88: Finish Happy, Finish Healthy, Finish Strong: Running the Philly Marathon w/ Rachel O'Brien

Rachel O’Brien never thought she would call herself a runner. After quitting lacrosse in college following a thyroid diagnosis, she hated exercise and avoided running for years. That changed in 2023 when she saw the Broad Street Run on TV and decided to train for it. What started with a shaky half mile turned into 5Ks, a half marathon, and eventually the Philadelphia Marathon. Her first 26.2 was far from smooth. She dealt with plantar fasciitis, made the mistake of wearing new shoes at the expo, and started race morning unsure if she would finish. What got her through was Philly’s running community, her run club, her best friend by her side, and a bag of Sour Patch Kids for mile-by-mile motivation. Crossing the line in tears, she called it the proudest moment of her life.This episode goes beyond race day. Rachel shares how marathon training helped push her forward in eating disorder recovery, gave her confidence to show up authentically in the sport, and showed her the power of surrounding yourself with support. Follow along with Rachel on Instagram at @rachobiee! Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources