Trying Out Some New Things

QUICK POINTS

1. Trying out new fitness classes. 
2. A quick trip to Philadelphia.
3. Joining a new running group.

1. New Fitness classes

Last post, I mentioned that I wanted to try some new things regarding my fitness and take could different classes at Crunch Fitness. So, here goes. Last week, I went to "The Acrobat's Workout"

I will say that the instructors were nice but I did not really experience much of a workout in this class. I would consider this more of a yoga type class. Well, I think that this type of class would be called "acroyoga." We did a couple of fun things in the class. We did something that is called "table top" when you stack yourself on another person's shoulders and legs. 

Doing the move above, which was the last thing we did in this class, was not worth the time to get there. I mean we could have started out with that move and been done with class in about 15-20 minutes. 

In terms out my body's response to the workout, I spent only ONE minute in my cardio zone, according to my Fitbit. That minute probably was the minute that we spent doing cartwheels. I think that I spend more time in my cardio zone dissecting mice. 

So at the end of the day I probably will not return to this class unless I have some time to kill and all of the cardio machines in the gym are taken. Do not get me wrong, some people may enjoy these types of classes (which is why Crunch Fitness offers them), but I like to be efficient with my time when working out. 

Perhaps, the designers of this class could incorporate some cardio in between the acroyoga moves to make it more of a workout. 

2. "Motown Philly"

A little random "new" thing. I have never visited Philadelphia in all 14 years of living in New York City. This really is strange because Philadelphia is only about 1.5 hours by bus away from NYC. This past weekend I hopped on a 10-dollar Greyhound bus and headed to one of the oldest and historical cities in America. 

It was a pretty cool experience. Come one I visited the room where the U.S. essentially was "born," which was an AMAZING experience.  I wish that I could have stayed longer, but I had to run a race on Sunday. The city is so full of history that you cannot do it all in one trip. Aside from a little Airbnb drama, I will be going back soon. Maybe in June or July?

Oh, and I did not have a Philly cheese steak but I did have a cheese steak omelet after hanging out on Friday night. 

3. New Running Group

Also, I "joined" a new running group that combines running with the love of beer (or other drinks). The NYC Fun Run "tribe" (I believe that there are other similar groups in cities around the country) meet up once a week at a bar, run 4-5 miles, and reconvene a the same bar for a few drinks.

For this event, we met up at Session 73 and did a 4.71 isn mile, In and out run to/across the 59th Street Bridge and back to the bar.

It was a nice meet up but it was kind of tough to talk to people because at guy singing covers was performing and it was hard to hear. Plus, I was ready to go because I was sweaty and cold and the music really loud. We will see if I do another run, because the event would have to be in or somewhat close to the UES.

That's all from me. 

Man, I Feel Like an Athlete

In a previous post, I mentioned that I would be checking out some new spring classes that will be offered at my local Crunch Fitness.

I decided to try the Athlete's Workout class and I have to say that class was TOUGH. Buuuuuut, tough in a good way because I like to do more in my high intensity (HIIT) workouts. Plus, I like doing HIIT workouts because they add a little more excitement than the standard cardio and weight lifting exercise. The instructor, Leidy, has you constant moving, sweating, and try surpass mental blocks for 45 minutes. Plus, her music choices are very up tempo so your heart is going to be pumping hard to keep up with the musical beats. This total body workout was so intense that my butt, arms, shoulders, back, and chest are still burning today. The gym should defiantly extend this class for 15 minutes in order to have a nice hour fat-buring HIIT. 

Here are some stats, according to my Fitbit Surge. 

One cool thing about this class is that I rarely make it into my peak zone, unless I'm during sprints. According to Active.com heart rate calculator, 85% of my max heart rate is 157 beats per minute. So, next week I will try to spend more time in the peak and cardio zones.  Usually, this is not a huge problem for me, but my back has been bugging me for the past couple of days.  

That is it for me. I think The Acrobat's Workout will be the next new class that I will try out. Hopefully, I will not break my neck. 

NYC Half marathon . . . DONE!!!

QUICK POINTS:

• NYC Half Marathon, sponsored by the New York Road Runners (NYRR). 
• My next crazy athletic challenge

NYC Half Marathon

This past Sunday, I had the wonderful opportunity to run the 13.1 miles through the immense borough of Manhattan. *Side note: I think that the island only is about 2 miles at its widest part.*  This race took us runners through Central Park, Times Square, West Side Highway, and the Financial District (FiDi). This blog entry will be mostly a photo blog.  I was a little sadden that I did not achieve my goal of running this half in one hour and 45 minutes; BUUUUUUUUTTTTT, I did achieve a personal best (PB). I think the fartleking on the West Side Highway, really improved my time. I am a little annoyed that I had to use a portapotty during the race because it cost me about 3.5-4 minutes.

Next Atheltic Challenge:

After training for an athletic feat for months, one can get slightly depressed once you have completed your event. You know, because you do not have anything to look forward two. To circumvent this issue, I really think that I will train for the Rock n Roll Marathon in Montreal this upcoming September.

Looks fun, huh?

Montreal has become one of my favorite cities and I think that it will be super cool to run 26.2 miles through this city. After running the NYC marathon in 2013, i wanted to run a marathon in another U.S. city and in another country. I had signed up for the San Francisco marathon but I screwed up my back really bad and did not run it. Hopefully, the same will not happen as I prepare for the marathon in Montreal. Fingers crossed. Next step is to find a decent sub 4-hour marathon training plan and COMMIT, COMMIT, COMITY to it.

Almost there!!!!

The NYC Half Marathon is just a few days away and I have completed my last training run for this race. Today's entry will focus more on the last long training runs. 

Since the weather was AMAZING this past weekend, I decided to do my last "long" run in Central Park. I say "long" because this run was a tapering run, so I had to run only 6 miles.  Although I have done some hill work by running across bridges in the city (Williamsburg and 59th street bridges), I will be honest to say that I have not done as much prep as should have. The fact that the Half is mostly flat is a saving grace. 

The route. 

This tapering run was perfect for me, because it simulates the first few miles of the NYC Half, which happens to be the hilliest of the course. 

Elevation information. 

The course from New York Road Runners (NYRR)

It looks like once I get out of Central Park then it will be smooth sailing through Times Square and the West Side Highway. However, I have heard that there always are medium to strong head winds in Times Square. 

The run itself on Saturday was pretty fun and I did a negative split for the run. Hopefully, I will be in "race mode" on Sunday, which would allow me to run a little faster (or find a pacing partner). Although I do not think that I will make my 1:45 (or 8 minutes/mile pace) goal, I do look forward to enjoying this race. 

Some shots during the run:

Post run:

For some odd reason, I have been craving a papusas for the past few WEEKS. Papusas, which are kind of like areas filled with meat, cheese, and/or beans, are the national dish of El Salvador. After my run and spending a few hour in the lab, I decided to drag myself to Mi Pequeno Salvador restaurant in Elmhurst, Queens to enjoy some salvadorean food. I did get my papusa but I also tried a "hearty" soup. 

Sopa de mariscos 

This soup (which had clams, shrimp, a whole crap, and boiled eggs) was soooooo huge that I could barely walk after finishing it. Next time I will either have a hearty soup or papusas - not both.