Fitness Swellness: More from Nike Toronto run clubs

Hello, Toronto runners — you’re in luck (whether you’re a newbie or seasoned runner) as Nike Toronto has expanded their run club offerings. Having talked to runners in the city and learning that they wanted both longer runs, and more of them, and some folks wanting to get into running, here’s what Nike is serving up:

Out of the Eaton Centre Nike store (you’ll find it on the lower level of the EC) is their Gridlock Runners run club. The sched:

Mondays at 6:30PM: track work or tempo runs to help you improve your pace

Tuesdays at 6:30PM: rookie runs for those looking to learn to run

Thursdays at 6:30PM: club runs (more of a fun run, some sort of social element — think yoga stretches post-run, or yes, drinks!)

Saturdays at 8:30AM: long runs (distance will vary but you can expect a run of about 15 to 20k)

Out of Black Toe Running on Wednesdays is the  Queen West run club:

Wednesdays at 6:30PM: two distances offered (about 5k for the shorter run and 7-10k for the longer run), but you can also expect a mix of tempo, intervals or hill training, too

Besides more run club training options, Toronto runners who join in can also anticipate more services — so a nutritionist might come and speak about fueling for your runs, for example.

The clubs are drop-in and free, so it’s easy to find people to run with if you’re downtown and you need the extra boost running with a group can provide (I know I find it helpful to mix up running on my own with a running buddy or group, especially for longer runs!). Check it out (and say hi if you do — I’m sometimes at the Queen West run club on Wednesdays!)!

1 Comment August 22, 2014

Sprint your way fit

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably notice that I gripe about hill training once a week or so. Truth is, I don’t hate it…it’s just a tougher workout and I have a mild dislike for it, but in reality it’s not absolutely excruciating.

What I really, really, really don’t like? Speed training. Which is why I didn’t want to read the details on the findings of this study (in fact, I was very tempted to just gloss over it and block it from my mind — in the same way I try to pretend my eyes haven’t seen tweets spoiling the finale for Top Chef).

This research published in the American Journal of Human  Biology set out to find whether high-intensity workouts versus endurance workouts offer equal cardio benefits, and I had a sinking feeling it was high-intensity that would win–and it did.

Both groups experienced cardiovascular benefits, however, the high-intensity group experienced them in having worked out 15 percent of the time of the endurance group.

I’ll take working out less efficiently over more time to get similar healthy-heart results–such is the hate-on I have for sprints.

1 Comment April 7, 2011