ive been reading a lot about how cycling for cross training and recovery is very beneficial to runners and has even been proven to help you run faster. ive tried spinning once before at my gym. it was awful, so naturally i was hesitant to try again despite all the good things ive been reading.

my girlfriend leigh is an avid spinner and raves about her spinning studio. on friday morning i decided to put all her good talk to the test and join her for a class. the experience i had at soul-cycle was amazing! it completely changed my strong feelings of hate towards the sport.

as apposed to my last spinning experience the instructors at soul-cycle understood i was a first timer and really took the time to make sure everything was just right before class. they made sure my shoes were the right fit and i was comfortable on the bike. proper seat and handle bar adjustments were made for my body. there was no guess work on my part.

the studio was kept dark and the music loud. it was sweaty and motivating.

i usually rest on fridays in order to give my body a break before saturdays long run. the class was challengeing enough to make me feel like i had a good workout but didnt exhaust me either. i would love to be able to spin every friday morning from now on but its a little on the pricey side so its not really an option. however, im now armed with new knowledge of how i should feel on the bike and i am open to trying another class at the gym.




my long run this morning felt really good! im not sure if it had to do with the weather, all the yummy food i ate for dinner last night at landmarc, the spinning, or a combination of it all. all i do know is that i ran 17 strong miles today and it felt awesome!!

there was no picture taking during our last week of summer streets because it was raining and my camera is already crappy enough, no need to add water. we started at bethesda and ran south to chambers street where we crossed over to the west side highway. normally running the highway on a sunny day is brutal, theres little shade and water fountains are sparse. but because of thunderstorms lingering in the area it was cool and pleasant. we headed back to the park at 72nd street and finished our workout with the 6mi loop. my running buddies for the day, stephanie and natalie, kept conversation and encouragment flowing and we all survived the 17 together strong.