Daniel Snyder

I’m Dan!

I didn’t grow up dreaming of marathons. I avoided endurance work whenever I could. In fact, I used to do everything in my power not to participate in them. The lap around the soccer field at practice was a punishment…wow have times changed. Today, I’m a 2:38 marathoner who built Metabolic Running to help athletes train hard, fuel smart, and stay healthy long-term. I found my purpose.

I began running “somewhat consistently” in early 2024 signing up for the Kauai Half Marathon with no idea what I was doing. I ran that race just 2 days after a 16-mile solo hike on the Kalalau Trail on the Nā Pali Coast and I somehow managed to place 3rd. All I knew was my hard work ethic and relentless mindset to “endure through the pain”, however, I didn’t understand what that pain was. I didn’t understand early on that pain isn’t the enemy—mismanaged stress, poor fueling, and ignoring recovery are. That realization became the foundation of Metabolic Running.

What I also didn’t realize was that I was beginning to find my purpose. Feeling the energy at the start line, the crowds motivating runners they don’t even know, the volunteers and enthusiastic race directors was a beautiful thing I was experiencing for the first time. Upon crossing the finish line, I achieved something hard and I was hooked instantly. I wanted more.

Within 24 hours I was on the Philadelphia Marathon website signing up for my first full marathon. If you’re a runner you know that feeling…legs hurting, gas tank on E, no appetite, your CNS in full blown recovery mode…and yet, there you are signing up for more instantly.  That’s the “running bug”. I was bit. I became a student. Every book, every podcast, blog, documentary I could consume I did it with intention. I wanted to be better; I wanted to compete. I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon with a 3:30 time goal in my mind…an objective goal to go after. At the time, a Boston qualifying time needed to be under 3hrs, and I didn’t even think I could put myself into that category. I begin training hard with all the knowledge I was consuming… Interval work, aerobic work, threshold work, volume, tempo sessions, long runs, strength training, proper fueling and I noticed my fitness rise fast. Of course there was a huge “on the job” learning curve as I navigated issues and found solutions, but I just kept showing up. I began to believe I could qualify for Boston with just 7 months of experience as a “runner”.

I was full-time working as a field machinist. The hours were extremely demanding averaging 60-90hrs a week, months out of town in hotels, limited access to quality nutrition and time to prepare quality nutrition; however I kept finding a way as I was locked into my goal. I continued to find a way to show up for myself…3am runs, 2am strength sessions, an air fryer in the hotel rooms setting off smoke alarms, basically doing everything I could do to be consistent. Motivation turned into discipline and discipline turned into obsession. I was locked into qualifying for Boston in my first Marathon. I continued through the process educating myself, learning on the job, training hard…I was falling in love with the process and building strong weekly fitness. The Boston Qualifier was now in sight.

About mid-way through that training Block, it was announced they were moving the Boston qualifying time down 5 minutes to 2hrs 55mins. To all you runners you know how much 5 minutes can be. I used this to my advantage. I studied and trained even harder now with a new goal of sub 2:55.

7 months went by since finding running and race day came. The nerves were there however I remained confident in everything I endured in the process. I was at the starting line for my first full marathon. I was now about to enter uncharted territory but trusted my training and my strong mind. I remained confident and ready with a plan of execution. Before the gun, I looked back at the 30,000 athletes ready in their corals and I was emotional. All these people were here to prove something… whether it was to finish, finish with a time goal, or just prove to themselves (or someone) that they could set their mind to something and do something hard. The process I fell in love with. Family members, friends and Philadelphia residents with no skin in the game lined the streets of Philly ready to cheer on every single runner there. This is no exaggeration, it was beautiful. No matter when you finished, the crowds made each individual feel like a professional athlete for the day. This is one of the most beautiful things about the half/full marathon distance.

I finished that race strong with a 2:51. Beating my original 3:30 goal, beating the original 3hr Boston qualifying time and beating the new qualifying time by 4 minutes. I knew my dedication as a student to the sport and my dedication to the training paid off. I was even more hooked. I wanted more. I continued taking off more time in my next marathon with a 2:47 then a 2:38 truly enjoying the process and doing something I loved. I couldn’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and train. I loved every minute of the recovery and all the benefits an endurance athlete gets from consistency. I found my purpose and I wanted to pursue my purpose even further.

As I kept my head down and went through the training, friends and colleagues began noticing my new habits. I was transformed. Others began asking me for running advice, nutrition advice, mindset advice and I was feeling fulfilled daily with those conversations. I began to see clearly; this is what I wanted to do with my life.

I began working on Metabolic training despite a demanding full-time job and increasing my training volume significantly. I was physically drained and yet my mind had so much energy at the same time. I was working on something I was passionate about and it was giving me life. That’s when I had a major paradigm shifting moment. To build this, I needed to pursue it full time…this required taking a major life risk on little savings and quitting a full-time job that provided for me very comfortably. It was time to now get uncomfortable in pursuit of my dream. I couldn’t sleep for weeks wrestling with this decision. My recovery went down; my training went down…my body was trying to keep my safe as I wrestled with the pressure of taking this risk. I knew I needed to pull the trigger for my own health and my dream and that’s exactly what I did. I left the stability of my full-time job, and I began working endlessly on building Metabolic Running. Building the business foundation, the structure and the goals all while achieving classroom certifications/qualifications along the way. I was all in and I didn’t care about the stability of a full-time job anymore. I wanted to change people’s lives, get them healthy long-term, help them find purpose. I was beginning to live my dream of combining my love for running, nutrition, and helping others.

My main goal is to transform lives. My goal isn’t to make athletes dependent on me—it’s to teach them how their bodies work so they can perform, recover, and thrive independently even outside of running. I want my athletes to become “addicted to feeling good”. I want my athletes to experience what I felt crossing the finish line as strangers cheer them on to the last step.