After my 10K in December, I swore off cold weather races. And then Meghann, who was coming to NYC for an event, tweeted that she signed up for the Gridiron 4 Mile race during her time here. Knowing a meetup was looming, I bit the bullet and signed up as well.

Yesterday, I met Meghann and her mom and brother for lunch at Alice’s Tea Cup. If you can believe it, I’ve lived a few blocks away from there for 4 years and never went inside! So happy Meghann invited me because I absolutely loved it and I’m already itching to go back!

[Stolen from Meghann]

We shared scones to starts – Pumpkin and White Chocolate Cranberry. I actually preferred the White Chocolate one to the Pumpkin! I ate the majority of it since everyone else seemed to like the Pumpkin better. Fine by me!

[Stolen from Meghann]

I’d been salivating over this french toast on the menu: Alice’s Curious French Toast – French toast bites infused with apricot brandy tea, baked bread-pudding style and attacjed with fruit coulis, vanilla creme anglaise and sweet syrupy stuffs.

I don’t know what sweey syrupy stuffs are but whatever it is, I want it.

In the end I decided to go with a half sandwich and soup. I was so cold from my walk there and wanted to be warmed up by Tomato Basil soup, plus this sandwich sounded like the perfect thing to order at a tea house!

Cucumber And Watercress with lemon chive butter on whole wheat

It was wonderful! The lemon chive butter was especially amazing. I felt so dainty. I also ordered a pot of Organic Ginger tea. It was fantastic as well and didn’t taste too gingery at all!

Tea! Both these pics from Meghann’s camera as well. I felt like an amateur taking out my point & shoot when she had her fancy camera.

So this morning I was up before my alarm excited for the race! I was tweeting with Heather, Meghann and Ashley while getting ready. We were all so excited!

At my last cold weather race I wasn’t dressed warmly enough. During the race I was fine, but standing around before the race was unbearable. I planned better this time. I wore (all items are for running/workout) a long tank top, long sleeved top, jacket, wind stopping vest and a (not running) fleece. I wore running fleece gloves and big regular fleece gloves over them. I wore 2 pairs of running socks. I wore an ear covering headband and a hat over that.

I left my apartment at 8 and walked to the race. I found Meghann and Ashley standing in front of baggage check. I shedded a layer of warmth, my winter coat, and checked it with my bag. We met up with some other bloggers but they left because they were trying to PR and we were running for fun. We wanted to find Melissa and Heather (with Mark!) to run with but couldn’t find either of them.

All bundled up: Jesse along with Meghann, Ashley and me

We headed over to our corral. Well, mine and Ashley’s corral. Meghann is much faster but decided to run with us for a leisurely (for her) race and the fun that comes with talking the entire time. Ashley and I both run 10 minute miles during races.

Pink Corral. For girly runners:

We still had 20 minutes so we . . . bounced! The 3 of us just bounced up and down while talking. The sun was out and before the race started I was able to remove my fleece and tie it around my race so I could display my number and *maybe* actually appear in a race photo. I would probably have felt silly bouncing like that along but I loved doing it with friends! It warmed us up, except for our hands.

We briefly interrupted our bouncing to take photos:

And then the race started. I’m used to starting about 4 minutes after the race begins, by the time my corral gets to the start line, but today the wait was longer than usual for some reason and we started about 8 minutes after the start! Once we were off, things went smoothly. My hands eventually warmed up (I am definitely getting hand warmers for my half marathon)  and I started to feel my toes again. This was my first race without an iPod. We talked the entire time and we listened in on other people’s conversations. It is so interesting to hear what people discuss during a race — typically, other races! I really liked not wearing my iPod, although I would only do it again if I was running with a friend or the race provided entertainment.

Ashley and Meghann in action:

Butts:

I got a kick out of PINK scrawled across Meghann’s tush!

Best part about racing with friends? I finally get a RACING ACTION SHOT of myself! (You might know I rarely appear in official race photos). And yes, I realize how selfish I sound. But . . . pictures of ME! YAYYYY!

My awesome running vest in action. Love it.

During the 2nd mile, there were signs splitting up runners into which superbowl team they are rooting for. I don’t know or care about either team, so I asked which side we should run on. Ashley wanted the Colts to win, so we went on that side. We ran over the same type of tracking device at the start and finish lines, and that device tallied the percentage of runners for each team — how fun!

Apparently, we were in the minority:

Results from “Who will you root for?” split – SAINTS: 66% COLTS: 34%

I loved getting to know Meghann and Ashley more and the time really flew by. I know it was an easy pace for Meghann but for me it was basically my normal pace. I definitely got a nice workout but didn’t overdo it at all. I was worried because after my 5 mile run on Tuesday night, I woke up Wednesday with a foot injury. It hurt so much with every step I took. I have tendonitis. I am happy to say my foot felt great! It did not hurt one bit. I was so worried it would ruin my half marathon training, but I really think I will be fine.

Meghann took this gorgeous scenery picture. I feel bad taking all Meghann’s pics but I didn’t think to take these since I see the sites all the time. At my next race I think I will bring my camera again because I did have fun with it and it didn’t bother me while I was running like I thought it would.

Thanks Meghann!

Seeing the finish line is always an amazing thing, although we didn’t sprint. I was so focused on waving at this one race photographer that I didn’t notice 3 on the other side of me until too late! I just want to be in race photos!

My official time is 41:32 for 4 miles, with an average 10:23 pace. This was actually my slowest race ever! Not by much, though. I finished my last 4 mile race in exactly 40 minutes, and my 10K average was 10:13 miles.

After the race we met up with a big group at Arte Cafe for brunch! I finally got to catch up with Heather and Melissa. Heather was just a few minutes behind us in the race and Melissa was a few ahead. Too bad we missed them! Heather is hilarious, look at her “running” socks:

I also met new bloggers! I don’t have a list of people and their corresponding blogs although I might send out an email so I can get a list together, since they are NYC based like me, runners (like I attempt to be) and I had a great time talking to them all! Every was just so nice. I get intimidated in big groups but everyone was so welcoming today. The food was pretty good too, especially the muffins they gave out when we got there. So good and doughy. I was starving since all I had before the race was a green juice.

I might have taken 2 more muffins home.

I got a mushroom omelet, and it was pretty good. Ashley baked vegan macaroons for everyone and they were wonderful! They had the consistency of cookie dough and the taste of coconut custard pie. Yum!

And a group shot that Meghann took:

After brunch we stopped in at Alice’s Tea Cup (a different location than the day before) because Meghann loved her chocolate mint tea yesterday and wanted to buy some. I regret not trying hers when I had the chance! I was tempted to buy some tea but I don’t yet understand how to make loose leaf tea and I just want a better grasp before committing. Yes, I’m nutty and get nervous about strange things. But I live so close to Alice’s that I’ll just pop in when I am all set up to brew the tea at home.

I plan to go back to Alice’s Tea Cup soon anyway. I want to bring all my friends there. It’s just so cute and delicious. And I need to try that french toast. And a brownie.

Anyway, I took the bus back home and had the most amazing 2.5 hour nap. It was much needed!

I had such a great weekend! Racing with friends is so much fun, I hope I get to do that again. I skipped out on 7 am Core Fusion today (Monday) in favor of an extra hour of sleep and it was so worth it. Back this week with more Core Fusion recaps!

After moving at the end of December, I was no longer living near a New York Sports Club location. It didn’t make sense to pay for a gym I can’t conveniently get to from my own apartment so I (sadly) ended my membership. And I figured with Core Fusion for strength and running outside for cardio, I was set.

I decided to handle any issues with cold/bad weather/dark running by trying a one month membership to a small gym very close to my apartment called Strive NYC. Their website advertises the following offer in two different places on their site:

Low Priced One Month Trial, convertible in the first two weeks into a Yearly Prepaid Membership or a One Year Commitment Pay-as-you-Go Membership

Sounded perfect for me! A low priced one month trial to use the treadmill as I pleased, just two blocks from my building. And by the time the month ended, it should be a little warmer out.

So last Saturday I went in to Strive to find out more details about this offer, as well as the price of their 3 month membership option. I met half of the husband and wife ownership team, the wife Malou. She took me on a tour of the gym.

Strive NYC is very small. There are no classes. It is literally just machines, which do not have individual TVs. However, there are shared TVs up against the wall. The locker room has no amenities, but it looked clean and nice. There were renovations going on around me.

I figured this gym would be perfect for me since I planned to use only the treadmill. I figured it would be much cheaper than NYSC since NYSC lets you use any of their locations all over New York City, has individual TVs on the machines, has a much larger variety of machines, offers lots of classes and has amenities in their locker rooms. Strive only has the one small location. And I read some reviews online that put the monthly price as low as $30 a month for some people.

Once the tour was finished, I told Malou I enjoyed the tour and was interested in the one month trial. Malou shook her head, looking at me like I had two heads:

“There is none,” she told me.

“But it says it on your website.”

“No such offer exists.”

“OK, but why does your website mention this offer on both the homepage and the membership page?” I needed to know.

But Malou seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. She would not give me a one month membership.

Malou and her husband Yves are the owners. So I assume they control what goes up on their website. I assume they approve the content. I assume they KNOW the content. But based on Malou’s reaction, either she truly has no idea what’s going on with her own business or she lied to me.

I decided to find out the prices for the 3 month membership and was SHOCKED to find out that each month is more expensive than a month at NYSC. That’s right. Strive is charging members a higher price for a small club with no classes & no amenities than NYSC charges for big clubs with individual TVs, locations all over the city, amenities, classes, etc. What a major ripoff. I really hope some of their members find this post and switch to NYSC. Even Crunch Gym is cheaper than Strive – and they are famous for all their unique classes!

I’m not saying anything is wrong with a gym that isn’t fancy. I’m not a snob. I just think that a less fancy gym should charge less fancy prices.

I told her that I was paying less at NYSC. Malou shrugged. I walked out. Malou did not try to make me any better offer. I went home with a bad taste in my mouth and pulled up the Strive website. Just to double check.

Yep. The offer was right there, both on their homepage next to a highlighted Special Offer image and also on their membership page.

I sent them an email using their contact form and pasted the one month trial text. I explained I was in there earlier and was told this offer doesn’t exist, and I asked why they advertise it on their website. I never heard back.

*Update: In a Google search of Strive, I found this case study from their web developer. As stated here, “I worked closely with the owners to create a clean and welcoming design aimed at attracting a wide audience.” So it is confirmed: the owners DO know the text on their website. They just don’t feel like honoring it.

I don’t like to bash businesses that are just trying to survive in a very expensive city, but I have no tolerance for blatant deception like this. I was willing to pay Strive a fair price for one or even three months. The owners at Strive don’t seem to care about standing by their offers or running an honest business. They don’t know who I am or that I’d write about their horrible customer service on the intertubes for everyone researching New York City gyms to see.

But they should treat every customer as if he or she writes a fitness blog. Because you never know who just might.

One entire month of the Core Fusion Challenge is complete!

That just flew by, huh? On Saturday, my last day of the first month, I took class with Catherine, who is also the health counselor I’ve been working with. Catherine’s classes are always packed and everyone just loves her. I even overhear people saying how great she is.   

Great yes, and a very hard class. Catherine really pushes everyone and because she remains so upbeat, you just want to please her! I left her class a few minutes early to get to Yoga Level 1 with Diana. I’ve taken a few beginner yoga classes before at other places, and I’ve hated them. But I love Diana’s class at exhale. As do many others, since the class is always packed. She teaches in a way that is easy to follow, makes sense and she always gives modifications to each pose. I feel very comfortable and I feel like I can hold my own in her yoga class. It is a much needed stretch for my half marathon training too!

After class I met up with Catherine to take photos and measurements now that the month is over. As we did each measurement, I couldn’t believe the results. I seriously could NOT believe the improvements!

Remember, my challenge was to take class 4-5 times for an entire month. From January 1 – January 31. I ended up taking a total of 21 classes. This included two gentle yoga classes, three Core Fusion Yoga classes and one Body Sculpt DVD use. The rest were Core Fusion Open level.

I also did very little cardio during this time. I started my half marathon training towards the end of the month, but plan to ramp it up in February and run three times a week. I can then get a better sense of the changes that happen when I combine Core Fusion classes with a regular cardio regimen.

I’m not going to go into my specific before and after numbers here because I have a very small frame and my numbers were already on the lower end – which, I need to add, is normal for me. What is normal for me is not necessarily normal – and could potentially be dangerous – for someone else.

That said, I will give you the total numbers lost in each category:

Some notes on these numbers. The most dramatic – and most telling – change is the body fat percentage. This number is considered a better measure of your health and fitness than BMI, because BMI does not take into consideration if you have lean muscle mass causing your BMI to be higher. The same issue is with weight. A scale can tell you if you’re “overweight” but you might not necessarily be “over fat”, which is where the real health issues lie.

So the fact that I lost 4.3% of my body fat in just a month of Core Fusion is MAJOR. I did not change how I eat, as I always ate on the healthier side with occasional indulgences (read: French toast). But if someone without the healthies habits were to eat better and take Core Fusion regularly, I really believe the results would be incredible.

My BMI and weight basically remained the same, which makes sense because while I lost fat, I gained lean muscle. And that is what you want! Additionally, if my weight dropped too much it would no longer be a healthy weight for me. It is a very good thing that my weight is still in the same healthy range.

So please remember not to rely on the scale. How you feel in your clothes, in your body, is a much better representation of how you’re doing with your health. And I can say that my clothes are fitting much better these days, even though my weight is about the same.

As for the inches lost. Well – wow. As I said, I am pretty small to begin with, so I didn’t expect to lose much and this is more than I ever could have imagined. I lost on average .5 inch all around – just imagine what someone with more to lose can lose in the same amount of time. And keep in mind that I gained muscle. That’s why my thighs didn’t change by the way – because I can reach down and feel hamstring muscle! I lost the fat and replaced it with the muscle. I am most impressed with the change in my arms – many women have issues with arm flab around the triceps. For me, .5 inch and that is basically gone now.

Now that my body and strength have dramatically improved, here are some observations I’ve had about Core Fusion over the past month:

• I don’t get sore anymore. In the first couple of weeks, taking class two days in a row was painful because I was so sore. My thighs, my calves, my triceps – they all burned so much I couldn’t do any movements full out. I remember when I could barely do reverse pushups if I did them the day before! Now, I don’t feel so sore if I take class every day in a row.
• Thighs never get easier. Never. As strong as I get, it still burns!
• Pushups do get easier. I still do “girl pushups” (on my knees) but I can get much farther down than I was ever able to. I can also do all the pushups without stopping, which is a huge improvement.
• Reverse pushups get easier. I used to dread them and the pain and difficulty that ensued. I had a hard time even bending my elbows. Now, I can bend my elbows and stick with the movements without stopping.
• Planks get easier. I went from having to collapse during planks a few times to not collapsing at all on most days. This move hurts less and I feel stronger.
• Glutes got harder. That’s right. The more I work my tush, the more burn I feel during glutes exercises. Wonder why that is?
• Arms got easier. At the lower weight, that is. I was using 2 lb weights when I started this challenge. Now I usually use 3. It burns much more, and sometimes I want to go back to 2, but I feel like I am getting a better workout and really, I should be pushing myself, right?
• Abs haven’t gotten easier (yet). Part of the reason abs will always be hard is that there are always modifications you can do to make it harder, but I can’t even do those yet. It’s still hard for me in the “easier” positions. I do believe that I have much more to improve upon here and I do think it will happen if I keep taking class. My C Curve is not where it should be, but I am working toward it in each class.
• Core Fusion was what I needed to heal my shoulder injury. For a year before I started the challenge, I’ve had a shoulder injury that came out of nowhere and really got in the way of my life. I’ve had MRIs and been to physical therapy. The problem was identified but no one knows how I got it. Nothing made it feel better (aside from a cortisone injection that lasted a few months). When I started this challenge, I was concerned about my shoulder and how it would hold up. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do the pushups, planks or some of the arm exercises with weights. I did all these things anyway, figuring if my shoulder hurt I’d stop. Well, it didn’t hurt. A couple weeks into this, I realized that I didn’t feel the constant ache in my shoulder anymore. Another week into it, I realized my bad shoulder didn’t feel as strange compared to my good one. A month in, I think it is safe to say my shoulder injury has healed. I attribute this 100% to Core Fusion. After a year of pain, I took Core Fusion for a month and feel all better.
• Core Fusion is helping my knee injury. Much like my shoulder injury, I’ve had the knee pain forever and been to physical therapy, had MRIs, all that good stuff. While my knee has given me trouble this month, I do believe Core Fusion is helping my strengthening the muscles around my knee. And I am proud to say that I ran 7.5 miles on Sunday and for the first time, had absolutely NO knee pain at all. I attribute this to Core Fusion as well.

OK friends, now that we’ve got the cold hard facts right here in front of us – that Core Fusion really WORKS – anyone want to join me on my second month of the Core Fusion Challenge? I know I can’t stop now. This class has given me more than I could ever get with a gym membership. There’s no going back.

I still have lots to improve. I still have weaknesses that I want to improve on and I know I can. This class is hard work. It is in no way easy. But it is so, so rewarding. The more I saw and felt results, the more I wanted to go back to class. I feel better than I have since before I got sick with a GI illness 2.5 years ago. I fit into more clothes than I have in this same amount of time. I feel more confident and I feel much stronger.

So . . . who’s in for month 2 of the Core Fusion Challenge??!

Class recaps!

Last Tuesday after work, I took Laurie’s class for the first time. I’d heard good things about her and class did not disappoint. I decided, after holding the beginning plank the entire time once again, that I can officially hold planks. It’s for real. Great feeling! Laurie was funny and joked throughout the class, but even better was when she came behind me to fix my alignment. Especially during thighs, I always need to be pushed forward a little to get into the correct positioning. It makes the exercise so much harder but it also ensures I am doing it correctly – and without risk of injury.

Just a few hours later, at 7 am Wednesday morning, I finally took a class with Elisabeth. Elisabeth, along with her husband Fred, founded Core Fusion. I was really excited for this class because I’ve been wanting to take it all month. The first thing I noticed was that class was packed. At 7 am. That doesn’t usually happen, but for Elisabeth, people wake up early! Class was beyond wonderful; Elisabeth is so inspiring and such an amazing teacher. She made me feel so comfortable and corrected my position throughout the class so I would get the most out of each movement. Arms were especially hard, and abs were especially amazing. I was pushed to my limit and I felt so accomplished after.

I took a much needed rest day on Thursday, and woke up bright and early Friday for another 7 am class with one of my favorite teachers, Kate. Kate’s classes are extremely tough – some of the hardest I have taken – but also the ones I feel the best about after. Her teaching style is upbeat and motivating. Also, she played Rusted Root. Any teacher who playes Ecstasy during an exercise class wins in my book.

During thighs we did all three sets in a continuous movement, shifting seamlessly from one position to the next. This made thighs even harder than they usually are – and they are usually HARD. And they never get easier. I actually have some thoughts about what gets easier and what doesn’t for my next post – which will recap my month, review my results from my measurements and discuss my plans for next month!

I did like how fast paced the thigh work was because I didn’t really have time to acknowledge my pain, it was just move move move!

For butt I did not like what we did. We had to stand at a 90 degree angle and hold our arms on the bar straight in front of us while doing to butt/leg lifts. I was so focused on making sure my arms were straight and my knee was over my 3rd toe (for proper alignment) that I didn’t get the most out of the butt movements. It was still a tough workout though!

I’m so good at the plank at the end of class, much better than at the beginning. Maybe because I am all warmed up? Teachers always compliment my form on that one and today was no different. That’s because holding myself up is so much easier at the end of class that I can focus more on my form.

Abs was doable because we kept switching what we were doing. I really liked this better than staying with the same movements for too long and feel like I got a better abs workout as a result.

After class my friend and I were so happy with how wonderful it was. In fact, I am getting our other friend to come with us, hopefully this coming Friday. The class felt like I really worked out hard and I still enjoyed (almost) all of it.

Back tomorrow with the Core Fusion Challenge 30 day recap!

Hey hey! I am so behind on blogging. As in, I went to 4 Core Fusion classes and 1 yoga class and have yet to recap. And I will. Tomorrow.

ALSO it has been a whole month of Core Fusion! I got photos and measurements taken today and let me just tell you — WOW. Core Fusion works. I can’t wait to share this with you!

Today, I want to get an announcement out because there isn’t much time left to take advantage of this amazing deal at exhale spa. If you already take Core Fusion classes or feel like starting, you should do it now because they are offering something really great from February 1 to March 31 called Buddha Camp.

Throughout this 8 week period, exhale spa will keep track of the average number of Core Fusion and Yoga classes you attend each week and reward your hard work with great incentives. Here’s the deal:

3 classes

• Core Fusion Cardio class pass
• Exhale Mind Body Lounge Music CD
• Choice of Core Fusion DVD
• Gift bag of exhale products

4 classes:

• Core Fusion Cardio class pass
• Exhale Mind Body Lounge Music CD
• Choice of GRN manicure or pedicure
• Gift bag of exhale products

5 classes:

• Core Fusion Cardio class pass
• Exhale Mind Body Lounge Music CD
• 30 minute True Facial or Fusion Massage
• Gift bag of exhale products

To participate, you must sign up at exhale spa by February 3. That said . . . anyone interested in extending their challenge to take advantage of this?? Because, although I am not eligible for Buddha Camp, I WILL be EXTENDING MY CORE FUSION CHALLENGE!!!

One more month of taking Core Fusion and writing all about it! My amazing results might have something to do with it . . . will discuss in more detail soon! Anyway, please let me know if you’re interested and go sign up! Those are really great prizes.

And if you do sign up . . . I really want to hear about your experience. And maybe you’d be interested in guest blogging here and writing a little about it? I’m excited to find out who is participating in Buddha Camp!