When Amy first approached me about the 50k Catalina Island Run and Trek, I was both excited and skeptical. Running 31+ miles in one shot is really intense and frankly I never pictured myself running ultra distances. It wasn’t something that I felt appealed to me, but when Amy explained that she felt I could do it and that the training would get me in the best shape of my life, I was sold! (And let me say….boy was she right about getting into such incredible shape!)
Our very first training run we ran a “time out and back” run which ended up being for me 10 miles. 
This was totally crazy since the longest distance I had ever run up to that day was a 5k! I couldn’t believe it when she told us how many miles we ran. From that moment, I was hooked to running especially on the trail. Amy’s constant reminders about proper running form along with all of the valuable and important information and guidance on hydration and nutrition set us up for success.
Then a glitch….About half way into our training season for Catalina I developed runner’s knee. Completing a run was becoming more and more difficult as the pain would hit and prevent me from completing my training runs. I thought for sure this was “the end” and I wasn’t going to be able to hit Catalina Island for my much anticipated 50K trail run.
Amy explained to me that this wasn’t the end, but that I would need to be very proactive in taking care of the issue at hand. She explained how I needed to be diligent about foam rolling my IT band, glutes, legs, etc… not just here and there, but constantly. She stressed this continually to all of us throughout our training emphasizing that we can’t get “lazy” in our home care and recovery and how this is just as important as putting in our training runs. I listened, but just didn’t think it pertained to me.
Soon, I got so tired of coping with this nagging runner’s knee and its hindering my training runs that I knew 
I had to do something so I began foam rolling my little heart out. I started to feel some relief. In addition, I grabbed some physical therapy sessions to really focus on getting this taken care of once and for all. By the time Catalina came was I good to go and didn’t just complete the full 50K distance, but completed it very well while feeling great!
Our Catalina adventure went beyond all of my expectations. Amy was very well organized throughout the whole process and especially while in Catalina. Everything was planned and well thought out… Hotel, boat and dinner reservations were made for us, packing lists were printed out, trekking poles were shipped, we had our own rooms with a care package waiting for us, and the list goes on.
However, the one thing that I was most impressed with was Amy’s attitude. To organize something like this for 25 people is not an easy task. Amy is a naturally encouraging person and it showed throughout the entire training and event. She TRULY cared about each and every one of us mentally and physically.
Running the Trans Catalina Trail on Catalina Island was a lifetime memory that I will never forget. I would do it again in a heartbeat!
~Kelly D.
Are you ready for a new fitness challenge that exceeds all your expectations and perceived limits? Stay tuned to AVC Elite Training updates for an upcoming announcement and adventure coming soon.
Amy is always quick to make sure you have good form and that you aren’t slacking, always pushing yourself to your personal hardest.
But we had a very vigorous training schedule in preparation for this Military style obstacle course. To prepare for one of the obstacles “The Arctic Enema,” Amy thought we should all jump in her ice cold pool (about 39 degrees) in the middle of winter and then run up and down the streets and canals in basically a “wet suit” while hitting other various obstacles like jumping over fences, pull ups, bleachers, pushups, you name it. It was so embarrassing, but when it came time to actually do this, our “wet suites” (actually it was compression gear that would save our lives) turned out to work to our advantage. They provided not only water wicking, but kept us warm and our muscles awake while our skin was protected from the harsh elements. Whether we ran, crawled or fell over that finish line we ended up getting our orange head bands that we will forever cherish.
Muscle Ropes will continually tax multiple muscles at once by instantly changing the workload from legs to shoulders, to the biceps and core. That’s 4 different muscle groups in one shot. 
We started out with our endurance running (which at that time definitely included some walking) for about 10 miles on Saturday mornings and eventually worked our way up to 25 miles.