M2M Athlete Spotlight: Julia Greenfield and her 45 minute PB

A big congratulations to M2M athlete Julia Greenfield, who, with training from Coach Kevin, achieved a 45-minute PB at the Chicago Marathon. In just one year, Julia has progressed from a 3:45+ marathon to an incredible 3:17 finish.

When asked about Chicago, Julia shared that it was “a huge personal achievement. I surpassed my A goal and ran a 3:17:26, a Boston Qualifying time (with a 7.5 min buffer) and a 45 min PB from one year prior! Although this result was the satisfying ‘icing on the cake’ after a dedicated training cycle, it ended up being about so much more than just the race. It started off as a dream goal, but it became a journey of personal growth, self-reflection and building resilience. It was both fun and eye-opening to see what the mind and body are capable of. Despite training through a humid summer, I genuinely enjoyed the process. Working on a training plan with coach Kevin Coffey, attending weekly Mile2Marathon track workouts, and locking in a fueling strategy with dietician Caroll-Ann Rolle made all the difference!

Coach Kevin created a solid structured training plan that still allowed for flexibility. Mixing in social summer runs with friends kept training fun, while a mix of tempo interval workouts and long-run workouts made it both engaging and challenging. Our regular check-ins allowed us to adjust pace targets as I improved, and we tailored my weekly plan around weather, recovery and life events. I also really appreciated how Kevin put his athletes’ well-being first (not just physical but mental as well) and encouraged reflection and mindfulness through running.

Working with dietician Carol-ann helped me feel strong and gain muscle throughout the build. She was extremely knowledgeable and helped me get to the bottom of my chronic mid-race nausea! Together we locked in a fueling strategy for race day that left me feeling confident and ready to tackle any spontaneous race-day hurdles that came my way.

I look forward to working with them again during my next marathon build!”

Julia, your dedication and progress inspire the entire M2M community. Congratulations on reaching this milestone.