Hitting the Plateau

It's true-- I cannot seem to bust my 8:30/pace. In face, I am doing worse!

I ran the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge with a very respectable 8:03 min/mile but that was for 3.5 miles. My last runs have been averaging 8:45 minute miles :( Looking back at these three runs:

Run One
Distance: 4 miles
Average Pace: 8:42/mile
   Mile 1: 8:23
   Mile 2: 8:57
   Mile 3: 9:01
   Mile 4: 8:27

Run Two
Distance: 6 miles
Average Pace: 8:42/mile
   Mile 1: 8:25
   Mile 2: 8:52
   Mile 3: 9:04
   Mile 4: 8:51
   Mile 5: 8:35
   Mile 6: 8:25

Run Three
Distance: 3.35 miles
Average Pace: 8:43/miles
   Mile 1: 8:50
   Mile 2: 8:31
   Mile 3: 8:35

What I see from here -> My pace is everywhere!

I need to pay more attention to my pace on my runs... and really do the whole tempo/pace/long run. Not sure I can pick it up in time for the Rock n Roll Dublin-- but plenty more I suppose to look forward to! How do you, lovely internet people-- deal with setbacks?

One thing though I will say-- regardless of my distance, I am consistent overall: silver lining and all that :D

Lunch for the Week: Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup
   ^ Deliciously spicy and makes quite a lot for continuous lunches. Served with crusty bread this is a sure fire winner
Yummy Dish: Purple Potato Salad
   ^ Seriously, go find purple potatoes. This salad is amazing. If you are in London, Turnips in Borough Market has them

Project Fit: A Review

So today was my last class from my 10-day Project Fit try-out. Wanted to provide some thoughts on the place in case others were looking into it!

Classes: I did three of the normal classes (tried to get into the running one but there was a wait list). And was an intense 50-60 minute workout. We swapped between the floor (where we used mats, free weights, and steps) and the treadmill (hills and speed workouts). Bit of time (~1-2 minutes) between sets. Definite workout.. definite sweat box. For the treadmills they would shout out three different speed settings so you could push yourself to any of those.

The big thing here was EVERY class was different. I was not doing the same routine for any of my 3 classes within the 10 day period. This is good, because it shocks your body into new workouts and routines, thus burning more calories and not really giving you a chance to 'go easy' or plateau. (9/10)

Instructors: I only had Joel as an instructor but he was very good. Not crazy pushy, but there in case you had any issues and offered corrective movements on posture. Always moving around, between the floor and the treadmills, making sure everyone was doing OK. When changing moves on the floor, he would demonstrate the workout as well, very useful for someone who does not know the difference between a tricep extension and a curl (well now I do). (10/10)

Facilities: Free lockable lockers, plus sweat towel and shower towel. The ladies changing/shower room was a bit small and there was a queue for the showers for both my 0720 classes. The 0620 one there was none. I am lucky my office is nearby so I just went back there and showered. But I had a peek back there, and everything looked nice and clean, which for a ladies shower is saying something... what it looks like at the end of day I cannot comment on  (7/10)

Cost: Like any boutique gym (not sure if that is the official name), its a bit pricey unless you start buy in bulk. Classes start out at around 20 GBP a class. There are quite a few package available, but the break down is still quite pricey. Let's assume you go 4 times a month, once a week. (5/10)

• PAYG: 20 quid (1 credit = 1 GBP, 20 credit for one normal class)
• Bundle of 240 credits (total 204 GBP): 12 classes over 3 months, averaging to be 17 GBP/class
• One Month Unlimited (220 GGP): Includes express classes as well as standard one hour classes. Still assuming you stick to 4 classes a month this equates to a whopping 55 GBP/class! You would never choose this option unless you are doing at least 12 classes in a month, or 3 classes a week

Right now I think cost is the most prohibitive thing about this gym. However, that being said, I have never sweated as much in my normal gym classes than I did in these. Maybe its because you start out at intense and have the option to go into beast mode, whereas normal gym classes its such a wide range of people and skills you feel you can coast along, and the desire to push harder is not as 'there'. Its like in University when your class size was over 100... you felt like you blended in and could get by without getting noticed by the professor. If you have a smaller class (10 people), that anonymity suddenly diminishes and you feel like you must perform or be noticed by the teacher. 

Verdict: Will probably make it part of my strength routine once a month, or when I need to change things up in my workouts. Will not be using it exclusively though, I still feel gyms provide more flexibility and value for money.