Lawyer Finishes 10th in NYC Marathon; Won U.S. Marathon in 2013

By William Peacock, Esq. on November 05, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

All those excuses about being too busy with work to exercise? Well, you knew they were crap, but now you have this lady to hold up as motivation.

Annie Bersagel is a recent Stanford Law graduate. She's a lot more than that, actually: She was a college All-American, the 2006 NCAA Woman Of The Year, a Fulbright Scholar, a California-licensed attorney and now she works in investments in Norway.

She's also a professional athlete in her spare time, with a U.S. Marathon title under her belt last year, and a 10th-place finish in the New York City marathon earlier this week, reports Forbes.

How Does She Train?

That's the key question, right? I mean, hell, none of us are going to be professional athletes. If we're lucky, we might finish ahead of the kids and senior citizens in the Silicon Valley Santa Fun Run. (OK, that's my goal -- yours may vary.)

Competitor.com posted an interview with Bersagel just last year, right after she won the United States Marathon. Her training regimen sounds ... intimidating: "My log is not super-impressive, but I run between 80 and 110 miles/week."

Stifle your laughter. OK, don't, because that is 15-ish miles per day. Damn. How does she fit in 15 miles per day with her full-time job as an attorney?

"I run twice a day with a long run on Sunday," Bersagel explained. "Every morning at 6:15, I run with my husband and the Norwegian 1500 champ who lives very close. Then again after work. Twice a week, I run with my club."

Maybe the Key Is Companionship?

I'd venture a guess that the vast majority of us, at some point, have declared that we will get in shape. And the vast majority of us haven't.

Bersagel is a professional athlete, so comparing yourself to her routine and mileage is not exactly fair. But part of her routine definitely resonated with me: working out with friends and loved ones who are on your level, athletically speaking.

Her husband is a a physical therapist and competitive mountain runner. She runs with a running club as well. Personally, my biggest successes, fitness-wise, have come from working out with friends.

One small caveat though: Try to find a friend who isn't too far ahead of you, athletically speaking (it's a real demotivator) or behind you (it'll hold you back). Try to find someone with a similar level of ability, and a similar end-game (fat-burning, muscle-building, training for a particular sport) for the best chances of mutual success.

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