February 2017 Member of the Month
GEORGE HERRERA
What he accomplished
- Maintained weight of 175-180 pounds for two years due to training and eating cleaner.
How he did it:
• Insanity on Tuesdays
• Yoga on Wednesdays or Fridays
• Run 20-60 miles a week
• Train with Brian
• Physical Therapy at Franklin Rehab (IHF) with Jenny to stay healthy and injury-free
Testimonial:
I started working out at Innovative Health & Fitness a year after my wife and I moved here from Buffalo, NY in 2005. I started training with Brian a couple years later. I’d always worked out hard but never lost weight. Brian pushed me hard. I signed up for my 1st marathon in 2013 and completed it – hating every moment of it – but that didn’t stop me from signing up for my first Ultra in 2014 – the Ice Age 50K. That was a much better experience because I started paying attention to what Brian was teaching me.
The light bulb didn’t go off though until around the fall of 2015 and I started seeing changes in myself. I started eating cleaner and planning my goals out a year in advance. At the end of 2015, I had goal races set that I wanted to run and my big goal was to get ready to run Silver Rush 50 miler in Leadville, CO. at an altitude of 13,000+ feet. Brian and my running coach pushed me so hard I thought I was going to cry after my workouts. They gave me the confidence to push myself until I couldn’t go any further. I didn’t complete the Silver Rush due to altitude sickness around mile 14 and I DNF at mile 25. It wasn’t easy for me to stop but it was best for my family and me. It’s always nice to have the support of your family and friends during big races.
2017 isn’t going to be an easy one since I’ll be turning 50 in September and I have signed up for some big races like the 100k Frozen Otter, Northern Kettle 50k, Indian Trail 50 miler, Kettle Moraine 100 miler and my last race before I turn 50 will be The Rut 50K in Big Sky Montana – the top 5 hardest Ultras in the US. I couldn’t accomplish all of my 2017 goals without the great team at Innovative Health & Fitness and the physical therapy team we have at the club.
Some people may think I push too hard but how do you know how hard to push if you don’t try to get better everyday? Brian, Lindsay, Amy, Renee, Stacy and Jenny (PT) are all amazing and have influenced me to be a healthier person and runner.