Color Your Run

If you’ve kept up with my previous posts, I hope that you have taken advantage of the many amazing running applications and gym classes to form an exercise habit. Perhaps you have truly satisfied your craving for a distraction when completing your coursework through exercising. Or maybe you have defined your exercise cue – the completion of an assignment, perhaps– to determine when to head out for your next jog. Throughout this next post, I hope to educate you on the special opportunity to obtain an even greater reward than the typical satisfaction of completing a run or taking a class. Instead, I hope to educate you on the reward of exercising and benefiting charity simultaneously through an event called The Color Run.

Having participated in the event this past summer, I have become increasingly excited to share with you the many great benefits of attending.

The event plays out as follows:

First, you create a team. The fun starts here, as you have the opportunity to train for the run in advance with your friends and coordinate matching attire. The Color Run committee will also provide you with matching tops, headlamps, and glow in the dark tattoos to increase the event’s hype.

Next, you enter the pre-event, where you gain exposure to the many charities and festivities associated with the run. Then finally, you enter the line up. As lights flash and music blasts, you have the ability to dance with friends and excite yourself for the 5K running race to come. And as soon as the whistle blows, you are able to take off. 

As you approach the first checkpoint, you find volunteers angling paint towards your bodies…. And the trend continues. As you arrive at the following checkpoints, you are rewarded with a new color of paint. This way, when you approach the finish line, you are decked out in a crazy rainbow décor.

At the end, you are greeted with another surprise. But I will let you find that one out for yourself. You have developed the exercise habit, but now it is time for the best reward of them all - The race that gives a whole new meaning to exercise adrenaline and benefits charity as well. If you are interested, I have attached the link below for pre-registration to the Color Run in Ypsilanti this upcoming year. The fun starts now – time to Color Your Run.

http://thecolorrun.com/

Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. New York, New York: Random House

Mile High Run Club

Final and immediate boarding call… I repeat… Final and immediate boarding call. Grab your sneakers, headphones, and cell, and you’re ready for the run of a lifetime.

For those of you who are just starting to read my posts, my prior blog focused in on super exciting exercise classes in Ann Arbor. But because I totally get the whole “independence” ordeal that our parents keep mentioning (sucks to be a senior), I have dedicated this blog to outdoor running; the most affordable of workout methods.

People always ask me, how are you motivated to run outside in Ann Arbor? Aren’t you bored of passing the Michigan theatre and Amers on every run? And the answer is yes, I do, and that would bore me too. But recently, I’ve found the best way to keep on moving: Mapmyrun.

That’s right. This app will save your life. But seriously…I can thank this app for saving me from running into the wilderness that we call Michigan too many times. Mapmyrun has many benefits that will help you maximize your running experience. Sponsored by Under Armour, one of Mapmyrun’s best abilities includes it’s database of past runner routes. In other words, should you want to change up the scenery, you have the ability to click in on anyone’s past routes (mileage listed), and wallah! A new running route is on your way.

I also love Mapmyrun because of its automated messages. When you’re trying to sprint 2 miles, it’s often difficult to look down on your phone and check how fast you need to sprint to beat your time. With Mapmyrun, the application will shout out (over your music) the distance you’ve traveled, the time it’s taken to travel that far, and the average speed you’ve run at (if you’ve run more than 1 mile).

Whether you’re trying to beat your speed, or ready for a new view, Mapmyrun is the app for you. Download it in the Apple store for free and get ready to up your miles (I hope that the recency effect applies, so that you remember to download the application if nothing else!) (Babin/Harris, p148). Now, are you ready for takeoff?

PS: Yes, I am trying to persuade you to run, changing your attitudes about running to make running appear more favorable (Babin/Harris, p138).

Read Tom’s Guide to learn more about the benefits of this application, and learn about other similar applications that might appeal to you:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-running-apps,review-2285.html

Verb: It's What You Do

We study eat, sleep, tailgate, and...then repeat, right? That's the consensus. And with the overload of work that many of us receive, I don’t blame you.  In the midst of our busy schedules, it’s often easy to forget to do one important thing: exercise.

At school’s it’s such a commitment, dropping your work to trek to the dingy CCRB for a “mediocre” workout.

But this year, it’s different. Ann Arbor has introduced many ways to compel students to exercise. And that’s why I’m blogging, hoping to provide you with some exercise secrets and convincing you that giving up that small resource of time is worth the great benefits associated (Chapter 2 Value Presentation, Angell).

For my first blog, I’m focusing on Ann Arbor’s new classes: Orange Theory, Pure Barre, and Title Boxing.

At Orange Theory, the instructors blast music, providing us with motivating instructions to quicken our mile, better our stamina and strengthen our core. Many UM students flock here to enjoy the difficult yet rewarding experience with their friends (Do I hear high experiential value?) (Chapter 2 Value Presentation, Angell). And what’s best: You’ll get the first TWO classes free. Just ask! From then on, you can purchase money-saving packages. Should you want to attend additional classes, you can pay for just one more class at the discounted price you’d received in your package!

 Pure Barre and Title Boxing are quite different, yet equally rewarding. For $99 this month at Pure Barre, you'll obtain access to unlimited classes. Title is also a great place to become a member. While one might characterize Title as solely a boxing class, the first 15min are cardio, and the last 15min are core. It’s an all-in-one and the first time is free!

A workout a day keeps the doctor away, right? So go ahead and try the new AA classes to find your work out motivation.

Here's a picture of a few of my friends and I at the Title Boxing studio in Ann Arbor.

And here are a few of the links to my favorite classes:

http://www.orangetheoryfitness.com/ann-arbor

http://purebarre.com/mi-annarbor/

http://annarbor-stadiumblvd.titleboxingclub.com/