“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein

Exactly one week ago I had an epiphany, a moment of absolute clarity, an explosion of sanity. The time has come for me to tuck Bootcamp away in my back pocket and keep it there until after October 6th. Although I can’t afford to compromise my runs with destroyed leg muscles, I don’t want to lose all the fitness I’ve gained in the past year. What’s a marathoner addicted to weight training to do? I decided to enlist the professional expertise of my beloved (Urban Escape Fitness) gym’s owner, Heather Skoda. Heather is an Ironman triathlete and knows more than a few things about strength training while simultaneously preparing for an endurance event. She kindly agreed to work with me twice a week, for my remaining 8 weeks of marathon training.
We began this morning at 6:30am right after Heather finished teaching an hour long spin class. After running a few outdoor miles together, we arrived back at UEF just as Bootcamp was finishing. Everyone had a good cry when they heard that I wouldn’t be returning for a few weeks. Actually, they may have been dripping with sweat and not tears. Once I wiped my own away (tears, not sweat) I was ready to get down to business. For the next 30+ minutes, Heather good-naturedly (she didn’t flinch when I growled at her) kicked my butt, core and upper-body. I performed exercises with the TRX, medicine balls, dumbbells, bands and my own body weight. It was awesome having a workout created just for me that was right on the money. All of the muscles I had been neglecting during running came alive. I left the gym feeling similarly to when I have just 1 piece of chocolate- satisfied but ready for more.