Amanda Schramm recently ran the glass City Marathon. We spoke with her to discuss her journey.
In November 2023, my daughter came home from school and asked if I would be her running buddy for the Girls on the Run 5K. I looked at her and said, “Why don’t you ask your dad or brothers?” She quickly replied, “Because it’s Girls on the Run, not Boys on the Run!”
At that time, I hadn’t run in years. I could barely walk around the block, and I only had 2.5 months to train—how was I going to run a 5K? But I committed. I started the Couch to 5K program and, slowly but surely, built up the stamina to complete seven laps—the equivalent of a 5K. Somewhere in the process, something inside me changed. I became more consistent—and I wanted to get faster, too.
Along the way, I lost over 100 pounds. In November 2023, I proudly crossed the finish line of my first official 5K, with my family cheering me on. Their pride meant everything to me.
After that, I continued weight training and threw in an occasional run. Then one night, while scrolling through TikTok, I saw all these amazing people running marathons—and something clicked. I had a wild idea: Maybe I could run a marathon too.
I talked it over with my husband and a runner friend, and decided to sign up for marathon training—just to see how far I could go. But as the training began, I quickly realized: this was much harder than I ever imagined.
By week three, I was struggling with intense shin splints and starting to doubt myself. That’s when my pace coach approached me and said, “You know, it’s okay to start with a half marathon.” I don’t know if he was using reverse psychology or being genuine, but either way, it lit a fire in me. No one was going to tell me what I could or couldn’t do.
From that moment on, I got serious. If I felt pain, I addressed it. If my body needed rest, I gave it. I kept showing up and learned something new with every long run. One week, I realized I needed more than one pair of shoes. Another week, I learned the importance of trail shoes—or snow shoes. I discovered that Squirrel’s Nut Butter is essential for chafing (who knew?). I never expected running to require so much gear, but it all served a purpose.
Then came hydration and fueling—something I had never considered. Some runners wore hydration vests, others didn’t. Everyone had their own system, and I had to find mine.
During my longest run of training, I wore socks I’d used many times before. But this time it was misting, and the sock bunched up, feeling like a stone in my shoe. I couldn’t take them off because they were full-length compression socks—big mistake. I limped through the last few miles, but I finished. And despite the pain, I felt strong. I knew then: I had the stamina to finish the marathon.
Race day finally arrived: April 27, 2025. The Glass City Marathon.
The nerves hit me the moment I woke up. All the early mornings, sore muscles, rainy runs, and lessons learned over months of training led to this moment. I kept telling myself, You’ve done the work. Just keep moving forward.
The energy at the starting line was electric—runners of all backgrounds coming together for a common goal. I looked around and reminded myself that I belonged there, too.
The first few miles flew by with adrenaline and excitement. But as the miles added up, it became a mental game. My legs ached. My body begged me to stop. But I leaned on everything I had learned from training Dave’s Way—listening to my body, pacing with intention, and trusting the plan. I remembered every long run, every tough track night, every early morning when quitting would’ve been easier.
What pushed me forward most was thinking about my daughter—the one who unknowingly started this journey for me with a simple question. I thought about how proud she would be. I thought about the version of me from just a year ago who struggled to walk around the block. That person wouldn’t believe who I had become.
I won’t pretend the race was easy—it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But I crossed that finish line. And I did it my way, powered by discipline, consistency, and the incredible foundation I built training Dave’s Way.
This marathon wasn't just a race—it was a celebration of how far I’ve come, physically and mentally. I’m incredibly thankful for my coaches, my pace group, my family, and everyone who encouraged me through this life-changing journey.
Now it’s time to rest, reflect, and recover. But one thing’s for sure: I will be back next year to run the Glass City Marathon!
