Today has gone mostly as planned. Woke up at 6am and headed over to Central Park, where I met Katelyn, and we jogged across the park and down 86th Street to Athleta UES. We were taking a “cardio conditioning” class, and for reasons unbeknownst to us, we were told to bring a yoga mat. In case you were wondering how much a yoga mat weighs, it is approximately 50 pounds (not the 5 pounds that I would have guessed). At least, that was my assumption given that it made me run as slowly as if I had gone on a bender, danced on a bar all night long, passed out in an alley for a scant hour, and then tried to run. (Note: I did not drink last night and I went to bed at 10pm, so that was not at all the problem).
Besides the surprise of our yoga mats being so heavy, we were also surprised to see just how many people were out on 86th Street at 6:45am. On the Upper West Side, I see very few people when I go running in the morning – and I love feeling like the city is all mine and that I have the streets to myself. (Some Sunday mornings, this peace and quiet lasts until 9am, and it’s pretty awesome). Not so on the Upper East! 86th Street was thronging with people, and we actually had to dodge pedestrians in order to get to 3rd Avenue for the class. Despite the fact that I was unintentionally swinging my yoga mat like a baseball bat, we made it to Athleta in one piece and without maiming anyone along the way. 2.5 miles = complete!
Once at Athleta, we grabbed some Hint water and then prepared for the class. Billed alternately as “Fat Blasting Cardio” or the friendlier “Fitness with Spencer”, the class was a cardio bootcamp in which we warmed up with 2 minutes of burpees with a pushup in the middle. Yes, that was just the warmup! Katelyn and I were pretty surprised by the intensity level, and both of us were pretty wiped out from the warmup alone. The class ended up being tons of squat jumps, lunge jumps, pushups, core work, and burpees – and I was not so hot in my attempt to get through it all. Luckily, everyone got confused when it came time for some muy thai roundhouse kicks… and our peppy instructor lost momentum. Time for a cooldown! Katelyn and I thought the class must have run totally short, but a glance at my cell phone showed us that we had done 45 minutes. Not bad at all!
On the jog home, my yoga mat somehow felt a lot lighter… so maybe my slowness before was from just waking up? Or perhaps all those burpees made regular running feel easy! I booked it at a 9 minute pace to get home, and ended up with enough time to get in a quick 15 minute cycling session before heading to work. I was pretty pleased with that, especially since my crazy work schedule today didn’t allow me to get in the Zumba toning class I had wanted to do at lunch. No biggie – my weekend is full of workouts, so a skipped one here and there is totally fine. (I will actually be shocked if I get through everything I have planned – check back on Monday to see how I do!)
Now – time to crank out the remainder of my work and call it a day. I’d like to get in some treadmill time, since the gym I use just got a Woodway, and then head off to dinner/drinks with my friend Meg at a new Korean beer bar in her neighborhood. Let the refueling begin!
Final reminder: if you want to come to the Courons à la Cassoulet on Sunday, or any of the other fun workouts I posted yesterday (update: tossing in a Kangoo class tomorrow afternoon between the run and yoga), drop me an email – I’d love more fitness friends!
Just remember that while too little exercise it bad for our health, too much exercise can be harmful as well.
Fair point. I don’t think I’m reaching the danger zone yet (especially since these are all “fun” workouts and not just me pounding away on the treadmill at the gym), but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
See you Sunday!! So excited!
you’re off to a great start Laura. I am not the morning person I use to be. My pace drags in the morning now, but in the evenings I feel much better. I think its due to the fact I sit more at work than I sleep at nihgt 🙁
Dawn – remember that it doesn’t matter whether you work out in the morning or the evening, as long as you make it a priority. Lately my first-thing-in-the-morning workouts haven’t been the best, I think because I’m too tired.