During the past three years, there has never been a week I’ve been silent on runladylike.com. That is, until last week. I’ve been so preoccupied with living my life {aka getting my ass kicked by life}; I haven’t been able to write about said life and the running that makes up such an important part of it. My life odometer has continued ticking off miles, but the airwaves here have been quiet. I know many of you can relate. And I promise to try to not let it happen again.

Here’s what you’ve missed.

Running

The Florida summer heat has continued to make running extremely difficult for me. I ran my longest run since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon this past Saturday thanks to my friend Beth from Discombobulated Running who met me at the beach to log some miles. We ran a slow and soggy 9.3 miles together, but it felt so great to have a friend to run with after so many solo runs at the beach. I swear running with friends makes running so much easier.

I logged about 20 miles last week. Here’s what my week of training looked like:

• Monday: 1 hour at Orangetheory Fitness, including 2.5 miles of intervals on the treadmill, 2,500 meters of rowing and 20 minutes of strength training
• Tuesday: 6 miles easy on the infamous bridge that I have still yet to defeat – I ran the first 3 miles up and over the bridge and then alternated between walking and running the 3 miles back up and over the bridge again given the intense heat.
• Wednesday: 1 hour at Orangetheory Fitness at 5 a.m. with my mom who came and stayed with me at the beach Tuesday night – included 2.7 miles of running, about 1,000 meters of rowing and 15+ minutes of strength training
• Thursday: 1 hour of strength training focused on heavy lifting at Bodyssey (see below for more details)
• Friday: REST
• Saturday: Ran 9.3 easy miles along the beach followed by 75 minutes of restorative yoga at Madeira Beach Yoga
• Sunday: REST (I had planned to exercise on Sunday but woke up with a sore throat and feeling terrible, so I took it easy.)

New Workouts

Perhaps my favorite thing from last week was trying a new fitness studio with Mr. rUnladylike called Bodyssey that I discovered on ClassPass {you can read all about my love for ClassPass here}. It’s a boutique gym in Largo, Florida that focuses on performance and recovery.

You won’t find rows of treadmills or elliptical machines here. It’s all about an innovative way to get stronger and faster using weights, intervals and your own body. I went to a class called Max Muscle that focuses on lifting heavy weights for fewer reps. I bench pressed and did squats with the big-boy bar for the first time! Woot. (See that bar with the green plates in the picture below … that!) I also went to a class called Red Zone that alternated 45 seconds of strength work with 45 seconds of cardio. It is typically a tabata style class.

The best thing about it was that Mr. rUnladylike and I could go together and complete the same workout with different weights. Since we don’t workout together all that often, this studio was really fun for us. I also love that this studio was designed to bring people together. Upon entering, you find a place to sit and gather around an amazing juice and smoothie bar (I can’t stop thinking about the post-workout smoothie I had there last week.).

It is also really reasonably priced compared to the majority of boutique studios I’ve tried. Considering what Mr. rUnladylike and I have dropped on other studios and workouts, I think the studio offers an amazing deal for what you get. The head trainer, Drew, is incredibly knowledgeable and takes the time to correct your form and ensure you are doing things properly. The one-on-one attention has been such an effective and motivating factor. Since this is the only location, I know that doesn’t help all of you reading from around the country and globe, but the experience is so awesome that I had to tell you about it. If you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop in for a workout. {Note: I found this studio on my own and paid for it as part of my monthly ClassPass membership. I do not have a relationship with this studio nor did they ask me to write about it.}

I also really enjoyed going to restorative and yin yoga at Madeira Beach Yoga during my stint living at the beach. Their new studio overlooks the intercoastal which is just so peaceful for doing yoga. They have a great 75-minute class that is excellent for my tight legs and hips and an awesome first-time student rate of 5 classes for just $30 which I took full advantage of.

Florida + Friends + Family

The past few weeks have been filled with time spent with family and friends. The very best part about moving back to Florida is how close we are to family. From a weekend with my good friends from college to celebrating birthdays with family to having my mom simply come spend the night on a random Tuesday, it has been amazing to be back with so many people we love. Here’s a little peak into my “friends and family time” the past two weeks:

Moving. Again.

Sigh. The rUnladylikes are moving. Again. We are building a house in Tampa that won’t be finished until April of 2016. Until then, we are nomads. After spending our first 2.5 months in Florida at the beach, we are going to be staying with family for a few weeks. Until we move again. I seriously would rather run a 20-mile training run than pack up my four suitcases every 4 to 5 weeks. I miss my furniture in storage and I need a place to call home! The beach was incredible to live at for a while, and I know we will still spend a lot of time there.

Travel.

I’m starting another travel bender this week. I’m currently in Chicago for a few days for work, then I go to Atlanta and then finally to New England for a little vacation with Mr. rUnladylike. The next two weeks are going to be a whirlwind, but I’m looking forward to it. My suitcase weighed 56 pounds at the airport this morning. That will make for a little extra strength training, right?

Summer Love.

Speaking of traveling, I’ll be in Atlanta this weekend hosting a running bachelorette party for my dear friend Running for Bling. Yes, I said running bachelorette party. I’ll share more soon and how you can host a fabulous running-themed party or weekend of your own.

She and her hubby were even featured in Runner’s World’s Zelle recently. You can see the full article here.

Also, a big shout out to my awesome friend Teesha (who has made numerous appearances on runladylike.com) for getting engaged this week. So much to celebrate.

Well, that’s what has been happening with me the past week. I hope your week is off to a great start!

How was your week last week? How did your training go? Have you tried any new workouts lately?