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Run the Adidas Terrex Infinite Trails 46K in Austria
Alexander Walker, BITR contributor
Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra, Adidas Terrex apparel and running vest
Looks like a nice place to run a race (photo courtesy of Adidas Terrex)
As part of the Adidas Terrex mentorship program, Believe in the Run contributor Alexander Walker will be training and running in the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra, a premium race day shoe featuring a dual-layer Lightstrike Pro midsole, Peba EnergyRods, Continental rubber outsole, and aggressive rocker geometry.
The program is taking place virtually from June to September, and will feature trail running athletes from the TERREX team mentoring hand-selected program participants to improve their skills and experience taking on the trail. By the end of the program, participants will have the opportunity to show off their new skills in the Infinite Trails race. The program concludes with an on-the-ground Infinite Trails race experience in Austria in September.
Author’s note: Having a little fun with this, adapting the style of Garth Ennis’s “The Punisher: War Journal.” Similar to Frank Castle’s endless war on crime, the training and the journey towards better running never ends.
Battle ready
Battle tested
I have a two and a half year old son. I have a moderately stressful day job. I have a lot of things going on. Running is my freedom. I do not stress about running, and I want to keep it that way. This absolutely does not mean that I don’t want a challenge, that I won’t push myself or that I’m not trying to do things that are hard. But I must maintain the grace and balance that the sport gives me for as long as I am able to do it
My fitness from running helps me to play with my son. My community from running allows me to maintain a crucial work life balance so I don’t lose my mind, and all the gear and shoe specs satisfy my need for consumption.
Through my contributions to Believe in the Run I have the opportunity to tackle a challenge with resources normally only afforded to the most elite runners, and this September, I’m going to do my best not to fall off an alpine mountain.
I have the tremendous pleasure of being a part of the Adidas Terrex Trail Mentorship Program over the course of this summer, a hand-selected program that seeks to improve participants’ skills and experience taking on the trail.
The program will culminate with the Infinite Trails Race in Gastein, Salzburgerland, Austria, where our class will run various distances ranging from 10K to 45K. I will be participating in the 45K distance– the longest I have ever run. I have chosen this distance for a few reasons, but the number one reason is a throwback to my mantra from my college days: you should do it because it will be funny. Give the people the content that they want! Run a trail ultra before you run a road marathon!
To help me in these endeavors and keep me from looking like a real joke, I have been paired with an excellent coach in Corrine Malcom, an accomplished trail runner and Adidas athlete but undoubtedly her true feat of endurance was her recent live commentary of the 2024 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Corrine got to know me, my style and how running fits in my life and has built a plan that pushes me to get in extra miles, practice hills, practice vert, increase my strength, but in a way that doesn’t uproot my life. This is the first time I have used the TrainingPeaks app, and I’ve found it to be very helpful for managing my training plan.
High up in Austria (photo courtesy of Adidas Terrex)
As many marathoners in the thick of training know– some days you’re feeling it, some days you don’t. Corrine can keep me honest, but for the most part I think I am keeping up with my end of the training. Sometimes that means doing a strength workout in the evening while watching old seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, other times knowing that I can squeeze exactly a 3.2 mile run into a small window between work and family obligations. I’m making it work, and my mission keeps me from finding an easy excuse to not go out on a run. As always, the Faster Bastards and the greater Baltimore run community keep my spirits high even when it’s not my best day. Accountability through friendship is the easiest way to keep going.
Adidas Terrex has a mission statement that really resonates with me: developing shoes and gear that allow the body to focus on what is important; to commune with nature and feel free and present in the moment.
The Trail Mentorship Program focuses on the totality of the athlete– mind, body, and spirit. In addition to our coaching and gear, we’ve enjoyed seminars from the Terrex team on nutrition for race, training and recovery as well as words of wisdom from the team psychologist. Mindfulness of all the things it takes to push oneself, having patience and kindness in your training but also realizing it takes a lot more than positive thinking to get you up and down the literal mountain.
From a design perspective, it’s been really fun to watch Terrex grow in its identity. It caught my eye a few seasons ago in a Apres Ski collaboration with Ronnie Feig’s KITH brand. That drop was some of the first Terrex pieces I’ve owned, and I am still obsessed with a Black Watch plaid performance hat that I wear often for runs.
Photo courtesy of Adidas Terrex
As the Infinite Trails racer may be faced with uncertain weather conditions, I have been kitted out with performance wear for every possibility to complete my mandatory gear list. This season’s line features a bold black, orange, and white motif, perfect for our hometown team’s (Baltimore Orioles) playoff push.
The piece de resistance of my Adidas kit is the Agravic Speed Ultra, which until this year had only been seen on the feet of Terrex’s elite athletes. On my training runs, the shoe feels fast, agile and ready to take on anything. June and July in Baltimore are typically pretty wet and sticky, and I was impressed that my feet and shoes both survived a particularly sweaty run on a humid morning in Loch Raven Reservoir with fellow BITR reviewer Matt Kucharski. We absolutely wanted to give up, but the Agravic Speed Ultras stayed true.
I finish this entry staring down the barrel of just over a month until the big event. I feel I have the support of the program, my friends, and my family behind me, and still some time to get myself in the right space to tackle Infinite Trails. For a recap of the last month of training leading up to the race, and a recap of my time in Salzburgerland, watch this space!
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Alex is a former spy and current cyber threat intelligence analyst who runs with the Faster Bastards. Originally from Detroit, Mich., he has embraced the lovely grittiness that may be his forever home of Baltimore, as well as its unique accent. Alex is a devotee of counter-culture studies, ’80s horror films and innovative sportswear fashion. Alex is committed to promoting advancement in running lifestyle and culture within Baltimore and beyond.
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