How Taping her Watch Unlocked a 2h34 marathon | Amanda Martin, 1st place at the 2026 Eugene Marathon

What changes when you stop chasing the number and start running on feel?Amanda Martin spent eight years chasing the US Olympic Trials marathon standard. This spring she taped over her watch at the Eugene Marathon, ran the entire race blind to her pace, and crossed the line in 2h34, an eight-minute personal best and comfortably under the qualifying time.Amanda is a marathoner and a neuro rehab physical therapist in Salt Lake City, and a former Emory teammate of Bruna. She walks us through the breakthrough and what actually made it possible: cutting her weekly mileage, protecting one big quality session a week, running her easy days genuinely easy, and rebuilding her relationship with fueling after years of under-eating and RED-S.We get into the mental side too, from positive self-talk to her rule for knowing a goal is worth holding onto: "If you can't go a day without thinking about it, it's probably something you can achieve."If you're working toward something big around a full and demanding life, Amanda's story is full of honest, practical takeaways on training, fueling, blood work, and making the sport work with your life instead of against it.Follow usAmandaBrunaFabiAbout the hostsBruna & Fabi are the co-founders of augo, a next generation coaching software bringing AI to empower endurance coaches, not replace. They also coach runners and triathletes of all levels at Jornada Endurance.