There was a lot of sweating, a lot of pavement-pounding, a lot of celebrating this weekend.
It all started Thursday night with an event at one of my favorite studios, Sweat Chicago. They threw a St. Patrick’s Day workout/happy hour called “Sweat, Sliders and Brews.” The workout started at 7:45 and was followed immediately by food and drinks from Hopsmith Tavern (another place I’ve been keen on ever since I learned they have a giant Twister board in their upstairs bar). I’ve been to a handful of workout/happy hour combo events since I moved to the city, but nothing kicked my butt more than Thursday night’s workout.
What was supposed to be a quick 45 minute workout turned into a hellish three-workout partner combo: A 15-minute AMRAP, an 8-minute AMRAP, and a partner chipper workout. Oh, and the warmup was a burpee contest (which I supposedly “won” but I must have counted wrong because I got 31 in two minutes and I swear to god I’ve never done more than 15 in a minute but hooookay). Needless to say it was a doozy. The chipper was fun because we got to choose how we broke up the exercises, so a lot of teamwork and communication was happening the whole time. We were matched with a partner we didn’t know, and while in typical ice breaker activities this is one of my biggest pet peeves, ever since I’ve become more comfortable in the fitness community in Chicago I think it was a great idea. I was paired with a really nice girl who had never been to Sweat before so I was happy to make her feel more comfortable and have fun with the workout.
After we finally finished, it was time to attack the food. My favorite part about fitness junkies? We know how to EAT. No rabbit food here.
Buffalo chicken sliders, mini chili dogs, sliders, cobb salad chicken wraps, hummus, ranch, and veggies. Plus a post-sweat drink (beer never tasted so good!)
We came. We sweat. We conquered.
Other events the past few days included date night with my one and only (aka my best friend and the only man who will let me dress him up for a lululemon photo shoot and then make him buy me tacos).
I did my duty and exposed yet another friend to the beauty that is Velvet Taco. Spencer is obsessed now too and we have a standing lunch date next Saturday. It’s kind of a big deal.
I’m eating my way through their menu, so I tried two new tacos: the Annatto Shredded Pork (avocado crema, house shred, grilled pineapple, pickled onion, queso fresco, and cilantro) and the Rotisserie Chicken (white queso, roasted corn pico, cilantro, and smoked poblano salsa).
Since I plan on trying everything on the menu (except beef options) AND it’s officially March Madness season, I’m thinking I should start a Taco Bracket for this place. Right now the Tikka Chicken and the Rotisserie Chicken would be leading the pack, but I’ll be sure to go back and do further research.
Of course the weekend wouldn’t be complete without some St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans. It was a bright and sunny day spent outside with friends. And although I almost ate a piece of pizza off the ground (that is not even remotely close to an exaggeration), I was one of the behaved ones. Check out that police blotter!
The rest of the week I was busy chipping away at my #100milemarch challenge (which is going really well, by the way!) Daylight Savings + weather in the mid 50s all week made for perfect running temps. I ran almost every day last week and even though my legs felt like tree trunks through some of those miles, I didn’t regret a single run. I love my city when it starts to come alive this time of year.
Bridge pic – can you tell it’s rush hour?
I even managed to snap a quick video of the beach just after the sunrise on my long run Saturday morning
Spring is in the air and you can feel it. It’s the perfect time to tackle those fitness goals you’ve been putting off since January, and definitely a great time to get creative in the kitchen. I know this is the time of year when my creative juices start flowing!
Questions:
- Who wants to come visit me? I’m in the mood to host 🙂 If you visited, what’s the ONE thing you’d want to do in Chicago?
- St. Patty’s Day — did you celebrate?
- Outdoor running — is your town ready, or are you still buried by winter
i had a big lunch 
ME!!!! I mean, you owe me a taco date too. I met a mate for a cheeky beer in the afternoon on Sunday and they dyed the beers green. It was so lame.
Hahahaha people in Chicago go crazy for that cheesiness! Green beer everywhere! “Cheeky beer” lol
Your weekend sounds 1000x more fun than mine!! It looks like it was such great weather for being outside celebrating St Patricks day! Baltimore is ready for outdoor running, but unfortunately my body isn’t quite there yet. If I ever come back to Chicago I need to run outside there! I visited about 7 or 8 years ago but it was in February so I ran on the treadmill. At least my hotel gym had a big window so I could look outside.
Glad to hear Baltimore is thawing out! Definitely come back and we’ll go on a run 🙂 nothing better than a run in the summer around here.
So fun and so much done! I love it! You look so beautiful and I love your energy and enthusiasm about living life, sweating, and eating! Yum, I love tacos so much! I’m a little obsessed with them, so Velvet Taco sounds like a major win! 🙂 Look at you winning burpee contests!! What a fit girl! Have a fabulous week!! Oh and the beer at the gym pic, saying a total frat move, hehehe, I loved that- too funny!! XOXO
Hahaha burpees are the worst, aren’t they? But that one exercise can whip your butt into shape!
Velvet taco bracket. GENIUS
Thank you I try
Workout + beer looks like a winner! Your whole weekend looks awesome, actually. I love the excitement of spring and warmer weather too. It definitely has warmed up down here and it makes me so happy.
It puts everyone in a good mood! I can’t get enough. Spring and Fall are the best. Love the “transition” seasons 🙂
Ooh that sweat workout looks like a fun one – I like doing partner workouts too, makes a nice change to ‘just being in your own head’ doing a workout.
Oh I am dying to visit you in Chicago! Can we do everything? The sights, the amazing food, and a couple of workouts thrown in???
Yep! Block off a week of your schedule and get your butt over here! I even have two awesome Crossfit boxes I can take you too so there’s no excuse now!
Oh those sliders. Those tacos! I have been hearing great things about velvet tacos and I am definitely heading there when I am in Chicago in October!
T-minus seven months! I’ll definitely meet you for some tacos 🙂
I might be slow in recognizing this, but I like your new photo! Man, that workout looks wild! 100 goblet squats, partner or not, that’s terrible! I had a partner chipper on Sunday as well, one of the moves was weighted lunges. Ugh. A 53lb KB made my glutes painful to sit on today haha! But yeah, so many activities you did! Fun fun weekend!
I went easy on the weights because at that point my body was toast! Definitely a challenge. Thank god there was food at the finish line. 53lb KB? Yeah I’ll leave that to the big dogs haha that’s nuts!
Looks like you had such a fun weekend!! Workouts, friends, food….nothing better 🙂 happy Monday, friend!!
Agreed — it was the perfect weekend 🙂
I’m so happy for outdoor running! I also love exercising followed by eating all the food 🙂
Those tacos sound delicious. If I were to visit Chicago, you’d have to take me there so I could eat all the tacos too!
That seems to be the #1 request 😉 So heck yes I’d make that happen!
YAY SPRING!! It looks like your weekend was a blast! I love that you had a party at the gym. That food looks delish. 🙂 I am kind of old so I didn’t really celebrate St. Paddy’s unless you count all the Irish coffees I drank at my mom’s house. Which I don’t because I would have been drinking them anyway. I hope you are having a fantastic Monday girl!
Irish coffee is so good! I just started liking it this year and I’ve been loving it. Yay for long runs and celebratory drinks!
God, this weekend. I tried to hide in my apartment in my nice, quiet, residential area as much as possible all weekend, because every time I went anywhere, I immediately regretted making that decision. A couple of years ago I spent both the Friday AND Saturday nights of St. Patrick’s Day in Wrigleyville, and whoa baby. That was enough St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago to last me an entire lifetime. (I think I had a grand total of one drink between those two days, so I wouldn’t say that *I* was the problem, but boy oh boy. You see things you’ll never unsee in Wrigley that weekend.)
You really, really don’t. I got such a kick out of the police blotter! Because even though I was out and about and saw some hilarious things, nothing compares to what I read on that blotter lol. I think I’ll be avoiding Wrigley next year, if only for my safety!
That sweat happy hour looks so sweet! I would love to do something like that! There’s nothing better than a cold beer after a tough workout! I celebrated St. Patty’s day and am still feeling it! Getting old is no joke!
Workout + an ice cold beer is a perfect combination. I’ve rarely done it before but now I know just how delicious it tastes!
Yay! That workout looks intense! I have loved being able to run outside finally. I also loved running to the donut store and running home carrying my donut. I looked absurd.
You ran carrying a donut?! Hahaha that’s too funny. I do that all the time, where I run somewhere and it makes total sense, but then on the way home I look like a goon. Usually I’m not dressed properly by that time of night and I’m freezing haha. Now I want a donut!
If someone always had food waiting for me after a workout, I’d do it much more often! I’ve only been to Chicago once and it was during September. I’m sure it’s beautiful this time of year!
Hahaha so true! And yes — it’s beautiful in September, but spring/summer is the best! You’ll have to come back 🙂
A workout and then happy hour afterwards is pretty much my dream. I don’t think I would ever be able to do a normal workout again!
Hahaha it was definitely a treat. That’s why the minute I heard about it I signed up! I think next year for my birthday I’m gonna do the same thing and throw a workout and post-party 🙂
I want to visit and eat some TACOS! I’m going to my favorite Mexican place on Wednesday and it cannot come soon enough (even though I live down the road and could go there now…)
I didn’t celebrate St. Patty’s Day but tomorrow at my work we have GREEN bagels! Permission to have three? GRANTED!
I am almost ready to run outside…still a bit nippy here 😦
Green bagels?! Awesome! I want to work at a bagel shop for a day — better yet make it a week. Permission to have as many as your body wants — granted!!
Ahh I totally need to come visit and try out this taco place! I have only been to Chicago once and did all the tourist things, I want to see all the cool local stuff they have to offer, it sounds like such a fun city!
The tourist stuff is great — you have to do it — but you’ll definitely have to come back and do some of the not-so-well-known stuff with me!
Fun!! Your love for your taco place reminds me of my love for my taco place (Torchy’s Tacos) here in Austin. Love it!
Everyone should have “their” taco place 🙂 it’s awesome haha
I was so sad to miss the downtown shenanigans this year. Looks like a super fun weekend!
It was pretty fun haha but I’m definitely getting a little old for it 😉 I hope the green dye in the river hasn’t faded yet cuz I want to go see it today. It probably is though haha.
If you are feeling too old for it than you can only imagine my guy and I trying to keep up last year. It was hysterical!!!