Despite the mind-numbingly cold weather that showed up late to this year’s winter party, I’ve managed to do something other than Netflix binge this month. In May, I’m running my first race of the year, a 10K in D.C., and to prepare, I’ve been trying to break a sweat on a semi-regular basis (indoors for now, at least until the streets of New York stop looking like an arctic apocalypse). Some of my favorite classes these days are spin, pilates, and barre burn. After my tour del taco wipeout a few years ago, stationary bikes are about as crazy as I get when it comes to city riding- most of my outdoor rides this past year have been on rail trails and country roads. And while I have absolutely no balance or ballet skills (you will never, ever see a selfie of me doing pliés), the barre class is great for stretching and working the core/arms/legs in one shot in between cardio workouts. I get bored pretty easily, so I usually like to mix it up, doing a different set of workouts every week.

My big goal for the year is to be able to run a respectable half marathon- it would be awesome to run one with 10 minute splits, especially compared to my ginger bread man (google it) induced flameout at last year’s San Francisco half marathon. I finished that race, which felt great, but I think I left
a little of my dignity behind in the port-a-potty at the 8 mile mark. I’m hoping to run the San Francisco race again this July, and the Las Vegas half in November (which is also an excellent excuse to spend a weekend on the strip). If it happens this year, I’m also going to try my first trail run in Death Valley in December. I’ve found that signing up for a race every few months is the right motivation to keep exercising through the year, especially when the weather gets extreme.
That being said, there will always be room in my heart for cookies, and wine, and sauna trips, all of which I indulged in this valentine’s day weekend. I’m still working on mastering the art of balancing my good and guilty indulgences, but practicing them all makes perfect : )