Episode
119: The Worst Day of My Life: Running a First Marathon That Didn’t Go to Plan w/ Ilana Dunn
- Podcast
- My First Marathon
- Published
- Apr 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3745
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://audioboom.com/posts/8883590
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/my-first-marathon-6901578/episodes/119-the-worst-day-of-my-life-running-a-first-marathon-that-didn-t-go-to-plan-w-ilana-dunn/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/my-first-marathon-6901578/119-the-worst-day-of-my-life-running-a-first-marathon-that-didn-t-go-to-plan-w-ilana-dunn.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Ilana Dunn didn’t grow up a runner. In fact, she was the person who walked the mile and avoided it whenever she could. But after accidentally getting into treadmill classes, discovering run-walk intervals, and slowly building up, she found herself chasing something she once thought was impossible: the marathon. What followed wasn’t a perfect training block. It was injuries, setbacks, and figuring things out in real time, eventually leading her to the start line of the New York City Marathon feeling as prepared as she could be. What she didn’t expect was how race day would actually feel. What started as excitement quickly turned into panic, overwhelm, and a moment where she seriously considered walking off the course entirely. This is a story about pushing through when things don’t look or feel how you thought they would, and learning that the marathon isn’t always the picture perfect experience people say it will be. Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - skool.com/myfirstmarathon