Two Men, 3,000 Miles, One Country: Running Across America
How They Trained
To prepare their bodies to run almost 70 miles a day for 45 days, Ulrich started strength training in October 2007 and then worked to improve his balance, coordination, and speed. He runs about three hours a day during the week, and six to 12 hours a day on the weekends, gradually adding hours each day to build up his training.
Engle takes a more general approach. "I bike, swim, kayak, and do yoga," he says. "The goal is to get to the starting line healthy and from then on battle to stay in shape." He also runs every day for about three hours and six to eight hours on the weekends. He advises people that "time is more important than miles. It's easier to say 'I'm going to run for 90 minutes' than say 'I'm going to run 20 miles.'"
But just because they've both run marathons of more than 100 miles in the past doesn't mean they're not nervous now. They've suffered minor injuries like tendinitis and cramping while training, but Ulrich says it's good that the injuries are happening now and not during the run.
To keep his joints healthy and prevent more injuries, Engle relies on yoga. "It's out of my comfort zone and I'm not pretty to look at when I do yoga, but it's effective in maintaining my flexibility," he says. "My legs feel good, not creaky."
