Cross Training: Piloxing

I really have never been one for group fitness classes. I've been a member at LA Fitness for years, and never once have I had the desire to attend any of the classes they offer. Runners are notorious for enjoying their workouts alone, with nobody to bother us. Hell, that's why most runners like running so much. But this past year, I started to get really bored with the gym.

I used to have such a love affair with going to LA Fitness. I could spend literally hours there just running and lifting and making the rotations. But that was also when I had a lot more time than I do now and I was able to go during non-peak hours. These days when I head to the gym, it's more of a "wait in line for a treadmill because it's 6:00 and everyone & their mother is here, run a 5k while getting evil eyes from every one waiting in line behind you, go use the leg press machine for longer than you want to because you're waiting for another machine to open & then go home because it's so crowded and you can't really breathe".

...And that sums up 90% of my gym visits in the last year.

So when one of my old neighbors opened up a fitness studio nearby to where I live, I was intrigued. Sure I had never done anything like this before, but I really needed to start crosstraining again & obviously the gym was not the place to do so. I decided to try a couple classes, but I really fell in love with piloxing.

One of our Saturday classes at Motion on Main

Piloxing is a non-stop cardio fusion of dance, boxing & pilates. I really enjoy fast paced workouts that not only challenge you, but are also fun at the same time. When I leave that class I am POURING (and I do mean POURING) sweat. It helps that Motion on Main's instructor, Amy, is an absolute firecracker who motivates us to push harder class after class and switches things up to keep us interested. After just over a month of taking her classes, I can see a noticeable difference in my muscle tone and strength. Even after going to the gym for years, this is fastest I have ever seen results. It's amazing.

I also really like that piloxing incorporates a lot of balance and ballet techniques into the workout, as well. Core strength is so important, and I feel like it can easily get overlooked in most cardio-based workouts. Piloxing seriously exercises your entire body, which is hard to do if you're just going through the rotations at the gym. I don't think I've ever cross trained this comprehensively, and it's apparent that it's making a difference when I can clearly notice my endurance and strength improving during my runs. If you're serious about running and you're not cross training... Dude. Start.

You also have the option of wearing weighted gloves during class, which I decided to go for after the first few classes. They definitely make a difference and I have to admit, they do make you feel like you have a little bit more purpose behind your punches. I was never a boxing type, and I will admit I felt a little silly the first few classes, but I have definitely built up my confidence and actually feel like I'm starting to get the form down. It's also kind of cool to have upper body strength for the first time in what feels like forever.

So thanks to Amy & the crew at Motion on Main for helping this runner chick crosstrain successfully for the first time in a long time! Dancing and being a badass sure beats waiting in line for chest fly machine, I'll tell ya that much!

Keep running (er.. punching),

Kelli

Highlights from 2014

Hey everyone!

So since my 2014 posts have been *cough* non-existent, I figured that I would post about a few of the races that I have run this year so far to get myself somewhat caught up. My favorites have definitely been the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, the Pittsburgh Half Marathon & the Warrior Dash, so here's some recap action for ya:

The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler: I was really excited to get chosen in the lottery to run this race. If you're unfamiliar, you can't just sign up for this one - you essentially enter yourself into a pool of participants that get chosen at random. I've never run a race through another city, so this was a great change of pace for me and Jim & I actually made a little weekend trip out of which was nice. We stayed with Jim's cousins who live nearby, so that made the whole process a lot easier, too. It was kind of a bummer that none of the cherry blossom trees were in bloom during the run (it was too cold), but it was still neat to run along the monuments and see the sights. For as big as this race was, it was pretty well organized which is always a nice bonus. 

Pittsburgh Half Marathon: What can I say? This race is truly a religious experience for me and I love it from the bottom of my heart. I ran for Steel City Greyhounds again, which is a charity that helps give retired racing greyhounds their furever homes. I didn't PR this year, but only came in a few minutes over what I ran in 2013, so I can't complain. The weather was great, though - not too hot and it sprinkled a little bit which was actually quite nice. I look forward to the Pittsburgh marathon every year and I have a hard time putting into words what it's like to run through the city you love so much while thousands of people line the streets to cheer you on. Every year, I look forward to seeing what I'll get handed when I pass through Southside. Last year it was a handful of warm, sticky gummy bears & this year it was about 10 of those plastic leis you get at party supply stores. I think we all realized how disgusting those feel once they start to get sweaty, though - and everyone started shedding them on the Birmingham Bridge. 

Warrior Dash: And finally, the race I fell in love with 3 years ago. Warrior Dash is something I so look forward to every year. I'm really happy that since Jim & I initially ran it, our little warrior family has grown and now stands at 6 strong. There is just something about the vibe of this run that makes me so happy the second I step out of the car at Clay's Park Resort. We did up the ante with custom shirts this year, and man - that slide at the end added a whole new level of "HOLY CRAP" to the race. 

 

It was pretty cool that the pictures were free this year. They were previously offered through Sport Photo & if anyone has ever bought a Sport Photo picture, you know how freaking expensive they are. We're talking like $25 for a 4x6, so this was pretty cool to get them for free. They did lose a bunch of the finisher pictures, which was kind of a bummer, but I guess I can't complain. We're already signed up for next year, so let the countdown begin!

Plenty of races coming up in these next couple months, so stay tuned! I love running in the Fall, so I tried to squeeze as many in as I could. Patiently waiting for Freaky 5k registration to open, too :)

Keep Running!

Kelli

Back to Blogging

Well it's been quite a little while, hasn't it, friends?

I have a weird relationship with blogging. When I'm into it, I'm super into it. Like I wanna blog about every freaking thing I do and I have no issues with meticulously crafting a post for an hour. But then I just kind of fall off the wagon after awhile. I'm doing blog-worthy things, but organizing all of those thoughts and uploading pictures and such just feels downright tedious.

From being in the blogging world for a little over 5 years now, I know I'm not the only one with this problem. I've closely followed several blogs over the years, and all of them have periods of time where they lose steam. Some of them close their doors for good, and others make their comeback whenever they're ready. With my last blog - it was really clear to me that I was done beauty blogging after it's 2 year-run. It was fun, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. When I lost steam with RunKelliRun a little over a year ago, I wasn't really ready to let it go. I had a feeling that I would be back here, and I think I'm finally ready to be a runner blogger again.

I'll admit that last year was crazy. My training was a lot less intense because we bought a house in September & everything after that was kind of a whirlwind. My mind really was not in running mode at all. I still managed to do a decent amount of races, but right now I feel like I'm mentally where I was 2 years ago when I was at my peak. I've got a ton of races on the agenda & hitting the trail has never felt better.

So I really am excited to document this year's journey & hopefully report on tons of progress and PR's in the process. Thanks for sticking with me & as always, keep running!