When I wrestled in High School, our coaches had t-shirts printed with various inspirational sayings on the back. One of them said “Train Like a MADMAN.” And to be sure, we did. I credit all of my self-motivation when it comes to fitness to coaches Blandino, Aker and Wimsatt, who pushed a very soft, very wimpy little kid to lengths he never would’ve thought possible. It was a formative experience that made boot camp seem like vacation, but with more yelling.
15 years later, I’m back to training like a madman. The calendar from my Endomondo page shows how the month of April went for me, and I’m pretty happy with it. I knocked out my first half marathon of the year with a PR, stretched out my road bike mileage, and got a lot of good weight training and MTB rides in. I’m stronger, fitter and lighter now than I have been at any time in the last 6 years or more. I know I have a long way to go to get where I’m trying to be, but thanks to three insane coaches who believed enough in a soft, scrawny kid, I know how to get there.