Tag Archives: atlanta

Exploring the Atlanta BeltLine

25th August 2015

Every August in Atlanta, without fail, we are granted one week where mother nature decides she’ll pretend fall isn’t two months away, giving us a heavenly taste of cool mornings, crisp breezes and an excuse to wear white jeans with boots before it becomes socially unacceptable. Then it’s back to ninety degree, ninety percent humidity days until October.

That week happens to be this week. ?

The view from our Dragon Army deck

I’m soaking up every second between working from our Dragon Army deck that overlooks Piedmont Park (we are spoiled over here) and getting over to the Atlanta BeltLine for evening classes and runs without suffering from heat exhaustion.

If you haven’t heard of the Atlanta BeltLine, you might be living under a sad, less colorful, sun deprived rock somewhere. Seriously, take a break and head there now. The murals alone are worth your Instagram feed.

Sunset from the Eastside trail // A look from the golf course along the Northside trail

With the near weekly new additions at Ponce City Market and a new restaurant or apartment popping up just as frequently, it’s nearly impossible to miss the buzz around one of Atlanta’s best urban development projects.

Aside from all of the eating (of which I could write a dozen posts), the Atlanta BeltLine is also home to some of the best workouts in the city.

Situated next door to each other and just before the Ponce de Leon Avenue bridge, both Urban Body Studios and The Training Room ATL offer a myriad of classes from yoga, to pilates, TRX and even CrossFit style circuit training.

https://instagram.com/p/6QwzIgg8F-/?taken-by=katelarson12

If running the trail isn’t your thing, but you’re still looking for a cardio fill, check out Urban Body Studio’s Urban Explosion or one of the many daily classes at The Training Room ATL. With both, you’ll find a sixty minute sweat session packed with jumping lunges, medicine balls, pull ups and box jumps. The Training Room ATL rounds out each circuit with sprints out to the BeltLine in quick succession, keeping you both inside and out during the full routine.

A look inside The Training Room ATL

If you’re on the lookout for something a little more mellow, King of Pops offers a free yoga in the park session each Tuesday in the Historic Forth Ward park. I have yet to make it out to this one personally, but have heard nothing but great things from friends who’ve become regulars. Free yoga outdoors with hundreds of new friends? Yes, please. One can only hope there’s a chocolate sea salt pop waiting at the finish, as that would be delightful.

Image via #KOPYoga

If you’re like me and a good old walk/run is usually your best bet for getting beyond the gates of Piedmont Park, then take advantage of the Atlanta BeltLine Race Series which will hit its stride ?over the next few months. Both the Southeast 8K and the Eastside 10K are great races for exploring our city and always have the best Atlanta themed t-shirts at the finish line. Because, let’s be honest, I’m not the only one who judges the quality of a race by the public wearability of the free t-shirt.

Exploring the city can seem like a daunting task for the everyday, even more so when that city is your hometown. Luckily, with little gems like these, it’s easy to slide into a routine that’s anything but with endless possibilities to explore.

Not convinced? Check out Eventbrite for even more ideas to get started. Then go send a quick message to Mother Nature begging her to let this “cold front” last more than 72 hours.

A special thanks to Eventbrite for the inspiration for today’s post. While all thoughts, ideas and opinions expressed within this post are my own, you can count me in for some of their events this fall. If you are planning an even, be sure to check out Eventbrite’s event management page for all the info and tools you need to host an event of your own.

ClassPass Atlanta: Trial Week Review

27th May 2015

For the past seven years, I’ve had a fairly healthy relationship with running, but like any great romance, it hasn’t been without its bumps. I’ve been committed, and this time, to a fault. Just a few months ago, it seemed my hip was calling it quits. Stubborn as usual, I forced myself to rest and when all else failed six weeks later, to the sports doc, I went.

The culprit? Not enough muscle to support all of those miles. A stubborn running routine and little strength training had done quite the number to my hips. Here we are another six weeks later, following many a date with PT instead of the trails, and I’m finally starting to feel like myself again. A much stronger version of myself.

As much as I’d like to stick to my cost-effective running relationship, my glutes and abs disagree. It turns out the whole saga was just the push I (and my frugal bank account) needed to give ClassPass a try.

One hour warning! What class are you signing up for at noon?

A photo posted by ClassPass (@classpass) on May 20, 2015 at 8:06am PDT

I’m one week into my ClassPass trial and I could not be more in love with the program. I’m not one for a gym (that machine does what again?) and easily find myself getting bored with one style of fitness class. ClassPass has done away with that.

The premise, and the price, are quite simple. Here in Atlanta, you’ll pay $79 for a month of unlimited classes at unlimited studios around town. The only catch? You can only visit each studio (or group like a Pure Barre or FlyWheel) three times in a month. A catch that equates to more spontaneity and less comfort.

As my sore butt can only handle a hand full of classes in a week, I’ve enlisted my former roommate, Kate to weigh in on reviews of what we’ve tried so far. Give us a month and hopefully we’ll have some favorites, but for now, we love just about everything.

Kate and I at every ClassPass class this week

VibeRide Midtown

Class: Rhythm Ride

A spin class with a live DJ spinning R&B from the 90’s? Yes please. This didn’t take much convincing and I don’t think I have ever sweat that much during a half marathon. The staff was incredibly welcoming to us newcomers and we felt right at home. It also helped to have some spirited regulars in the audience.

The interesting catch in this class was that it also combined light upper body movements with resistance on the bike for a full body workout. The only downside was as the class moved so quickly (and I myself am not the world’s most coordinated), I found myself wondering at times if my form was a hot mess.

This one will definitely take some getting used to, but I’m excited to go back. I’ve heard similar reviews from FlyWheel, so that’s on the list as well. The small class size and friendly staff of VibeRide certainly gave it bonus points.

Svelte Brookhaven

Class: Signature Barre

After working on the small muscle groups in my abs and glutes nearly exclusively during physical therapy, I knew I’d love this class. I had only taken one barre class in the past, so this was a welcomed refresher.

The studio was beautiful and again, Celia leading this class could not have been more welcoming. I’m not sure why I expected to be treated like a serial studio switcher with ClassPass, but so far I’ve been dead wrong on that point, and wonderfully so.

Again, as a newbies to the studio (Kate joining me for this class) we were incredibly impressed with Celia’s attention to detail and recommendations to ensure each exercise was reaching its maximum potential. This one is in running distance from my house, so I may have to invest in extra classes on the side. Though, Pink Barre and Pure Barre have also gotten rave reviews, so I’ll be visiting those soon as well.

From here, I’ll hand it over to Kate to tell you a little about herself and the ClassPass classes she’s tried so far.

Before I dive in you, a little background on my fitness history. I have been an aspiring runner for almost 10 years now and LOVE weight training. I was never really into the “fitness class thing”. In fact, all signs pointed me in the opposite direction

With a crazy work/travel schedule, it was almost impossible to commit to anything regularly
I get bored…QUICKLY. Running seems dull today? Cool, I’ll hit the weights. Not feeling the elliptical? Sweet, maybe Kaitlyn’s up for a running date
I need to be challenged. My body and my mind need to be pushed, and I thought I needed to be in control to make sure that happened

As you may notice I am speaking in past tense. Kaitlyn and ClassPass converted me. From hot pavement and smelly weight rooms to yoga mats and hard wood dance floors, I’m hooked. With so many classes to choose from it’s easy to find time, impossible to get bored and I have been challenged by more barre instructors than I’d care to admit.

Stellar Bodies Buckhead

Class: SPX Total Body

My first thought when reading about the Megaformer heads immediately to something out of Transformers. The pictures are reminiscent of a torture device and the website proclaims, “a challenging workout that may not be suitable for beginners. Come prepared to work hard!” I’m in.

Memorial Day weekend kept the class was small, but with only 8-10 machines, the class size is always limited. This lead to plenty of one-on-one time with an instructor, ensuring beginners, like me, keep the correct form.

What a humbling workout. I lift weights and run, shouldn’t be too hard right? Wrong. The funky gliding machine activated muscles I didn’t even know I had. The instructor was welcoming, encouraging and challenging, and when I couldn’t complete an exercise (believe me, I tried) she provided alternatives so I could continue to push myself.

Stellar Bodies not only helps you build muscle and core strength, but also challenges your mental toughness. It was unique, fun, engaging and rewarding. However, heed the warning. If you’re a fitness beginner (or took a little fitness vacay) build up some strength and then check out SPX Total Body to push you further.

Hopefully after all of that fitness rambling, we’ve convinced you to lace up (or buy some Nike Studio Wraps) and get started with ClassPass. While they regularly run a free 10 day trial, (which is what I used to get started) sign up with this link and you’ll get $10 off of your first month. Oh and I’ll get a credit too, so it’s a win-win for both of us. Whatcha waiting for?

Interested in following our journey? Tried ClassPass and want to send us your class recommendations? Comment here or find Kate and I on Twitter: @KateLarson12, @KaitlynDennihy.

To the midtown miles…

22nd August 2014

I’ve officially crossed Peachtree, up the stairs at 14th and back into the Promenade for the last time. After four years, my company, Moxie, is moving to a bigger office space. Which while exciting, is sadly no longer in midtown. I could list on and on the experiences I have 1230 Peachtree Street to thank for, but it feels the best to start and end with running.

If the UGA Botanical Gardens were my meet cute to my run relationship, midtown is where I feel in love. Over the past four years, I’ve logged hundreds of miles on the streets here, learned to love hills and trained for my first (and second, third, fourth and fifth) half marathon. I’m sure I’ll be back, but it most likely won’t be several nights per week.

A la Jimmy Fallon…

Thank you, to that stretch from Monroe to Beverly to Peachtree for teaching me what it means to climb a hill and how it feels to make it to the top without dying.

Thank you, Ansley Park for your extra wide streets, allowing me to steal an extra mile when the fall sunset came too quickly without fear of being hit by a car.

Thank you, midtown neighborhoods to your Halloween and Christmas decorations, for well, just being plain pretty.

Thank you, Atlanta Beltline for the always smiling faces and the search for the Beltline cat or that lady that pulled her dog in a wagon to kept me entertained on those hot, no shade afternoons.

Thank you, Piedmont Park for an endless array of leaves for crunching. It seems fall in Piedmont is allowed to go on three times as long as anywhere else in the city.

And finally, thank you, to the running community of Atlanta for being out there with me during a pop-up thunderstorm, blooming of spring flowers or even the ever elusive winter flurries that sent the rest of the city into hiding.

To midtown making me into a runner. Thank you.