Hi friends!
I wanted to share a couple recent workout highlights, starting with an awesome workout I got in last week at Urban Athletic Club!
Urban Athletic Club is the new name for Roam Fitness, the gym that hosted the fun OutRuns I went to a lot this summer. They recently rebranded and opened another location (the original one is still in Glover Park) in Georgetown. As part of the grand opening, they are offering FREE classes until December 14, so Chelsea and I decided to check it out last week.
We attended their 6:30 a.m. “total body” Urban Athlete Class, which is a mix of body weight exercises, kettlebells, free weights, and TRX suspension work. Their new gym is beautiful – lots of cool equipment and a nice amount of space, too!
We arrived with time to spare after some initial confusion about finding the place. As an FYI, the gym is located inside the Kew Gardens apartments in Georgetown on Q street, but the entrance you want to take is on 27th street, between P and Q. Your GPS will take you to the main entrance, but you want to get in through the side. It looks like this. Just ring the bell and they will let you in and the gym is just inside!
As for the class, Chelsea and I both gave it two big thumbs up! A really fun, tough mix of cardio and strength and it was varied enough to keep it interesting, too. I also liked Chris as a coach – motivating and upbeat without being annoying, you know?
Chris split us up into three groups of two, and sent each of us to a different station. On the floor you did body weight stuff, jumping around on a ladder laid out on the ground, and lunges with weighted balls. The middle group was on the TRX equipment (so hard/awesome).
The third group used the weights! Kettlebells and free weights, too. (In case you’re wondering, Chelsea and I nerdily asked Chris to take these pics for us after the workout was over, so we didn’t bother everyone by snapping a thousand pics!)
Chris had us rotate every few minutes and go to another station. We did two rounds with all different exercises. Loved the variety!
Chelsea and I are planning to go back again later this week (here’s their schedule where you can sign up for a class). I believe the gym is on ClassPass for when it’s no longer free, so I’ll either continue to go via ClassPass if I end up signing up for that or buy a package so I can drop in occasionally, because I really liked the class!
I took a few days off from workouts last week to get over my cold, so by the time the holiday weekend rolled around I was ready to go. Since my brother was in town, I tagged along with him for some heavy lifting on Friday and Saturday. On Friday we did triceps, dips, and bench press. On Saturday, squats! Soooo many squats. I was super excited because I did a 100 pound squat (5 reps) – a new PR for me! Yay. 🙂
On Sunday, I met up with my buddy Ashley for a trail run on the C&O Canal.
I always love running with Ashley – she’s my original running buddy! We trained together for my first 10 miler and my first half marathon. <3
As usual, we had fun chatting away madly the whole time and the miles flew by.
It was so wintery looking out there with all the leaves gone now!
I keep meaning to write about these shoes, so I wanted to give them some love here – for the run, I was wearing the Brooks PureGrit 3 trail running shoes. I’m a huge fan of these and have been wearing them for hikes recently, but this was the first time I got a chance to run in them! Thumbs up.
I first learned about these shoes on my trip to Brooks headquarters in Seattle. Brooks worked with famous trail runner Scott Jurek to develop the shoes and spent time out in Boulder, CO testing them out on trails with him and talking to him about what makes a great trail shoe. They shared a short video about the whole experience on YouTube if you want to check it out!
I was excited to get the chance to try them out via my Run Happy Ambassadorship. Bottom line: if you like lightweight/more minimal shoes and do a lot of trail running, you will love these. Comfortable and functional, too – great grip! They feel a lot like a more rugged version of my beloved PureConnect 2’s. (Sadly, while I like the PureConnect 4, I don’t love them quite as much as I did the 2’s – the 4’s are more narrow which doesn’t work as well for me.)
Anyway! We covered 6 miles (we took a walking break in the middle and I forgot to start my watch for awhile, so it only says 5.2). Great run! Ashley and I carried our endorphin high to our computers after where we signed up for a trail race next weekend, just for fun – the 15k over at Burke Lake Park. Only $25 and should be a good time! I think my friend Kathleen is going to join us, too. 🙂
And since we know the most important part of a run is the delicious brunch that follows, here you are, for your viewing pleasure:
We hit up Cassatt’s Kiwi Café, one of my local faves. I had the mushroom and egg quesadilla which comes with a big avocado and tomato salad. Plus, a beautiful whole milk latte. 🙂
Perfect way to start the day!
And now, time to tackle my email inbox and get some work done on the sports nutrition ebook (we’re aiming to release that in late January now, just FYI). I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!
What’s the best workout you’ve gotten in lately?
