At my Equinox there is a Saturday morning class that always interested me but I was nervous to go on my own. Fortunately, after a few too many bloody mary’s last week, my friend S and I agreed to go the following week. The class is called 3SUM and the description online is “The math is clear: the sum is greater than the parts. Enjoy the synergistic benefits & metabolic boost of a three-discipline cross-training workout. Volume, force and power unite in a cycling, strength & yoga inspired trifecta to leave you fit & fully satisfied. Bring cycling & main studio shoes.“ 

I met S in the locker room and we headed upstairs to get our bikes. The instructor said this month was about endurance and boy did the spin class introduce that. We pushed ourselves so hard that at the end of 30 minutes, I was dizzy, and I’m used to doing 45 minute classes! S went ahead to set up our strength training stations. I was so grateful because it took me a few minutes to cool down and feel well again. 

The strength training portion was great. Lots of moves using our body weight plus either heavy or light weights, or a medicine ball. The movements themselves were easy to do but with the weights the overall workout was challenging. S got a little lightheaded here as well so she took it easy for a minute before jumping right back in.

We continued to push ourselves and suddenly I realized this third had cut 15 minutes into the last third! Then it turned out that rather than yoga, we were going to be doing core work. I love me some core work, but after this intense workout I was ready for some good stretching of yoga. In the end, I felt like I had gotten a great, well-rounded workout, but I wasn’t about to pass out. I was so happy S was able to come all the way downtown (she lives on the UES) to workout with me. It was such a comfort to have her by my side! I’m not sure if 3SUM will always be a part of my weekly routine, but I definitely plan on going back. Has anyone else tried it?

Last weekend B went out to Portland to visit friends from college who work at Nike and raided the employee store. He very generously brought me back a whole bunch of swag. In addition to two new pairs of Nike Frees, in very fresh colors according to him, he got me two pairs of shorts, two t’s and a tank. I especially love the “always on the run” graphic t-shirt. It looks like a shirt he would wear but it’s in my size! 

This morning I tested out the gray frees, black shorts and matching blue top on a run in the rain. I ran along the tip of Manhattan and what started as a drop here and there turned into a fairly steady shower. In Battery Park I took a turn and headed to the Wall Street gym where I put in some time on the elliptical before running home. The new kicks felt great and I looked pretty snazzy in my new outfit. Thanks B!

The other day I was fortunate enough to get out of an editor’s session pretty early and not have to go back to the office. I took this opportunity to go to the SoHo Equinox. I got in a great cross-training workout on the bike, stairmaster and walking on the treadmill on an insane incline. On the way home, I decided to take a nearby N/R train home, rather than walking an extra bit to the familiar 4/5. I wasn’t paying attention and suddenly saw the train go above ground, thinking to myself “wow, I had no idea the trains are ever above ground in Manhattan.” They’re not. We were on our way to Brooklyn. “no big deal” I thought, “maybe this takes me right at the end of the BK Bridge, I can take a nice little walk back over it, since it’s still early. Nope. After at least 10 minutes on the train, it went all the way to Atlantic/Pacific! I hopped back on an inbound 2/3 train and made it home, having turned what should have been a 15 minute journey into a 45 minute one. Oops. Lesson learned - pay attention on the train. 

PS - snapped the above photo in the station by the SoHo Equinox, I thought it looked like me on my way to an interview, only reason I’d wear heels and carry a bit portfolio during the week. 

Monday night I scooted to the gym after a client meeting and did another evening of mixed cardio. I’m really liking this on my non-running days. I did 30 minutes on the bike, 10 on the stairmaster and 5 on the rowing machine. Even just that small amount on the rowing machine tires out my arms, it boggles my mind that B and some of my other friends would do that for hours in college! And in a real boat!

After my sweaty cardio sesh, I decided to use a Bosu ball to add core work and balance to my strength training. By doing some of my usual exercises on a Bosu ball, I was able to work my whole body in less time.

My Bosu ball workout looked like this -
(all of the following are with the Bosu ball facing up with the exception of the pushups) and tricep dips
pushups 2x10
tricep dips 2x10
single leg lunges 2x15
squats 2x15
butt lifts 2x15
crunches 2x15
bicycle crunches 2x15
plank 2x30 seconds 

I really liked this. I had hoped to take a yoga class that night but the schedule didn’t work. By incorporating the Bosu ball, I did a bit of the balance work and strength training that would have been covered in class. 

With the Falmouth Road Race two weeks away, I had to be sure to get in my long run this weekend. This week I’d been feeling like crap (scratchy throat, coughing, runny nose) but knew I had to push through. I headed out to the BK Bridge, hoping to run in Brooklyn Bridge Park, only to see it was completely swamped with tourists. In a quick redirect, I scooted over to the west side and ran up, crossing over the above cool bridge I’ve never actually crossed before. The seven miles was tough in the heat and because of my cold my breathing felt off. However, I was able to get through it and felt great afterward. I had planned the run so I would end at my gym where I proceeded to go in, drink so water, stretch and do some ab work. Whenever I do this I wonder if the greeters think I’m a lazy bum, coming in for only 15 minutes, I always want to self consciously tell them “I just ran 7 miles here!” but I would feel even sillier.

On my walk back from the gym I saw three awesome dogs (I believe they were Vizslas, like Sadie) jumping in and out of the City Hall Park fountain. It was so entertaining. I wanted to scoop one (or all!) of them up and take them home with me. Obviously I didn’t, but hopefully some time in the future I’ll have my own little doggy to take out on runs. :-)

Last night I did a big cardio mix up, starting with 15 minutes of running intervals on the treadmill (2 min at 6mph, 1 min of 8mph), 15 minutes on the elliptical doing a hill interval and then 15 minute intervals on the treadmill at a 14% incline of walking and then running. The runs were on the hill were hard and not fast, but hopefully are helping me get ready for Falmouth in just over two weeks! I left the gym and walked through Grand Central rather than going outside into the heat. I love stumbling upon little plaques and pieces of history that I usually fly by on my way to one location or another. Sometimes it’s nice to stop and smell the roses.

After my workout, B and I decided to cook a celebratory meal. We wandered around Whole Foods for a few minutes before deciding upon grilled chicken with a delicious maple chipotle glaze from the Stonewall Kitchen. I love all of their jams so I was psyched to see sauces, and then was even more psyched when B reached for the one I had been eying! For a veggie side, we made eggplant caprese stacks. While I sliced everything, B grilled the chicken in some of the marinade and then lightly sauteed slices of the eggplants. We then stacked the eggplant slices with a slice of mozarella, slice of tomato, a few pieces of basil and then drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. The combination of the warm eggplant slices with the cold moz and tomatoes was sooo refreshing. The chicken was cooked perfectly and we may or may not have dipped into more of the maple chipotle sauce. I’m glad we have a bit left in the bottle, can’t wait to make more with it! Maybe fish next time? 

Today’s temp topped 100 and was so humid you could cut through the air with a butter knife. As a reward for several months of hard work I had the day off. I spent most of the morning doing things around my apartment but planned on hitting an evening spin class because I knew it wouldn’t be safe to workout outside. The instructor I had was new to me and I enjoyed his class. He played some great beats and had a wonderful attitude. At one point he said, “Don’t forget to smile! It makes everything easier!” Totally one of my life mantras and it was nice to have it thrown at me while I was sweating like a pig trying to climb up this imaginary hill.

I guess it’s been a little while since I made a spin class on Wall Street because they have these new additions on the bike. At first I was wary of them, but then the instructor taught us how to use them. They show you your RPM which really helped make sure my intervals were as strong as they should be. This small addition to class really felt like it amped up my game! 

Last night’s workout was another one in which I really tried to mix it up with my cardio. I did a half hour on the bike, 10 on the stairmaster (the one that’s actual moving stairs, I’m too uncoordinated for the other one) and 10 on the arc trainer. My whole lower body felt like it got a workout. I followed that up with some ab work and scooted home. 

Since I was out of work at a decent time tonight I was able to explore more of the Sol LeWitt exhibit at City Hall Park. The structures are all so cool, I was glad I got to see more of them.