Paul Parmley

Welcome to the first edition of The Axe! ⚒️👏

The Axe is our way of telling stories about the athletes near and dear to our program. Many of them have great stories to tell and are more relatable than a bunch of professional runners. We’re pretty boring, plus, you guys hear about us enough!

This is how this is going to work. 👇

Every month, we'll be reaching out to one of our many athletes and will ask them a few questions so that you can get to know them better. We'll also talk to the coach to get their take on the athlete’s progression, how the training went, and more!

Athlete of The Month

Paul Parmley

Event: Marathon

Coach: Reed Fisher

The Interview

Q for Paul: Hey, Paul! Can you tell me a little about yourself?

A: Professionally, I’m the Head of Social Media for TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)—North America. TCS is a global IT consulting company that has sponsorship partnerships with several marathons (Chicago, NYC, Boston, and London to name a few), which is an awesome work perk.

I’m originally from Washington, D.C, and started running around age 7 (McLean Youth Track represent)! I ran competitively in HS and for a year in college before taking a 15-year break from the sport.

Q for Coach Reed: When’d you meet Paul? First impressions?

A: I met Paul right when we launched Hammer & Axe. He was one of my original clients, so we've been working together for a few years now. In our first few meetings, I was struck by his patience and long-term perspective. A lot of people will look for a coach who they think has a magic bullet and will get them super fast overnight. That's not a super realistic expectation, and Paul always understood that prioritizing health and happiness in his running would bring the results he was looking for. He's a fun guy to work with, with a great sense of humor but also a strong commitment to ticking the boxes of training.

Q for Paul: Why Hammer & Axe?

A: I had some success with a coach in Sacramento, but communication was lacking and I didn’t feel like the training was tailored to me, nor was my input considered. I had run pretty well but realized I needed a change if I wanted to keep improving.

I was (and remain) a fan of TME, so when they announced they would be offering coaching services through Hammer & Axe, I was immediately intrigued. I’m a #FischerFan — his underdog story and personality have always appealed to me — so I jumped at the opportunity to work with Reed.

Plus it’s cool to know that as a client I could play a small role in Reed's pursuit as a professional runner, so that was an added bonus.

Q for Coach Reed: Had you coached anyone before? Were you scared?

A: I'd coached a handful of people and written training programs for a few people before Hammer & Axe was born, but Paul was one of my first 'true' athletes. It's always a big honor to have an athlete put their trust in you, and with that there are always some healthy nerves involved since you're invested. But more than anything, I was excited. I've been so lucky to work with great coaches who've guided my career, and I was pumped to have an opportunity to help guide others in their running journey.

Q for Paul: Have you always seen yourself as a marathon runner? Or was that completely out of the blue?

A: Not at all. I was a decent runner in HS but got burned out after my first year of collegiate running and really turned off from the sport. I picked up drinking + smoking, gained about 70 pounds, and was overall extremely unhealthy and entirely uninterested in any sort of exercise, let alone running.

I started jogging again around 2015 and ran my first 5k in 34:30, more than double my HS PR. That was a brutal experience—and honestly embarrassing—but it sparked something inside of me to get serious again and get back on the roads.

I ran my first half marathon later that year (2:07), and decided that day that I’d give the full 26.2 a shot. It took a few more 13.1s and a couple of years but I finally ran my first marathon in 2017 at CIM (4:12, including a few smokes before and after). I’ve been running nearly every day since, quit drinking and smoking, and have run 7 marathons so far.

Q for Coach Reed: What were the long-term goals for Paul?

A: When we first started working together, Paul's PR was 3:17 from Chicago in 2019. His big goals were to BQ and break 3:00 in the marathon. This fall, Paul ran a BQ of 3:07:42—so we've got one of his goals and we've made some serious inroads to the 3:00 barrier. He'll race at Boston this spring and we're excited to see what he can do!

Q for Paul: What are some of your fondest memories so far?

A: I’ve worked with Reed since H&A started, so I’m thankful to have a pretty long list of (predominately!) fond memories.

Non-racing wise, it's been rewarding to see my progress from workout to workout, and it's also been fun to try totally new approaches to see what sticks. It certainly keeps things interesting, and it's always conceived in a way that feels collaborative.

If I had to pick one favorite race memory, my BQ at Oklahoma City in April of this year would be top of the list. It was my 2nd marathon working with Reed, resulting in a 8+ minute PR from my previous best in Chicago back in 2019, and achieved my goal of BQ’ing before turning 40 this past September.

I had struggled in my last training cycle for TCS NYC in 2021 (a block that was in the middle of a typically horrific Nashville summer), and really didn’t run well on race day. So when OKC came around, I wanted my hard work during training to be realized through solid execution.

Reed thoughtfully adapted my training based on some of our NYC learnings, and it resulted in a huge breakthrough for me and a BQ. I dropped two more minutes this past October in Chicago and hope to keep the PR train rolling!

Aside from running, It's also been a great joy for me to spend time with Reed "live" at various races over the past year or so, getting to know him better as a person in the process. I've even been able to partner with him in a professional capacity as part of my role at TCS. It's been a ton of fun and I consider myself really lucky to have the opportunity to work with and learn from someone like him.

Q for Coach Reed: How’s it felt to see Paul progress so much?

A: As a coach, you always want your athlete to hit the goals, run PRs, and feel great doing it. But you can't run the training or establish good habits for them, so there's a certain amount of trust involved. Paul has earned all of his progress. He rarely misses a day of scheduled training, he stays up on his sleep and nutrition pretty darn well, and he shows up ready to compete on race day. Outside of his progression as a runner, it's been really special to see Paul's progress as a person since 2020. Since we started working together, I've seen Paul move across the country, start a new job that he's excelling at, and most importantly become a dad this summer when he and his wife welcomed their son, Jack. Creating friendships through coaching and running is one of my favorite parts of my life, and Paul is a great example of that. BQ and a baby in the past six months, that's pretty impressive!

Q for Paul: How have you grown as an athlete and person since joining team Hammer & Axe?

A: I’ve gotten fitter, faster, and more confident about myself as an athlete and as a person. Through Reed’s coaching I’ve rediscovered my love for the sport, the great thrill of working hard for sometimes seemingly unattainable goals, and respecting the grind it takes to achieve them. I thrive with structure and accountability, so his coaching style and personality suit me very well.

On the personal side of things, I embrace the importance of gratitude much more than I used to — both in training and in daily life, particularly as I think of my wife and son who sacrifice their time and energy to enable me to pursue this hobby of mine. I’m very lucky to be able to have people in my corner that encourage me to test my limits, celebrate when the PR is broken, and commiserate when I fall short (so far more of the former, thankfully!) This sport is not linear, but that's what makes it so rewarding.

I feel like my best is yet to come with the marathon and running in general, and I’m super excited to keep pushing myself mentally and physically to achieve my next big goal — going sub-3. It’ll hurt getting there, but I can’t wait to try.

Q for Coach Reed: What part of Paul’s running journey are you most proud of?

A: I talked about this a bit above, but I think I'm most proud of Paul's growth as an individual with his family and his ability to balance a busy life with his training. Having worked full-time while training at a high level in the past, I've always appreciated those who manage a 9-5 job and a full training schedule. Add a new baby into the mix and the added pressures of parenting, and his big PR in Chicago this fall is a massive achievement. He's earned it all, and I'm confident there's plenty more to come!

Q for Paul: Do you have any races coming up?

A: Boston in April! And likely a few halfs/10ks before then. And I might have to dip my toe in the world of competitive stroller racing!

Q for Paul: Any last thoughts you wanna share, Paul?

A: If you're reading this you're either a HAX athlete (nice) or thinking about becoming one (do it)! You won't regret it. It's worth every penny, a ton of fun, and you'll become a better runner in the process.

Follow Paul and Reed on Instagram to keep up with their training and racing ⤵️🏃

Paul

Reed

A Few of Our Coaches Have Openings

Hammer & Axe coaching is $200/month but includes unlimited text and email communication, personalized training plans, weekly training calls, and more. Think of it as the ultimate investment in yourself and your running goals. Plus, our coaches are pretty cool and are ~pretty~ good at running, so they know their stuff.

Links to coach profiles: Jordan Gusman, Joey Berriatua, Tori Gerlach, Aaron Templeton, Connor Winter

Have a Race Coming Up?

We sell lotssssss of training plans. You should buy one! Thanks to the RunDNA app, they're easy to follow and are also super affordable (they start at $35). Whether you're running 10k, indoor mile, marathon, or otherwise, we've got you covered. Check them out at the link below.

That marks the end of the issue. We hope you liked hearing about Paul, and we can't wait to share the next story with you. If you liked it, make sure to share using the link below.

From all of us at Hammer & Axe, thank you!

And most importantly, keep the ball rolling! ⚒️⚒️⚒️