Insanity - Does it work?

My second half marathon is over and now what? I'm registered for about 9 races, a couple of 5K's coming up this month, a few duathlons, maybe a triathlon and all my big races don't start until November. That leaves me with a lot of time to rest and recover from months of long runs. I decided to try something different and purchased the Insanity program that everyone is raving about. I started last Monday so I am only one week and two days into it and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. It's a hard workout but it's good and it's intense. I think this will help me build strength and speed for my 5K's and it might just help me drop those last 10lbs before training season. It also keeps me from going bonkers over not running. It's crazy but I miss my running badly. I'm still running but have toned it down quite a bit to give my legs and knees a good long hard rest before I begin full marathon training in July. I still miss my runs - if someone had told me I was going to say that last year, I would have laughed and laughed...

So does Insanity work - I don't know, yet! I've gained 2 lbs since I began the program but I've also lost 1/2 an inch off my waist and 1/2 an inch off my butt. I think I need a couple of more weeks before I can give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. I've switched  from a scale to a measuring tape for the present. The scale can be once a month but I'm going by inches right now. 

I also began a private group on facebook for those doing the program and it's a great incentive to do it since we are all reporting on days we do it. We can also suffer together through the tough workouts with others that understand exactly how we feel. 

Incorporating runs with the workouts has been easy since I was doing so many miles per week but I wouldn't advise to doing that unless you're coming off of a strong running background. I've also started the dreaded speed work runners talk about - that is hard! I'm hoping it pays off when I go into my 5K's this summer - I will soon find out as my first 5K is coming up at the end of this month! Wish me luck.