Alison Marie, PhD
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Learn to train with purpose for YOUR body and goals. 

The Women's Running Academy Mentorship is a 12-week group coaching and education program to help female runners ditch the cycle of injury and burn out and finally make real, consistent progress towards their goals.

The next round begins Feb 27, 2023. 
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Join by February 6th with a few perks that will not be offered to the public:

A completely custom running plan specific to your schedule, your current training base, and your goals (the Mentorship itself comes with a thorough set of plans for a variety of goals and levels  but taking into account your schedule, specific training history, and goals can make a huge difference. ($254 value)

A swag bag of Women’s Running Academy goodies (running tank, mug…) and my favorite toe spacers for foot health (you’ll understand why this is so important after Week 5 of the program which is all about the feet! ($50 value)
You love running…

…but you have this nagging feeling like you haven’t yet reached your full potential. Or maybe you feel like those days in are your past and you’ll never get there again.

Maybe you are wondering if you’ll ever break this plateau or pass that nemesis mileage where the wheels seem to always fall off in your training and the aches and pains (hip, knee, IT band, feet…) or pelvic floor symptoms inevitably creep back in. You feel heavy, clunky, or inefficient in your stride, like there is something you are missing.

You know there are strategies out there to improve your performance but there are so many variables to manage between the running programming, strength training, and recovery that you end up feeling like you are aimlessly going through the motions.

There is a better way!

With a little knowledge, focus, and strategy you can streamline your efforts so that every workout gets you one step closer to your goals (no precious time or energy wasted)!

You can feel strong, powerful, and efficient in your stride and run that dream distance, hit that PR, and enjoy every minute!

FACTS

Runners need to strength train!

Strength = Stability

Strength = Power

Strength = Efficiency

Strength = Resilience

Deficiencies in strength are typically a major part of pain in runners (IT band, knees, hips, pelvic floor symptoms…). Stretching and foam rolling won’t "fix" you!

You know this… but you also JUST want to run. I get it!


Maybe you just don’t like the strength training at all, maybe you struggle to find the time to efficiently incorporate it with your running, or maybe when you do you end up with soreness that you feel negatively affects your running performance, or maybe some combination of it all.

I got you!

The Women's Running Academy Mentorship is unlike any other training program you've experienced before!

It's time to ditch the cookie cutter running programs and stop simply going through the motions with your strength workouts.

​It's time to train like an athlete and unleash your true running potential using my 4S System.
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mY 4S System

Specificity to the Demands of Running
We’ll look at the demands of running and use specific form cues combined with intentional strength training to minimize energy lost with each step and improve your running economy.
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You’ll learn to not just absorb ground reaction forces but to store them as elastic energy to propel you forward while staying strong and stable with every step!
Streamlined Running Programming
We’ll program purposeful miles with purposeful pacing into your week using my “3 Key Runs” so that you are getting the most possible out of each run (it’s not just about logging the miles for the sake of logging miles).

We’ll make your miles count, so that you can make room for other major players like rest and other forms of athletic training (*ahem* strength training).​
Strength Training
We'll use intentional strength training to fine tune your body to capitalize on instead of fear those ground reaction forces

We’ll train with both the demands of running and the needs of your specific body in mind.
Strategy for Your Body
We’ll get to know your body through targeted assessments and identify your potential movement limiters or energy leaks with running.

​Over time we’ll home in on the specific strategies your body needs so that you can train efficiently - no wasted effort.

Work smarter not harder

It's cliche but also true.
Whether you started early in life or relatively recently running can quickly become an invaluable part of your life.

I started running relatively early in life with my mom and her “running friends.”

Little did I know at that time how important having my own group of running friends would become to me someday. Even if at this point most of them are virtual.

In high school, I ran track and cross country. My uber competitive streak must not have been fully developed yet because I found every reason to cheat my workouts and do less.

...or it might have been that I didn’t understand the why behind all of the workouts. It’s tough for me to get motivated to do something unless I really understand “why” I’m doing. For that reason, and for those of you like me, I include the why behind all that we do in the Mentorship.

In grad school, a switch flipped. A group of friends and I decided to run our first half marathon together. "Sure, I’ll try a half, but I'll draw the line at a full.” Famous last words, right?

I ran the half, and then another, then another and before I knew it, I caught the bug. I needed to try a full.  At that point it was only still a mild obsession.

After my first full and a few beers, pleasantly surprised by my performance, I asked my significant other at the time if he thought I could qualify for Boston. I “only” had to shave 20 minutes off my time…

...well, I think THAT’s where my real obsession began because … HE LAUGHED AT ME!

It. was. on. after that! I read every book on running science I could find; I hired a coach and less than a year later I got my first BQ!

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Fast forward through many, many more years of running, two career changes (engineer to teacher to now), and two children. Now as a certified personal trainer and running coach, pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise specialist, and eternal student of all things running and movement science, I help women ditch the cycle of injury and burn out and finally make real, consistent progress towards their goals.

 While I haven’t run another marathon since becoming a mom, I have PRed in every other distance since. I look at the race photos from that hard earned Boston Marathon and KNOW I could smoke her.

I think it’s partly the experience and education I’ve built up and partly because I’m a mom.

​Because of, not in spite of.


In motherhood, now more than ever, I have to train with efficiency and strategy!

Efficiency first! The engineer AND the mom in me thrive on efficiency. No wasted time or effort!

Having babies also brought to light some biomechanical inefficiencies. They reared their ugly head in the form of constant hip, knee and back pain and pelvic floor symptoms. I had it all!

I firmly believe these inefficiencies were holding me back from reaching my full potential well before my child bearing years. For many women the stress of pregnancy simply reveals the invisible ink that was there all along. Addressing those inefficiencies not only eliminated my symptoms, it made me a stronger, more efficient, and more powerful runner overall.

This refers back to my 4S System where I said the goal is to minimize energy lost with each step. I think of energy lost as both energy you can't use to move forward AND energy lost typically means force is poorly distributed across your joints - which can lead to pain, injury or pelvic floor symptoms. That is where the purposeful strength training for the demands of running and strategy based on the needs of your body can make a HUGE difference in the way running feels.

 In my Women's Running Academy Mentorship, I’m going to coach you through this 4S System that's not only helped me but hundreds of other runners.

Step by step, week after week we'll apply the system together so that by the end of the 12 weeks you've confidently ditched the cycle of injury and burn out.

​AND, through the education along the way, you'll have all the tools to continue to apply it to make
 real, consistent progress towards any goal you set in the future.
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What Past Participants Are Saying

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Here's what you get

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A full set of purposeful running programs ($679 value*)

Each run is planned out specifically (distance, pacing, warmup and cool down) so that you know exactly what to do each day and get the most out of your training.

The programs include both base building and base maintenance plans to complete during the 12 weeks, race specific training plans for your big goals after this base building/maintenance period, and the guidance on choosing the best plan for you.

​We'll meet you where you're at now and train specifically towards any big future goal. The runs are all purposefully paced so that you can get the most out of every mile as you improve your endurance, speed, and running economy.
Weekly, purposeful strength workouts fully prepare your body for the demands for running ($525 value*)
Two “required” and one “bonus” strength workout per week including mobility, strength, and plyometric training tailored specifically to that demands of running and the needs of your body so that you can plug up any energy leaks and feel stronger and more powerful in your stride.

The workouts will be progressed intentionally through a full training cycle beginning with strength in foundational movements, building on that strength with power, and tapering ahead of a race. Yep! You need to taper your strength workouts too!

​Each workout will include written cues and a full playlist of videos to follow along so you are fully equipped to master each movement.
Weekly educational modules that include resources and actionable steps to effectively incorporating the topic of the week into your training ($750 value*)
AND
Live, weekly group calls to recover/review the educational materials and provide you the opportunity for feedback and questions so that you can confidently apply the strategy yourself ($1,400 value*)

The first 6 weeks will be more geared towards understanding the needs of your body and the demands of running and how to adapt the strength training specifically to those needs.

The second 6 weeks will focus more on the logic behind my programming and the formula I use to put it all together (and all the templates you could ever need).

I’m basically turning my whole training system into a plug-and-play formula for you to use and apply to any goal. Crush this 12-week goal and leave with all the strategy and tools you need to crush the next (and the next, and the next...)! 

Bonus live presentations from 4 amazing guest speakers to support you as a whole person and athlete ($500 value*)

We will have a registered dietician, a mental health specialist, a yoga instructor, and another hot topic for the women's running community.
A private Facebook group for questions, accountability, sharing additional resources as needed, and creating our own intimate space in the greater virtual running community.

A membership portal with all the resources, workouts, and recordings from mentorship that you will have access to forever.
*Value calculated based on my rates for 1-on-1 coaching. The beauty of a group coaching model like this mentorship is that it is more efficient (cost and time) for everyone!
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$649 or 3 Monthly Payments of $223
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Choose your payment plan at checkout.
Prices in USD.

Bonus available during waitlist presale only

A custom running training program specific to your goals and schedule ($254 value*)

Each run is planned out specifically (distance, pacing, warmup and cool down) so that you know exactly what to do each day and get the most out of your training.

The program is completely customized to your goals, schedule, current base, and training history so that we keep you in that sweet spot of making continuous progress without the pains and burn out from too much, too soon.
motionmailapp.com
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12 Weeks of Education and Action

​The weekly lessons, live group calls, and accompanying resources include all the education and tools you need to understand your unique body and train with purpose for your goals!
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​We’ll set a big goal for your 12 weeks and work through my purposeful assessment process to uncover the unique needs of your body.
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This is the core of it all, literally. It's so important we are spending 2 weeks on it! Learn to intentionally transfer energy through your core and master your breathing to increase your performance.
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With each stride, your body goes through a cycle of absorbing and propelling. The hips (including the pelvic floor) play an integral role in doing this efficiently (without losing energy).
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This week will include lots of time to play and feel. We'll connect all the pieces - hips, core, pelvic floor - and practice how they work together with every stride.
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Pronation and supination are not bad words. We need to do both efficiently to get the most out of each stride! This week we'll work on both strength and mobility in your feet.
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Do your right and left feel or move differently? This week we’ll talk about why that might be and some strategies to feel more balanced.
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Learn my secret weapon for minimizing the stress on your body while maximizing performance. You’ll be practicing these exercises starting week 1, but this week you’ll understand why.
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​​We’ll look at gait and what additional clues it can provide for the development of your strength training program and how what we've been doing all along ties back to your gait.
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I've been doing it for you up until this point. Now I'll walk you through the logic behind selecting the exercises your body needs most so that you can train as efficiently as possible.
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I provide you with your custom running plan from the beginning. Now I'll walk you through my strategic formula so you can apply it to any future goal. Plus, all. the. templates. you could ever want!​
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We’ll take everything you learned in the first 11 weeks and put it together in my complete training formula.
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A full library of supplementary content including training with your menstrual cycle, more specific pelvic floor education, breathing for performance, and recordings of past guest speakers.

Ditch those cookie cutter running programs and stop simply going through the motions with your strength workouts that keep you spinning your wheels.

Instead, learn and apply my 4S System with streamlined running programming, strategy based on the needs of your body, and purposeful strength training for the demands of running so that you can crush your goals.
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mEET OUR gUEST sPEAKERS

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Colette Berry
Female physiology - training as we age

Colette is a New York City based Pre- and Postnatal Strength and Conditioning Coach. She is also a Boston marathon qualifier and Ironman triathlete who struggled with pregnancy-related injuries following the birth of her daughter in 2016.  
Colette founded her personal training company, Cat Hill, with the goal of providing the quality of coaching she wished she’d had during her pregnancy. She uses research-based techniques and her professional experience to help people better understand their bodies and become stronger, healthier, and more confident.

 
IG: @cathillnyc

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Alexandra Larson
Fueling for Runners

Alex is a Minnesota-based registered dietitian that helps endurance athletes improve performance and body composition through a flexible eating style. She’s a mom of two little boys and their fluffy golden retriever Marley.
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IG: @alexlarsonnutrition
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Jessica Patching-Bunch (JPB)
Brain Body Resilience

JPB a stress resilience coach on a mission to provide practical approaches to understanding and managing stress. While working in neurodevelopmental research, she realized she wanted to let her knowledge serve a larger community outside of academia. After struggling with stress related illness most of her life; she set out to address a real gap in accessible alternative mind-care and wellness education for women. Translation: She teaches practical ways to manage stress so you can get out of your own way, stress less and live more. 
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IG: @jpb.brainbodyresilience
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Maggie Umberger
Yoga Integration

Maggie is a Mindful Movement Specialist passionate about helping you build strength, feel good, and unlock your potential through mixed movement modalities that are accessible and fun. Known for her intelligently-designed class experiences, she creates space for her students to move safely, breathe more deeply, feel better, and improve overall health and vitality.
She offers private yoga, mobility and fitness training, an on-demand membership platform, and workshops and retreats around the world
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​IG: @maggieumberger

Plus a full library of past guest speaker recordings.

More on nutrition from a panel of registered dietician, some additional education from pelvic floor physical therapist, and other incredibly inspirational members of the women's running community including Roberta Groner, Sophie Power (aka. ultrasophie) and Ali Feller (aka. Ali on the Run).

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FAQs

 Do I need to be fast?
This program is for any woman with goals! That goal could be anything from finish your first 5k or finally break 30 minutes in a 5k, to break 2 hours in a half marathon or all the way up to get that coveted BQ. The paces in your training program will be adapted specifically to your current fitness level, speed, and goals. Runners more seasoned on the strength training front will find a few little tweaks that will make a HUGE difference in their running. Runners newer to strength training will create a powerful foundation to build on.

Is this programs suited for training for a big race like a half or full marathon?
I’m definitely discourage training for a large race like a marathon or half marathon where your race/peak mileage would be during the 12 weeks of the mentorship (Feb 27th - May 21st). The Mentorship is much more suited for a base building running season and would be more ideal for someone with big goals for a fall race or someone who is simply wanting to build a better foundation overall. I'm good with you racing a 5k or 10k during the 12 weeks IF you come into the program with the appropriate base milage already.

Trying to peak in your mileage while also building strength is A LOT on the body and will likely lead to diminishing returns in both places - your running performance and ability to get the most out of your strength workouts…. Which is the opposite of my goal for you during the Mentorship!

What mileage do I need to be running to join?
The running programs are designed to meet you where you are and build a strong base from there. You can start from zero running or a 40 mile per week base and everything in between. The base building plans to chose from take you from 0 up o 10 miles per week, from 5 to 15 miles per week, 10 to 20, 15 to 25, 20 to 30, 25 to 35, 30 to 40, 35 to 45, or 40 to 50 (there are two versions of each including a set in kilometers instead of miles). There are also base maintenance plans included at each of those intervals that maintain volume while building in some more purposeful pacing to improve economy.

Is this program specifically for moms?
No, though we do typically have a large number of moms in the group. We do talk about core and pelvic floor quite a bit in the course (because it's important for ALL runners honestly) and the strength training can definitely help address any lingering muscle imbalances from pregnancy (even if it was years or decades ago), but this course is not postpartum specific. While it was born out of my struggles with running after becoming a mother, all female runners can benefit from this information and approach to training. If you want to become a mom, but are not yet one, there is no time like the present to start laying these foundations. My goal someday soon is actually to start bringing this information to high school and college runners. The idea that young women can be empowered to train for their bodies at an early age lights such a fire in me!

Can I go through it with an injury?
Maybe. It depends on what it is and the severity. Book a Free 15-Minutes Strategy Call or send me an email to talk it through and decide. For many recurring running injuries, the strength training and education about the needs of your unique body may be exactly what the doctor ordered! We’ll get you moving better, stronger, and more efficiently which typically alleviates a lot of the common running pains.

How many training days?
The plans include two to four running day options. With the program I recommend running 4 days at most so that you can get the most out of the strength training education and practice. I will provide you with the programming, an intentional warm up tailored to the needs of your specific body over the course of the program, and cool down.

There will be 2 “required” strength workouts with your main lifts and movement patterns and an additional "bonus day" that will alternate between slow tempo circuits and plyometrics each week.

Less is more!

What equipment? Home or gym?
All of the strength workouts will be designed for at home with some occasional suggestions for how you might adapt at the gym. You do not need a gym membership. The following is a list of “equipment” we will be using. None of it is required. We can be creative if we need to be. If you do want to purchase some of this stuff, here are my suggestions on Amazon.

Rolled up towel
Yoga block (or playground ball or another rolled up towel)
A chair or something to sit on with feet on the floor
Resistance Band with something to anchor it to
Dumbbells (or something to use as weights)
Foam Roller
(maybe) Stability Ball
(maybe) Mini band
(maybe) Wedges

When will the live calls be? What if I can’t attend at that time?
The regular live calls are scheduled for Tuesdays at 9am EST. I do my best to accommodate as many time zones as possible within my schedule availability and the fact that the participants typically span a large set of time zones through US, Canada and some of Europe.  Each call will be recorded and uploaded to the membership portal with all the other resources for the week. If you cannot attend live, you will have the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time or ask them in the Facebook group.

The guest speaker calls will be determined based on the schedule of the speaker and will vary.

This is a big investment, what if I don't get results?
Yes, it is a big investment. However, of all the things you invest in running related (shoes, gps watch, other gear, race fees, etc.), this will pay you back 10 fold! Because I'm so confident in that, if you show up and do the work through the 12 weeks and feel like you got no value out of it at the end, I'll provide you with a full refund.

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to reach out. Send me an email or set up a Free Strategy Call. I'll help you figure out if this is the right program for you - absolutely no pressure. I know this program is a commitment. I only want you to make that commitment if you are sure it's right for you.
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Train with purpose through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond!
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