#DumpTheGym, Send Bill to Refine (Plus Oiselle Refine Class)

I don’t usually run much in the winter anyway, but right now I actually can’t run because I strained my hip during the Bellingham Bay Marathon (UPHILL. SO MANY.) and I need to work on strengthening my butt. This works out well because my favorite workout in the world, Refine Method, recently opened a new location that is actually convenient for me from Jersey City.

Located at 131 Perry Street in the West Village, the newest Refine location is not only gorgeous and luxurious (the best showers of my life happen there) but it also has a new-and-improved pulley system for resistance, brand new branded kettlebells, straps, med balls, and a system in place for a bunch of new surprises that haven’t debuted yet.

Not only is my train trip a zillion times better, but my workout is even better too! The new pulley system is smooth and easy to use, with weights in pounds that you can easily adjust – even in the middle of an exercise. The workout is even more intense, but the overall class time is shorter – just 50 minutes gets me the perfect full body workout!  Refine is also an instant mood booster. If I am having a bad day, I always know I will feel better after just one class.

Post by Refine Method.

 

I loved the new spot so much that I brought my neighbor/friend/Oiselle teammate Danielle back in December, and she loved it so much she is now a member – and she’s seen so much improvement that she rearranged her budget for more Refine! Here is a little gallery of us holding on to straps in front of the new pulley system.

I also arranged a free private class for my Oiselle teammates and the Oiselle Flock called #OiselleTakesRefine. We even had Refine’s creator (and our instructor for the day) Brynn Putnam decked out in #FlyStyle.

I love introducing people to my favorite workout because in the last 4.5 years (WOW HOW HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG) since I broke up with the barre and started working out smarter by taking Refine, I’ve seen so much improvement in my strength and my running. I also feel badass lifting heavy (for me) weights. And every class is different, so I never know what to expect, and I usually love (almost) every second. No feeling in the world compares to how I feel as soon as a class ends. I just want to go back for more!

By the way, how clever are these breakup videos? This is Laura. I like her hair.

 Post by Refine Method.

 

All that being said, I’m actually annoyed at myself for not writing this post sooner because Refine has an amazing new promotion that ends soon: #DumpTheGym by Valentine’s Day, and send the bill to Refine. They’ll credit one month of your membership to any 3 month class plan. Dump the gym and work out smarter in the new year – with me!

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Not convinced? Will these awesome instructor videos woo you? Here is Lonnie. I love Lonnie. He is the cutest.

Post by Refine Method.

 

So…. will I see you at Refine? I promise it is fun.

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The next blog post you see from me will be my TCS New York City Marathon Recap.

 

 

TCS NYC Marathon: Believe the Hype

“I’m really glad I did this today. But I’m good. 45 minutes to get out of the park in the freezing cold? Not doing this again!”

After the NYC Marathon ended, I made my way over to the volunteers handing out medals and got mine, and then got a mylar blanket. Then I managed to get through the crowds to the finisher’s bag of food and water. There was no wait by the finisher photos so I had one taken. And then as I continued in the freezing cold wind with just the mylar blanket covering me, too cold to even use my phone to try and get in touch with my husband, I heard a voice I know well behind me.

I turn around and my good friend Ellen was right there behind me, on the phone!

MY ELLEN! What are the chances?

MY ELLEN! What are the chances?

We snapped a photo, kept on freezing, I moaned and whined because my hip hurt and I was so, so, so cold. When would we get the warm cape we were promised when we chose the ‘No Baggage’ option? When would we leave the park? I thought we had a quicker exit because we didn’t have baggage. Why was this taking so long??!

Poor Ellen had to listen to me whine – not even words, just sounds – for the entire trip out of the park. But I am so glad I ran into her because she made that part bearable, and even fun.

We slowly made our way through the park. A few years later, we reached the exit.

But the struggle was not over! We still had to walk a few MORE blocks to get our warm hooded capes. Words cannot describe the feeling of having that warm insulated hood placed over my head!

I am keeping this cape forever.

I am keeping this cape forever.

 

I got on the phone with Andy and he told me where he was, and when Ellen and I departed I was basically dragging my right leg behind me as I walked down a long avenue to find him. My hip hurt and the hood fell off and I couldn’t get it back on and did I mention that it was cold?

Eventually I saw my boys (poor Larry was shivering all day!) and found out we had to walk a few MORE blocks to get to the car. Torture. It was pure torture. I was glad I did this race, I said, but never again.

Cute boys. Cold boys. Great seats.

Cute boys. Cold boys. Great seats.

I went to sleep. I woke up, I went to work. And I thought about the NYC Marathon. Rather, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. For days, for weeks, this race consumed my thoughts.

Because everything they say about the NYC Marathon? Greatest marathon in the world, one big block party, a race like no other, all that? It is all true.

I really thought I’d run the race, get the experience and be done. But no other race – aside from perhaps my first marathon – stuck with me like this. It haunted me, in the most incredible way.

Waiting in the cold before the start didn’t seem so bad. That long and painful exit after? Suddenly seemed worth it in the big picture.

And sure, I ran this race with an injury and spent the last 7 or so miles in a bit of agony, praying for the race to be over – and still, it was beyond anything I can imagine.

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“I’ll never do this race again” turned into “How can I NOT do this race again?!”

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More on my entire experience in my official TCS New York City Marathon recap. Coming soon. Promise.

 

 

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