Workout: Runner's Boot Camp

On Saturday afternoon, I hosted a free Runner's Boot Camp taught by my trainer, Amanda. It was the first workout event that I've hosted through this blog and it was so exciting to see it be such a success!

Liz, Rebecca, Lynette, Heather, me, Laura, Ashley, and Michelle!

There were a few cancellations, so nine of us were put through our paces in this challenging workout. We were the "survivors," as evidenced by our oh-so-hardcore pose at the end. Apparently I missed the memo to smile and instead used my... uh... thug duck face?

Just because I love you, I asked Amanda's permission, and we're sharing with you the workout, the playlist, and even what we ate. So basically, you can recreate the whole afternoon!


The Class
We all gathered in Amanda's beautiful backyard for the class. She not only taught the class for free, she also opened up her home to us! And yes, this is in Manhattan. Gorgeous, right?

Amanda certainly brought it to this class! We started with a dynamic warm-up that had everyone sweating immediately. Then we moved on to the two circuits: legs and core. We did legs twice before moving on to two rounds of the core circuit. Amanda finished us up with some stretches that focus on the calves and hamstrings, AKA those areas that are consistently tight.

Amanda certainly brought it to this class! At one point, probably during the star jumps that Amanda threw in between the circuits as a special surprise, Ashley looked over and saying, "thanks, Jen!" I'd earlier convinced her she could totally handle the class after our long run that morning. Oops. Hope your legs are recovered, Ashley!

The whole class felt like a big sweaty party, with people laughing and making jokes throughout, and chatting during every single break. I'm not sure I've ever had such a fun workout!


The Workout
I am SO excited to share with you all the exact amazing workout that Amanda conducted!

What was particularly cool about class was that Amanda explained why she was leading us through these exercises, telling us that the hips and glutes were often the weakest muscles on runners, and those weaknesses lead to imbalances and injuries. She recommended strength training at least twice a week to combat those problems.

The Food and Drinks!
No workout is complete without refueling and rehydrating, right??

From Amanda's Instagram

After class, we hydrated with Amanda's incredible watermelon slushie and 2B drinks, who kindly sent me a sample pack last week and whose products I'll be reviewing (with a giveaway!). Amanda made the oh-so-refreshing drink by blending frozen watermelon, fresh mint, water, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of agave (Amanda uses Conscious Agave, which is a good brand for this sweetener).

For snacks, I provided a few cut-up Picky Bars and Amanda set out berries. We snacked, chatted, and enjoyed the quiet backyard space that is so rare in New York City!

The Playlist
Amanda put me in charge of the playlist, a responsibility I gladly accepted since I love putting together fun playlists and sharing my latest favorite music.

The first song should run the length of the dynamic warm-up and the cool-down should hit right around the final song, the lovely "Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" arrangement by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.


Finally... thank you!
A HUGE thank you to Amanda for leading us in this amazing class and providing such a lovely space for the class to be held. Everyone kept raving about the class and how amazing Amanda was afterwards. She has been an incredible influence in my life, from getting me to start running to helping me clean up my diet and learn to love healthy, fresh foods. I was so glad that I could share Amanda's sunny attitude and tough training with others!

Thank you also to everyone who attended. It was a fantastic afternoon, and I hope to hold another event soon!