Insane Summer

After a week off running post-Comrades in South Africa, I landed in Michigan ready to train. But I didn’t just want to run. I wanted to be Insane! So I started doing the program called Insanity by Beachbody (the producers of P90X) that incorporates the total body workout without machines or weights. Just you and the ground to get ripped. On the first day I almost died. Day 2 was hell on Earth; my hamstrings were so tight I limped through a run. Day 3 got slightly better and soon I could do the workouts without crying (though still lost about a gallon of sweat per session). It was a super intense workout and coupled with the occasional run afterward I was molding into good shape quickly.

Just a taste of the 40 min daily program.

After a brief spell running, I missed several days of training due to a trip to Las Vegas where I took a good 5 years off of my liver. Then I headed out west to Eugene. There is little more in this great world that gets a runner wanting to train than visiting Track Town, USA. I jogged into the trails and hills of Hendrick’s Park, pausing briefly to visit Pre’s Rock. I also did a good loop of Pre’s Trail and, of course, kept up my Insanity. But the best part (aside from the plentiful Pacific Northwest microbrews) was the fact that USA Nationals were at Hayward Field. I had my seat in the East Grandstand, 5th row, 1500m start line. I witnessed some really excellent races, caught up with some old friends, and sat amongst some of the great coaches of the nation. It was a great trip, but it was not over until I headed to Seattle for a conference, with more Insanity, and more beer.

The trees and hills of Hendrick's Park

A bit of Pre's Trail

Pre's Rock

Enough said

On a whim, Sarah and I late-entered into the Volkslaufe race in Frankenmuth, a race she hadn’t run since early in college. 5K was just way too short for me, but the prizes in the age groups were Bavarian beer steins and how could I pass up the opportunity? A relatively quick first mile for me passed in 6:02 and a strange thing happened – I got faster. The second mile was rolling and I moved past some people and although I felt tired going into the final mile, I never felt sore. It was too fast for my lungs but the legs were solid. I rolled up on a college kid with half a mile to go but let him kick in as I had no other gears. Although I thought I could break 20 minutes, I crossed in 18:11, good for 11th overall and 1st in my age group. I don’t think that was all too bad considering the following: 1) It was my 2nd 5K of the year (and 2nd in the last 5 years), 2) I ran Comrades a little over a month prior, and 3) I ran 12 times since starting back running. No too shabby at all.

Two First Place Age-Groupers!

A wedding and a week in Costa Rica did nothing to help ramp up the mileage and come summer’s end I found myself consistently between 12 and 20 miles per week. Pretty impressive. But mileage isn’t going to save me coming into Ironman season. The training starts August 1. Wait for it!

A small departure from regular training to do some zip lines in Costa Rica!