Trying Pure Barre

I've been looking for a new way to add a little cross training to my running routine for a while. I've been hearing about Pure Barre for a while through the blog world, and I decided to google it to see what it was all about. It turns out it is kind of a yoga meets ballet type of fitness class. I discovered there was a studio not 20 minutes from me. A class for first timers was just 10 dollars, so I decided to give it a whirl. 

This was a big deal for me. First of all, I can truly be painfully shy, and the whole idea of struggling through a work out class in front of a whole bunch of people terrified me. When I was 300+ pounds I quit yoga in college after the first class because I just couldn't do it. It was mortifying.

Now that I have lost so much weight, and I am a regular runner. I felt like I was finally ready to attempt another group fitness class. I wore my  princess half-marathon shirt to the class to make me seem more legit. Ha.

When I got to class on Saturday, I was super nervous. I bought some Pure Barre sticky socks to work out in, and then I gathered the work out supplies (tubes, ball, & hand weights). I was shocked to run into an acquaintance at the class. Which of course, just added to my insecurity, because now I would bumble through a work-out in front of someone I knew (and it would keep me from making a run for it).

Soon, we started the work-out. It was pretty fast paced, with little to no down-time.  I did pretty well during the warm-up stage, but I of course had to modify some positions, mainly the plank position. Because I've never have been able to plank ( future fitness goal). The instructor had to help me several times adjust my posture, but not as much as I would have thought.

I actually ended up loving it. 

I chatted with the instructor a little after class, and told her how I'm a runner, but that the class was super challenging. It obviously works different muscles than running a half-marathon. She told me about how she was a runner, and the only thing she did was add pure barre to her running routine, and it shaved 20 minutes off her marathon time.

I do think that working on my muscular strength can only make me a better runner. And I am ready for a new challenge, so I signed up for a month of unlimited classes. 

Finishing the class made me feel pumped and strong in the same way running does. That is why I'm excited to keep going. I can't wait to see how I'll improve.

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