I Will Go the Distance… just not very fast (Comments welcome!)

[The Expert]

I took a pilates class my 2nd year of college so I could stay on my parents' health insurance (I also took aerobic dance) and I enjoyed it. Some of the moves seemed a little silly, but I'm assuming that was more because it wasn't explained well, and we were all in a circle laying on yoga mats to do everything.

Does your class use the machines? (I think they're called reformers?) We all got to do a single 1-on-1 session with our teacher at the studio in her house on whatever the machine was and WOW did that change things up!

This is a reformer studio, so yes, on the machines.Though there are mats, a wall with bands and springs, and other equipment also at each station. The class room has probably 16 stations. My intro class was 30 minutes, almost entirely on the reformer with three other people and the instructor. The "real" class had 10 of us, was 50 minutes, and about 75% on the reformer. I really enjoy the variety and the ability to make small adjustments to make each move easier or harder.

They also offer different types of classes and different levels. I talked to the instructor about which ones would best compliment running, and she recommended a "Center and Balance" class, which I'm trying in a few weeks. They also do an occasional recovery class with a ton of foam rolling, so I'm keeping my eyes out for that as I get deeper into training.

I've gone down the rabbit hole for cute sticky socks, and now I'm being bombarded with targeted ads on Facebook for home reformers. LOL!

 

[The Expert]

I'm still loving Pilates and am starting to figure out which instructors I like. Last week I did the same reformer class as I'd done the previous two weeks, but the instructor was SO much better at choosing moves and explaining form that I was actually a bit sore afterward. I took her Core & Balance class this week, which was legit challenging. I'm going to try and get into her classes going forward.

I signed up for a fun local 5K coming up in a few weeks that is run on our airport runway. I posted about it on the costume thread, since I'm dressing up as Amelia Earhart for it (she flew in there in 1934). Should be a nice fun training run!



Other than that, I'm still easing back into regular runs once or twice a week and strength training once or twice a week in anticipation of shifting to the Higdon 2 HM plan next month. My dog is also regularly getting me out for an average of a mile+ every day on walks.

OH! And I've also got a spot with a charity for the 2026 Chicago Marathon. I've been thinking about it for a few years now and had zero luck with the lottery, so I reached out to a contact I know at a pet rescue (One Tail at a Time) and am on their list.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Great costume!