Deadwood Training Update #1

I decided several years ago to make my personal health a priority. One of the ways I stay motivated is by signing up for races. I’ve found that this helps me both mentally and physically. When I register for a race I don’t just look at my investment as a one day dollar amount. I love to train and committing myself to a certain date and distance makes my training come alive. Often I look at the cost of a race as a 4-22 week investment in myself depending on the distance and the shape I’m in. Many folks happily pay sixty or more dollars a month for gym memberships they never use or buy new gadgets and gismos to help them improve in a game that involves funny pants and exclusive membership. When you sign up for a race you put yourself on a timeline of success. Race day is a celebration of the work and for me the work is just beginning.

I’m on week 3 of training for the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Half Marathon. The early weeks of a training cycle are always fun. There is a certain excitement about doing the work. You carefully craft your plans and balance your schedule to fit in each drill, gym session or run that you’ll need to be successful. If all of the weeks were as easy and fun as the first few weeks running a race would be a cake walk. So far I’ve done an excellent job of sticking to the process. My weeks typically include a day of swimming, a couple of days in the gym doing strength training, a few 10 minute sessions of yoga or core work throughout the week and I’m starting to build up mileage with 4 days of running. A few months ago we had a chat night series and I continue to be inspired by all of the great speakers that came to the store. I often find myself referring back to little nuggets of information that I got from each guest. Without looking too far into the future I’m very pleased with the start of this cycle.

Last week I offered up tips about planning runcations. As my family prepares for our trip out west in June I’ve already failed to follow through on a major tip. We’ve blended a family vacation and a runcation together. For as long as Chelsea and I have been married we’ve been heading out west to the hills in the first week of June to participate in the Volksmarch to the top of the Crazy Horse Monument with her extended family. This weekend includes a famous Forest Warrior competition put on by Chelsea’s uncle where the games are as unique as the scoring system.

This year we want to do the family festivities and 3 of us are also going to do the half marathon. I’m confident we can do this, because I’ve done it before. A few years ago I took a solo trip away from the cabin to participate in this very race and made it work. So with some slight modifications I’m confident that we will pull this monumental task off. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.  
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If you can’t tell I’m very excited about the prospects of this race, the trip with my family and all of the things happening this spring. The journey is only just beginning and I hope to be as open and transparent in the process as I can be. Thank you for joining me on the expedition and stay tuned for more updates!
           

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Greg Koch is the Co-Owner and General Manager of 605 Running Company and Co-Produces the Sioux Falls Skedaddle Half Marathon. He serves on the Board of Directors for Downtown Sioux Falls, the 605 Race Crew and the Sioux Falls Area Running Club. When Greg isn’t with his family or working he enjoys being outside biking, kayaking, golfing or playing church softball.

​Instagram: gregrun605
YouTube: 605 Running Company
Facebook: facebook.com/greg.koch.583

​Join me in Deadwood! Register for the race here and use the code “rundeadwood2020” to save $10.00 off of your registration fee. This code doesn’t last forever though so be sure to sign-up by May 29th!   ​