Confession: I took a serious break from working out after the marathon in October. Like, five months without any kind of workout. And while it was awesome at first (so much extra time!), it started to feel really gross. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the kind of girl who loves working out. I grew up riding horses and was always able to stay in shape from riding almost every day. Running became my new thing after moving to Chicago and it was enjoyable because I was working toward a goal, but after two marathons and five half marathons, I’m feeling a bit burnt out. I just haven’t felt like running – it’s become somewhat of a chore and oh my god does marathon training take up so much time.

At the Nike Training Club LA event in March, I took my first spin class with Holly Rilinger of Flywheel – I was actually dreading this session as I had never really been interested in spin and I figured it would be similar to the dreaded treadmill where time feels like it’s crawling because you’re moving without actually going anywhere. But you know what? It was actually pretty fun. It gave me a cardio ass-kicking I’ve grown to love from running but in a much shorter amount of time (45 mins is nothin’ compared to a long run!). I wasn’t totally hooked but I was definitely feeling more open-minded about spin and the entire NTC LA event made me feel motivated about fitness once again. I came home and signed up for two half marathons and was ready to focus on running for yet another year and rekindle my love of distance running.

Fast forward to today and I finally feel like I’m back in the groove, and you know what? Running isn’t part of it. After struggling since March to find any motivation to hit the pavement, I realized that running didn’t have to be the answer. It didn’t have to be my only workout option. I didn’t want to run because I had to, I wanted to be active because I wanted to. So I decided to give Flywheel another shot – and it was fun and fit in really well with my schedule. And before I knew it, I was going almost every day.

I’m starting to mix in CorePower Yoga and some weight training and I’m finally feeling back in the groove with my fitness routine. I’m not running and that’s okay (in fact, I’m skipping half marathon #1 next weekend). I’ve totally surprised myself with how much I now look forward to working out almost every day – being active just feels good. With the dramatic increase in workouts has come the dramatic need to stock up on workout gear and make sure I’m staying hydrated. A few of my go-tos at the moment:

c/o Nuun // Zella Leggings //  c/o Nike Sports Bra // Lululemon Tank
// c/o Nike TR4 Trainers // SweatyBands Headband // Balega Socks //
c/o Nike FuelBand // c/o Po Campo Weekender Bag // c/o CamelBak Water Bottle //

Have you found a fitness routine that works well with your lifestyle? What are some of your favorite workouts? Do you have any workout gear recommendations as I stock up?