# 116: Starting Over: From Career-Ending Surgery to a First Marathon w/ Maya Struhar

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/my-first-marathon-6901578/116-starting-over-from-career-ending-surgery-to-a-first-marathon-w-maya-struhar
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/my-first-marathon-6901578/116-starting-over-from-career-ending-surgery-to-a-first-marathon-w-maya-struhar.md
Podcast: [My First Marathon](https://stenobird.com/podcast/my-first-marathon-6901578)
Published: 2026-03-16T12:55:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8874382
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8874382.mp3?modified=1773653827&sid=5128391&source=rss
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/my-first-marathon-6901578/episodes/116-starting-over-from-career-ending-surgery-to-a-first-marathon-w-maya-struhar
Duration seconds: 2847

## Resource

After a hip surgery at 17 ended her competitive dance career, Maya Struhar spent years away from structured movement. Running wasn’t part of the plan until a St. Patrick’s Day 5K with coworkers pulled her back in. One race turned into a 10K, then a half marathon, and before long Maya found herself training for her first marathon at Grandma’s in Duluth. Along the way she discovered a runner’s high, built confidence through a series of half marathons during training, and learned how to make decisions during the race that prioritized enjoyment over chasing a specific time. In this episode, Maya shares what it looked like to rebuild a relationship with movement after injury, how a tough training run almost shook her confidence, and the moment during her marathon when choosing to slow down helped her have a better experience. She also talks about the wall at Lemon Drop Hill, the emotional finish line at Grandma’s Marathon, and how that first race led to running Chicago just a few months later. Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Join THE First Marathon Buddy Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 .

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## Transcript

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