Aly LoGrasso HSV

Back in the gym, time to build more muscle 💪🏻

23 miles. 10 days of training. One experience I’ll never forget.

I’ve never attempted anything like this before. Not a marathon. Not even a 5K. And somehow, I found myself on the starting line of a 50K, carrying a 20 lb kettlebell into conditions I was nowhere near prepared for.

The weather was horrendous. The trails were relentlessly muddy. The elevation and terrain challenged me in ways I hadn’t trained for, and every mile came with a time cutoff. I knew going into this that I was underprepared, but there’s a difference between knowing something and experiencing it firsthand.

After completing mile 23, I made the decision to listen to my body and stop.

And honestly? That decision hurt more emotionally than I expected.

I sat in the car afterward and cried. I felt like I had failed. I had set out to do 31 miles, and I was going home with 23.

But then there was my husband.

He reminded me of what I had actually done. How many people would even attempt something like this with only 10 days of training? How much I had pushed through? How much I had learned about myself in the process?

He didn’t let me reduce the entire experience to the miles I didn’t complete.

And that is the part I will carry with me long after the soreness fades.

I went into this wanting to prove something to myself. I came out of it with a deeper understanding of preparation, humility, resilience, and knowing when to listen to my body.

I know I need more training. I need to build my endurance, prepare for elevation, and spend more time on trails. There is so much room for improvement, and I’m excited to see what happens when I give myself the preparation this challenge deserves.

But I refuse to overlook what I accomplished because I didn’t reach the finish line.

Yesterday, I did something I had never done before. I pushed beyond what was familiar, learned where my limits were, and discovered that sometimes the most meaningful part of a challenge isn’t what happens on the trail.

regain control of the mind, your body can do so much more

I train for performance, not just aesthetics.

I combine strength, running, endurance, and conditioning to build a body that’s strong, capable, and resilient.

Lately, I’ve been dealing with some nerve damage while also wrestling with the idea of entering myself into a physical challenge.

And honestly, I think that’s exactly why I keep coming back to the idea.

I’ve reached a point in my fitness and sobriety where I don’t just want to maintain what I’ve built. I want to challenge myself again.

Something that will require discipline. Endurance. Patience. And a willingness to listen to my body along the way.