Tammie Robie

Fernando coached me to some pretty awesome PRs back in the day before a pregnancy and a series of injuries and illnesses kept me from running well in recent years.

This summer, I reached out to Fernando after 6+ years of running 'on my own'. I am finally healthy and feeling motivated and knew that Fernando would be that piece to the puzzle my running life needed! Knowing my age and how far from my PRs I have drifted, Fernando prescribed workouts and paces that I was able to complete while putting in the work to get me back on track with my running. It was the best decision I could have made! The GTD program is truly personal and fit perfectly with what I needed.

Fernando has a way of making a runner feel like they are the only person he's working with, even with all of the other people he is coaching. I'm older now, it had been a long time since I had done this, and I'm nowhere near as fast as I once was . . . but Fernando helped me feel like my former self. His weekly prescriptions definitely got me to a place where a strong marathon is possible.

At Baystate, I felt really good and held 6:50-6:55 pace for 18 miles. I started to suffer from nausea and it got warm later in the race - that slowed me down, but I was able to keep putting one foot in front of the other and finished with a time that is respectable. I am confident that with Fernando's coaching I will continue to improve and I am excited for 2018!

[On October 22, Tammie ran 3:11 at the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, good for 6th master and a Boston Qualifier. Tammie writes that "my marathon PR (Houtson 2010, of course with Fernando) is 2:49. That's a time I'll take to my grave with pride!"]

Philadelphia Marathon is known for being one of the best courses out there. An element that an athlete or coach cannot control is the weather. It happened to be a very windy day. Coach Braz gave me the best possible pep talk that he could. I couldn’t wait to get the marathon started and was well tapered and feeling physically and mentally strong.

Miles 1 to 8, I focused on pace and worked so hard to try to get a rhythm. There were bouts of wind in the city miles, but I was right on target. Then some hills and some more bouts of wind came into play and knew my pace was slightly off.

At mile 14, I saw my husband. He handed me an energy Gu packet and I whimpered, “this is so hard.” With conviction my husband yelled, “You got this.” At that moment, I stopped thinking about myself. I thought about the past 4 months of this marathon journey.

My family supported me the entire time, I had friends who believed in me and even biked next to me, and I had Coach Braz’s guidance. I couldn’t stop because I was tired from the wind. I needed to put one foot in front of the other and make this our journey together.

That is exactly what I did. I took one mile at a time and did not even look at my watch. For miles 14 to 20 it was mostly wind in my face, but I knew I was doing my very best. I kept thinking this is the only place I need to be and soon I can tell everyone about this. I had practiced and prepared with numerous long runs, so I focused on my preparation too.

Mile 20 was a relief. I knew I was going to finish and most of the wind was at my back. Seeing that finish line is one of the greatest feelings ever! I was so happy and caught my husband’s eye right away. I was like Rocky from the Rocky movie yelling “Ron” instead of Adrian. Being a highly emotional person, I instantly told him all the highlights. Not sure why some suffering makes me really appreciate what I have, but it does!

As soon as we got on the bus to go back to the hotel, I contacted Coach Braz. He was so excited for me and wanted to know all the details. Shortly after, I contacted more family and friends. I did train with a certain time in mind, and didn’t get it this marathon. I got so much out of this marathon journey and I could never imagine not doing it.

To all of those who question your running dreams, they may not turn out exactly how you envision it. Having the right people in your corner makes it a win no matter your time or place. My advice is to go for it and see what happens. You don’t know the outcome unless you try. You may discover that life has a way of working itself out and that great things can happen if you work hard at your personal goals. You may inspire others along the way. My run dreams certainly aren’t over yet thanks to Coach Braz.

[Katie was 1st woman in 1:20:41 at the Bay State Half-Marathon in Lowell on October 22. She was 9th overall with a 6:10 pace. At the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19, Katie ran 3:00:20.]