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Summary
On episode 60 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Deanna, a homeschooling mom of six known on MyFitnessPal as Running Forever Mama, who went from feeling like a “frumpy hermit” to running a 50K ultra marathon.
Deanna walks through the 2013 turning point where she committed to logging her food daily and started the Couch to 5K program, repeating hard weeks rather than pushing forward before she was ready.
From there the momentum built: 5K to 10K to half marathon to marathon to ultra marathon, all while staying patient and listening to her body along the way.
Links
- https://www.myfitnesspal.com
Key Takeaways
- Deanna’s turning point came in 2013 when she decided she didn’t want to be a “frumpy hermit” anymore. As a busy homeschooling mom of six running a small farm, she’d gone months at a time barely leaving the house outside of errands and appointments.
- She started logging food daily on MyFitnessPal and never stopped, passing 1,000 consecutive days by the time of this interview. Consistent tracking became the foundation everything else was built on.
- She built her running base with the Couch to 5K program, an eight-week plan alternating short runs and walks. When a week felt too hard, she simply repeated it instead of forcing herself forward, which she credits for making the progression sustainable.
- No fancy equipment was involved at the start. Deanna didn’t have a smartphone yet, so she printed the Couch to 5K plan from a computer and timed her intervals with a basic stopwatch.
- Progression created its own momentum. Finishing a 5K made her wonder about a 10K, then a half marathon, then a full marathon, and eventually a 50K ultra marathon, all within about three years.
- Listening to her body took priority over pushing through pain. Especially given her age, Deanna says she’d rather slow down at the first sign of a weird ache than risk an injury that could derail her progress entirely.
- Consistent, patient progression is what separates a program that sticks from one that doesn’t. Allan frames it as commitment plus progression plus patience, and Deanna’s three-year build from struggling to run one minute to finishing an ultra marathon is the proof of concept.
- Her top tip for anyone starting out: just start, then find something you actually love doing. Results alone won’t keep you consistent; picking an activity you’re genuinely drawn to, even if it’s not where you begin, is what keeps people showing up.
“I think the most important thing is to start.”
Deanna (Running Forever Mama)