On Mothers, Mentors, and New Seasons of Training

The marathon doesn’t end at the finish line. Recovery is still part of the race.
Here’s a simple framework we use with athletes at Hammer & Axe:

Week 0–1: Decompress + Heal

• No running (yes, actually).

• Light walks, mobility, gentle movement.

• Prioritize sleep + protein.

• You’re not losing fitness — you’re repairing.

Week 2: Re-entry to Movement

• Run every other day, 20–40 minutes, all easy.

• If anything feels “off,” skip the run and walk instead.

• This is about circulation, not fitness.

Week 3–4: Gradual Return

• 4–6 runs per week, all easy, progress duration slowly.

• Add strides 2–3x/week.

• Keep intensity out until your legs feel springy again.

Your first “workout” should be threshold, not intervals.
The marathon fatigues your system, not just your legs — threshold is where rhythm and confidence come back.

If you treat recovery with respect, you’ll come back higher than where you finished.
If you rush it — you’ll spend the winter chasing your legs.

Reed’s Favorite “Return to Running” Workout

This is one Reed goes to every single time he’s building back consistency:

🚦 “The Rhythm Builder”
10 x 1 minute on / 1 minute off

• All at conversation pace — no forcing

• Focus on breathing and cadence, not speed

• The “on” sections are just steady, not hard

• The “off” sections are true float jogs

Why it works:

• Restores rhythm without fatigue

• Smoothes your stride back into place

• Reminds your brain what relaxed efficiency feels like

When you finish this workout feeling like:
“Yeah. I could have kept going.”
That’s the exact point.

For most of my life, I’ve known my mom as two things: my mom and my coach.
But depending on the season of my life, one identity took up more space than the other. Growing up, she was the one cheering on the sidelines, packing snacks for meets, and reminding me to say thank you to volunteers. Later, she became the coach guiding me through both the hardest training blocks of my career and some of the hardest personal moments too.

There have been seasons when our relationship was comfortable, seasons when it was strained, and seasons when it was tested by the weight of high expectations — both hers and mine. But I think that’s the real story of parent-child relationships: the deeper you love, the deeper the stakes can feel.

This week, I recorded a podcast with my mom, Joan Hunter. We talk about coaching, identity, sacrifice, ambition, burnout, rebuilding, and what it means to choose presence over perfection. It’s one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever recorded.

— Drew Hunter

🎙️ New Episode: The Coach Who Raised Me — with Joan Hunter

Listen here: Joan Hunter Episode.

A lot of people have reached out recently about coaching.
Hammer & Axe has a few open roster spots across both marathon and middle-distance coaches.

If you’re:

• Returning to running after a break

• Moving up in distance

• Or you want structured, thoughtful training to actually fit your life

You can apply here:
→ hammer-and-axe.com/apply