of her life decisions. But she decided to keep going.


At the finish line, in that moment, nothing hurt. She sprinted towards the finish line. It happened so fast. The biggest wave of emotion hit her as soon as she made it through. It was the most special feeling. All the time and sacrifices had led to this moment, and she was a marathoner.


Lessons Learned

  • Forward is a pace.

  • Get creative to get your runs in.

  • Don't put too much pressure on yourself.


Want to hear Rachel tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: Finding Her People: How BAR Run Club Changed Everything w/ Rachel Howard— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: How To Not Panic Running In The Summer



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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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