Fitforfree = 1, Gym = 1

Let’s start with Fitforfree = 1

An expensive habit, but undeniably delicious way to refuel after a run!

I had an amazing time at the J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge run last Thursday. I met my goal: to run the whole thing at a moderate pace (10–10:30/min miles) and have FUN doing it! And frankly, I was surprised by how strong I felt, considering that running has taken the backseat to walking the dog these days. I suppose all that hype about “walking counting as exercise” is true, though I never really believed it.

The last time I did this run was in 2006, when my workouts consisted of Bikram yoga (every week or so), 2-mile walks home from work, and 2–3x/wk. 3.5–mile runs in Central Park. This time, I “trained” by running once a week (tops!), walking multiple times daily and doing yoga once a week. Other differences: I run without music now, eat a vegan diet, and purchased orthotics. Could these things have made a difference? Perhaps.

I’m also learning to love running for different reasons than I used to. For years, when I ran I BLASTED music and just tried to forget the world and deal with frustration. Now, I run without music and enjoy the scenery and the people around me. A bag of Newman’s Own cookies to the person who tells me which reason I like better!

OH, and don’t let me shortchange the orthotics!!! They made a world of difference! My ankles didn’t hurt AT ALL after the race, or even the day after, which is unheard of for me. Shell out the cash, people. They work wonders.

Needless to say, I’m psyched for the 10K this summer. Running teaches me a lot about myself and my thought patterns (e.g.: forget the ego and SLOW DOWN if you need to!), and I’d forgotten that. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two this summer

* * *

Gym = 1.

So, due to the above-mentioned walking and jogging (or “yogging,” as it’s known in our apartment), I haven’t set foot in a gym since January. I’ve even turned down free gym passes because they held no appeal to me. But when Emily told me she had a free pass to our neighborhood Park Slope gym and wanted a partner in crime for her first spinning class, I got really excited.

Back when I was a forced-gym-rat, I had an obsession with spinning. The music was fun, the instructors were invariably these buff badass middle-aged women whom I could only aspire to be, and I always left totally refreshed and energized. I went to class with a fun group from work, and we had spinning nicknames for each other (I was Crystal Geyser, or Crystal G, for the water bottle I usually carried).

But the best part about spinning, in my opinion, is that you cannot, CANNOT let your mind wander during class. It’s just impossible. If you’re pushing yourself as hard as the instructors want you to, you’re in a zone where thinking is impossible. And after thinking all day at work and (often) worrying about the future all night, it’s exactly what I need.

And this class totally kicked my butt. But it’s exactly what I needed! It was the kind of class where the instructor screams “ARE YOU WORKING?!” and everyone in the class screams “YEAH!” Apparently people are so into this class that it has its own Facebook page.

(And for the record, Emily did an awesome job at class even though she’d been sick earlier in the day!)

So, Brooklynites: check out Crunch gym on Flatbush Avenue for the Monday 6:45PM spin class. You won’t regret it!

That was full of beet/carrot/apple juice about 30 seconds ago. Thanks again, Emily

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