Workouts this week: Week of Jan. 29

Sunday: Bodypump + Yoga

Dose of weight lifting followed by an hour of yoga.

In yoga, I did the easy option of everything. Went straight to downward dog or child's pose.

A girl complimented me on my arms after BodyPump. It totally made my day. I do like my somewhat beastly arms. They're muscular (without looking like I take steroids). I think I look strong. And I've been working on them for four years. :)

Monday: Off
Scheduled off day. Went home and relaxed.

Tuesday: Trail Run
Tried a new trail. Didn't die. Have some nice bruises to show for it. More about it here.

Wednesday: Rest
I was tired. I listened to my body and went home and slept for two hours. And had no trouble falling asleep that night. I needed the rest.

Thursday: 4 mile trail run
Ran at the IM Fields today. It's always hard to get over there after work before the sun goes down. Traffic is brutal. I tried a different route to drive over there and it might have been slower. (I think I could run over there faster).

I ran 4 miles. The goal was just 2 since I was so tired after Tuesday, but my legs always feel better after mile 2. So I did 4.

My goal was to do a saved Strava segment, but even though I did the segment, I didn't get credit for it. My GPS threw a weird signal and shows me starting in the middle of the lake (when I made sure to stand in the exact spot the segment started. I had it open.) That was kind of annoying

Friday: Lunch pilates

Third Friday gymnastics meet in a row. So that means I can't go to yoga. (Miss you YOGA). So I go to lunch pilates.

I prefer yoga. But today the class was in a new building on campus—that I hadn't been in before. Was pretty cool. So nice to get out to another part of campus.

Saturday: Speed work at the indoor track
Did 8x800s at the indoor track. They were nice and consistent.
3:40, 3:37, 3:42, 3:40, 3:41, 3:45, 3:44, 3:33. I can run all day if I can take breaks. Why can't my 5k time be that fast?

 I rewarded myself with chicken and waffles afterwards. (I couldn't finish. It was too much)

2016 fitness goal REVIEWED

How did I do with my fitness goals. I couldn't remember what they were. So that's not a good start.

Looks like I accomplished 5 of my goals. I made progress. And my goals changed over the year.


Classes to try. (3/4 accomplished)
1. Try a class at Blast.  (Interval training with treadmills) I lost interest in this A LONG TIME AGO.
2. Take a yoga class. DONE. Took tons of yoga classes. Hooray.
3. Try a barre class at Ramsey. DONE. Took a few of these. Didn't like the teacher. Found classes I liked better.
4. Try a SUP yoga class.  DONE

Running goals. (1/2 accomplished)
5. Run a 5k. DONE. Ran a trail 5K in August.
6. 7 minute mile. I stopped doing speed work in the fall. Didn't get any faster this year :(

Tumbling goals. (Progress made.)
7. Connect fly springs. Getting there. Better than last year, but not quite.
8. Walk overs. Not there yet. Oh well.
9. Touch my feet to my head. Stopped working on this.
10. 10 second handstand. Maybe? Definitely can do 7 seconds.
11. Practice handstands at home. (Daily?) Haha. Didn't do this.

General goals
12. Conquer the Ninja course at Rush. I got to the third ring or so. And then they got a whole new ninja course.
13. Try another flying trapeze place. Bonus: Get my cutaway! Tried trapeze at two new rigs!
14. Get a body composition test done. Never had time.
15. Stay on budget with fitness clothes. (Spend less money at Lululemon). Haha. Not spending money on barre really helped me not spend as much money in general. So if I take cheaper classes I can buy more lulu.
16. Active wear brands to try: Goldsheep, Alala, Sweaty Betty, Heroine Sport, Michi, Koral Activewear, Albion Fit. Tried Sweaty Betty to mixed results.

Workouts this week: Nov. 27

What I did this week.

Nov. 27: 5 mile trail run. It was 59 degrees and a little colder than I'd like. I wore my favorite purple came Lulu crops and a grey long sleeve. My plan was to run 4 miles, but I was feeling okay and the name of my Lulu shirt was the 5-mile long sleeve so I took that as a sign to run 5 miles. So I did. I got warm enough around mile 3 to shed the long sleeve and run in a tank. I saw a coworker taking pictures out on the trail during my third mile. Sadly, no action shots from him.

Nov. 28: BodyPump strength workout

Nov. 29: Yoga

Nov. 30: Gymnastics

Dec. 1: Off. (I skipped a run this week. I just wasn't feeling it)

Dec. 2: Yoga class

Dec. 3: Fried food plus running do not mix.

I went to lunch with my family and I was so excited about fish tacos and french fries.

I went to run this off a few hours later and it was an absolutely awful run. I had two things going against me.

First: the cold.
I have asthma. And cold weather triggers it (constricts the vessels in my lungs so I get less air in.) I take my inhaler before I run, but I never run well in the cold. (I'm also super cold natured and just plain hate the cold. (Anything lower than 70 is cold, lower than 60 is freezing, lower than 50 is arctic). Running in the 70s (or 80s without humidity) is fine for me. 60s is okay. Anything lower than 60 and I struggle. For this run, it was supposed to be about 58. It was 55. I wore crops and a long sleeve running shirt and a hat. I never warmed up enough to shed the long sleeve shirt like a did last week. And my breathing was more labored than usual. I hate running in the cold.

I was absolutely freezing when I finished the run. I just wanted soup and a hot bath. Matt on the other hand thrives on running in cold weather and was burning up hot after the run. He runs better in the cold. And he was faster than me. Which is fine.

Two: fried food
I seldom eat fried food. I probably have french fries once a month (or less). I had two fried fish tacos for lunch and french fries. It was awesome. Unfortunately, the tacos stayed near my collar bone for the entire run. I didn't know if it was heart burn or I was going to barf, but I was miserable. I was making the worst faces during the run. Fried food (especially when you seldom eat it) does not mix with running.

I ran. And that's what matters. Matt came along and was faster than me on this run. He can have the edge because he loves cold weather running and he didn't have fried food for lunch. He was a few seconds faster than me. Maybe he had a minute or me towards the end. I let him lead since I usually rabbit the first mile and he's usually pretty consistent. He ran a 7:37 first mile (or that's what I ran. He ran a 7:26) and then probably low 8's. I ran my usual times (despite wanting to barf the entire time) and always slower on the miles climbing hills. I ran almost 5 miles. My watch said I ran 4.65, but I did the exact same route last week and it said 4.75.

Spin Class: Redo

I decided to try spin class again. I HATED my first spin class. But it's been two years, so I decided to give it another chance.

The class was fine. I liked that the lights weren't turned off.

The bike was relatively easy to use (and you didn't have to clip in your shoes.) And I liked that the class burned A LOT of calories: 352. (Yesterday's bare class was 206, and I considered it a far better workout.)

What I didn't like.

No arms. It was all legs.

I couldn't hear the instructor. The music was loud. I couldn't hear her mic and I was right in front of her. I missed a lot of the directions. Was she saying to sprint? I think I missed this one a lot. Was she saying to turn the gear up or down? I think she mumbled some too.

She also didn't explain what things were. Bouncing? Jumps? How exactly are you moving from sitting to standing so fast? Why are we doing this?

But what I really didn't like was that ycling hurts my crotch and upper thighs. It feels like getting punched. I couldn't find a way to sit so it didn't hurt. Was my bike wrong? The teacher adjusted me before class so I thought it was right. I guess that's why people wear padded bike shorts.

About four people left the class before it was over. Was it too hard? Did they have a final exam to go to? I don't know.

Verdict: Spin class is officially not for me. I hated the punched in the crotch feeling of the bike. I needed more arm work. (did like this class better than the last one, but found the instructor very mumbly.)

There are lots of workouts I like, or will tolerate. Spin class will not be on my rotation of workouts. I took this class because it was free and I thought it would be a good workout.

If you go:
• Go early and have the instructor help you set up the bike (maybe show you how to use the gears)
• Wear athletic shoes
• Bring a towel and you can set your water bottle down on the bike within arm's distance.
• Ask how to avoid the punched in the crotch feeling because I would like to know.

Reasons I love Pure Barre

1. It's challenging. The tucking and up-an-inch, down-an-inch is difficult, but I feel like that means it's something I need to work on.
2. No brainer workout. I just show up and they tell me what to do for an efficient workout. No guessing what machines to get on at the gym.
3. The socks. Honestly, they're just cute and comfy.
4. The instructors are so nice and positive. (No shouting drill sergeant style)
5. Getting a shout out for doing a good job.
6. The music. (Love the pop music.)
7. All the cute gym clothes. The girls at my Pure Barre all wear the cutest clothes. Love seeing all of it.
8. Lots of class availability. 5:30, 6:45, 8 p.m. Even with my crazy schedule, there's usually a class I can take.
9. It really works your calves. If my calves get any bigger I might not be able to wear my riding boots.
10. It's a hard workout that doesn't leave me too drained afterwards. I'm happy to be done with the workout and have enough energy for the rest of my day.

Workout Review: Above Barre

Where's Waldo? You can barely see me in this photo.

With Pure Barre ever so popular, a second barre studio opened up in Athens. My interest was piqued. Would the classes be smaller? The  memberships less expensive?

Above Barre is located next to the Omni on Atlanta Highway. It opened in late December so it hasn't even been open a month. And they're offering your first class free so I decided to try them out. The plan was to go with my sister, who took ballet in college.

I get to the parking lot and text my sister "I'm here" in case she has trouble finding it. She's not coming. Her toddler threw up in the car. Groan. So perk of Above Barre: Childcare is provided.

I go into Above Bar solo. The reception area is pretty and well lit (not a lot of chairs or space to wait). The staffers are nice. I buy a pair of Sticky-Be socks. They say "Be Calm," something I struggle with. Maybe the socks will help?

There's one lady waiting for the next class. I worry that the class will be too small.

Then the class before mine lets out. It's Barre-lates. Barre meets pilates. A few college age girls show up for the next barre class and I enter the studio. It's nice. There are two barres.

I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. No one told me. I look and see that everyone has a black mat, black ball and weights. I see the teacher at front and ask her. She says to get all of those and the two--pound weights. She repeats herself several times as about half the class is new.

Even before class begins, I can see that the women who come her are almost exactly the same clientele as Pure Barre. It's mostly sorority type thin, beautiful girls, with a few older women. I'm the odd one out, a little too old for college, but not 40s.

The studio seems smaller too. Pure Barre maxes out at 29 in a class. My class had about 16 and I felt the barre was pretty full. There are two barres, possibly longer than Pure Barre, which has four bars. The space is a little longer.

And class begins with marching in place. There's some arm work with the ball. And then the instructor says to do something in first position.

First position? I have no idea what this is. I've never take a dance class.

She explains it briefly as heels together toes apart in a V. She says first position a lot in this class. And second position. Which I guess is like first but more turned out? And she also calls out releves, which means something on your tip toes, she also calls out some plies, which I know vaguely what it is but not what I'm supposed to do. What are my knees doing? What are we working?

I've taken a month of barre classes, but the terms were confusing to me. I don't know what they are. Not everyone has taken dance.

The class had an arm section, which I really liked. We used the stretchy bands to work biceps, and did some arms with lunges and curtsy (does anyone know how to curtsy these days?). There were sections on the barre—seat work, which I always hate, and some open hip, toes to ceiling thing where I had no idea what to do. If your hip is open your leg is to the side not ceiling. There was the usual ball behind your knee part, where everyone drops the ball. I wasn't that impressed with the ab section. It was ball between your thighs, and lower and up with straight legs, that type of thing.

I got only one correction in arms. I needed to move my arms out with the band. So not so bad. The lady next to me seemed to be a new mom and she was really struggling with the workout. Really. She had Pure Barre 100 club socks on and I later heard her say she'd done a year at Pure Barre.

The class ended with some yoga style stretching. She called out some yoga style poses that I wasn't familiar with. She did call out Happy Baby, which I've heard of but don't quite know how to do.

Then class was over. I perused he boutique, which was nice, and ended up buying a top. (If I get a free class I usually feel compelled to buy something.) They were out of Sticky-B socks. I bought their last pair. I was really looking forward to those.

I wasn't completely wiped after the class. I ran errands for two hours, went home and walked my dog and then ran to stretch my legs out.

Pros: 
• Good arm section
•  Cute boutique
• Nice staff
• Childcare provided
•  Lots of parking (though you might have to hike)

Cons:
• I generally felt like more explanations were needed, but it's new and I've seen this happen with a lot of new instructors. (It's a new boutique. This will get worked out in time)
• I was hoping for it to be cheaper than Pure Barre, since that would be a big draw.
•  Above Barre also offers far fewer classes, 4 classes a day on most weekdays, 2 or 1 class a day on weekends, or about 20 classes a week. (Pure Barre offers 8 classes on weekdays, 2-3 on weekends, for a total of 43 classes a week).
Want a class before work? At lunch? Later than 5:30 p.m. so you don't have to rush like mad out of work and then get stuck in tragic? Above Barre doesn't have those offerings.

The instructor should explain things more. If she wants to appeal to dancers, the ballet terminology is great. If she wants a broader appeal, she should drop the ballet terminology. I wasn't that lost in the class—but I take a ton of classes. And I feel like she was teaching to someone even more hardcore than me. I'd be worried about novices.

Price comparison: Above Barre's pricing is almost identical to Pure Barre.
(Above listed first then compared to Pure Barre)

Single Class: $19 vs $21.
One month new client special, $99 vs $100.
Above Barre is currently extending this to six weeks unlimited to celebrate their grand opening. Pure Barre is doing 5 weeks for January.
Contracts: Pure Barre will occasionally offer 10% off their contracts

Three month contract:  $165 a month vs $170 a month

Six month contract: $160 a month for both
12 month contract, $150 a month for both
20 classes, $340 vs $320
10 classes, $180 for both

My Pure Barre membership is up Monday, so it would make a lot of sense to try this place out for six weeks. It would save me $75 or so. Maybe it's loyalty, but I just like Pure Barre better. They take you aside before class to make sure you know how to tuck, they tell you great job! when you leave. They try to learn your name. They explain more, which I'm realizing the importance of now. They tell you what body part you're working, explain the movement and give clarifications (don't move your knee across your chest, keep your head straight etc.) Also, I have more class options at Pure Barre.  If I did sign up for an AB membership, my only options would be 5:30 p.m. (which would be super stressful to get over there on time) or weekends.

Verdict: Great arms section. I could see myself going once a week for conditioning in addition to my running, climbing and tumbling and various other pursuits. But there's no real deal in going once a week. If I ever get tired of Pure Barre, I'd consider this.

There's definitely room for two barre studios in Athens. Pure Barre classes are always jam packed.

The gun show

This week I've been resting my knee—which has translated to more arm work at the gym.

I've been doing circuit training this week and avoid the circuits with jumping. My knee doesn't need the added strain. And the teacher has been giving me arms to do.

Skip TRX shootouts. Climb the rope instead. 4x. Skip cardio step-ups, do TRX I-holds instead.

Tonight my workout included rope climbs. Four of them. I got all the way up the first time. The second and third times I got about half-way up and the last time I got 3/4 the way up. The next station had 60-second TRX X-holds. And then 60-second intervals of battle ropes. The burnout was 4-straight minutes of plank holds with your feet in the TRX straps. There were some pendulum swings and bringing your knee to your chest and back, but it was a murderous workout. I was dead afterwards. So so dead.

The instructor said he was glad he wasn't doing it with us. Thanks.

But here is the result of my troubles—muscles.