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

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

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