Category: Fitness

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Fitness Free Stuff

50+ Free Weekly Running Clubs in Boston

free-workouts-boston

Whether you are new to Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and want to make new friends, looking to find a running partner or training for your next race, Boston is a top city for running clubs.

Since we all have unpredictable schedules, I spent some time organizing the running clubs by day.  (Updated December 2018)

Monday

Morning
November Project | 6:30AM | Location Varies

Afternoon
Boston Road Runners (3-5miles) | 5:45PM | Copley Square
Lulu Lemon Run Club | 6:00PM | Prudential Center
Pioneers Run Crew | 6:30PM | Dorchester, Blarney Store | Fields Corner Red Line T-Stop
Stephani’s Run Club | 6:30PM | Southie
New England Spahtens (Obstacle Course Race Training) | 6:30PM | Harvard Stadium or Indoor Track
Burren 5K Run | 6:45PM | Davis Square, Somerville
Forest Hill Runners (Social Run) | 7:00PM | Stony Brook T Stop | Jamaica Plain/Roxbury

Tuesday

Morning
The Breakfast Club | 6:00AM | Audubon Bar (Occasionally Changes)
Nike Run Club/Heartbreak Hill Running Co. (Indoor Track) | 6:35AM | Reggie Lewis Track (Roxbury)

Afternoon
New Balance/Stephanie’s on Newbury Run Club (3-5 miles) | 6:00PM-8:00PM | 190 Newbury Street
Uncommon Movement (Bootcamp) | 6:30PM | Boston Common
Adidas RunBase | 6:00PM | Adidas Store Near Hynes
Lulu Lemon Run Club (Speed Workout) | 6:00PM | Seaport | Speed
The Most Informal Running Club (Outdoor Track) | 6:30PM | Harvard Stadium
Tracksmith (Speedwork) | 6:30PM | 285 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
She Runs Boston (formally Team LUNA Chix) (3-4 miles) | 6:30PM | 92 Newbury St, Athleta
Social Boston Sports Run Club (3-7miles) | 6:30 – 8:30PM | LIR (903 Boylston Street)
Unnamed Running Crew | 6:30PM | Southie
Davis Square Road Runners (4-6 miles) | 7:00PM | Davis Square, Somerville
Forest Hill Runners (Tempo Run) | 7:00PM | Stony Brook T Stop | JP/Roxbury
Midnight Runners (6mi + Bootcamp) | 7:00PM-9:15 | Scholars Bar (Downtown Crossing)
Kier Byrnes Freedom Runners (3-8 miles) | 7:15PM | Near Lechmere T Stop, East Somerville
RunFellow (3-5miles) | 7:30PM | Cambridge/Somerville Area

Wednesday

Morning
November Project | 5:30AM–6:20AM OR 6:30AM-7:20AM | Harvard Stadium

Afternoon
MyStryde (3-4 miles) | 6:30 – 7:30PM | North End
Lululemon Harvard SQ (3-5 Miles) | 6:30PM-7:30PM | Havard Square
Marathon Sports Cambridge | 6:30PM – 7:15PM | Between Harvard/Porter
Marathon Sports (3-5miles) | 6:30PM | Near Boston Marathon Finish Line
Brighton Bangers (2-8miles) | 7:00PM | Oak Square, Brighton, MA
Forest Hill Runners | 7:00PM | Stony Brook T Stop | JP/Roxbury
Heartbreak Hill Running Club (Hill Club) | 7:00PM – 8:15PM | Heartbreak Hill, Newton, MA
Boston Run + Chug (4 miles) | 7:00PM | Location Varies

Thursday

Morning
Breakfast Club (1-6miles) | 6:00AM | Café Nero, Brookline
Longfellows x Janji Running Club (3-6miles) | 7:00AM | Longfellows/Lamplighter Brewery (Cambridge)
Lulu Lemon Run Club (Hills) | 6:30AM |Beacon Hill

Afternoon
Uncommon Movement (FREE Bootcamp) | 6:30PM | Boston Common (Soldiers & Sailors Monument)
South End Athletic Company (Speed Workout) | 6:30PM – 8:30PM | South End
Adidas RunBase | 6:30PM | Adidas Store Near Hynes
Davis Square Road Runners (4-6mi) | 7:00PM | Davis Square, Somerville
Forest Hill Runners (Track) | 7:00PM | Stony Brook T Stop | JP/Roxbury
Somerville Road Runners (4miles) | 7:15PM | Ball Square/Winter Hill, Somerville
RunFellow (3-5miles) | 7:30PM | Downtown Boston

Friday

Morning
November Project | 6:30AM – 7:15AM | Top of Summit Ave, Brookline

Saturday

Morning
Boston Road Runners (5-16miles) | 7:45AM | Copley Square
JP Park Run (Fun 5K)| 8:45AM | 42°19’12.8″N 71°07’06.7″W (JP Pond) | Jamaica Plain
Forest Hill Runners | 9:00AM | Stony Brook T Stop | JP/Roxbury
Juice Press | 9:00AM- 12:00PM | 33 Boylston St, Chestnut Hill
Heartbreak Hill Running Club (Long Run) | 9:00AM | Heartbreak Hill, Newton
Brighton Bangers | 9:30AM | Oak Square, Brighton, MA
South End Athletic Company (Long Run) | 10:00AM | South End
Boston Bulldogs Running Club | 10:00AM | Chestnut Hill Reservoir (Outside Starbucks)
The Most Informal Running Club (Long Fun Run) | 10:00AM | Landrys in Allston
Cambridge Sports Union (2.5-5miles) | 10:00AM | Fresh Pond (Cambridge Near Alewife T)

Sunday

Morning
Adidas RunBase (Long Run 6-18mi) | 9:00AM | Adidas Store Near Hynes Convention Center
Tracksmith (Long Run 5-12 Miles) | 9:00AM | 285 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Boston Brunch Runners (Run 1-6mi& Brunch) | 9:30AM | Location Varies
Kier Byrnes Freedom Runners (Long Run ) | 10:00AM | Somerville Brewing Company, 15 Ward Street in Somerville

Trail Tribe (4-9 miles; Trail Running) | 10:00AM | Location Varies

Weekly Running Group Organizers: Please let me know if I missed your running club in the comments!! I’ll update the post.

Other methods of getting free workouts in Boston

  • Take advantage of your health insurance program by joining a gym. Gym reimbursement varies by plan but the majority should reimburse you for three monthly payments. (Note: You’re on your own for any activation/cancellation fees.) Join a gym in the winter New England months and get outside in April!
  • Facebook Events: Use Facebook as search engine and search ‘fitness’ in the search bar and filter by ‘events’ or use Facebook’s Events section in the left-navigation.
  • Eventbrite is another “search engine” that allows for filtering of free activities/events.
  • Visit MoveWith.com and browse for FREE classes or Google site:https://www.movewith.com/classes “Free” to search the entire site for free classes.

Read my latest blog post, How to Save Money on Running and Working Out.

These running clubs also make great, active date ideas!

Categories
Advice Fitness Free Stuff

How to Save Money on Running and Working Out

fitness-money-savings

Working out is an expensive hobby; each hobby you add will create new costs. These expensive, active hobbies vary from triathlons to CrossFit to cycling to road running. An argument can be made that running is one of the least expensive of the active hobbies.

I compiled this list of ways to save money because it can still be expensive to buy a new pair of shoes ($60-$130) after 300-500 miles (recommended) or the latest moisture-wicking shirt at Nike or New Balance.

Saving on Workout Clothes in Real Life

  • Visit your local running club during shoe “Demo Nights” and buy them online once you get home.
  • Volunteer for local road races and earn a free race entry.
  • Win local road races and make your money back in prize money.
  • Do not buy name-brand workout: Shop at Target. Have a good few pieces that you think you will look good in, and for the rest, buy any moister-wicking piece.
  • Become an ambassador for a small running group.
  • Make friends with people who work at running stores or lifestyle companies and get discounts.
  • Visit your local Goodwill or thrift store for slightly used workout clothes.
  • Fundraisers: During Marathon season, there is a lot of fundraisers for yoga and cycling and other gym group classes.
  • Download Workout Apps: Visit your phone’s app store and search for Sworkit — it’s a free video app that creates a workout based on the time you have available.
  • Become a beta tester for a new running shoe company.
  • Track your mileage via Strava, MapMyRun or another tracking app to get a better understanding of when to buy shoes. Buy shoes when you hit 300-500 miles in a pair or when you start noticing holes.
    • Do not walk in your running shoes.
  • Gym Memberships
    • Get a gym membership during off-peak times or before New Years to get a reduced sign up fees and monthly rate.
    • Negotiate with your gym for a monthly discount; show them competitor prices and see if they will match!
    • Boutique fitness studios are expensive. Sign up for their monthly deals or free promotional classes.

 

Shopping Online for Workout Clothing 

  • Download Amazon plugins to get price comparison and alerts on shoe prices across the web.
  • Shop at nearby outlet stores.
  • Visit Shoekicker.com and select your desired shoes.
  • Search for your workout shoe on Google and use the paid listings to compare shoe prices. Visit Google Shopping for additional insights on shoe prices.

Running is also a great, active date idea!

Let me know if you have other recommendations in the comments section!

Categories
Advice Fitness Things to Do

Buying Your First Road Bike

buying-first-road-bike

How to Buy an Entry-Level Road Bike

Having recently entered the world of recreational biking I thought I would share tips to help you buy your first road bike and get into the sport of road cycling.

STOP READING ABOUT BIKES ONLINE

Don’t make the mistake of googling ‘best bikes under _____.’ You will get an understanding of the type of brands, however, it can get overwhelming with the more obscure European brands that are less likely at your LBS or too expensive to import.
Pro Tip: Visit your local bike store with trusted salesmen and bike-lovers.

Test Ride A LOT of Bikes at Your Local Bike Store

You don’t know how a bike is going to feel on the road until you ride it. You could have a more pleasurable riding experience on a $500 bike than a $1,000 bicycle. Remember to ask a salesperson to analyze your riding position before you test ride a bike.
Most local bike shops have quality entry-level prices under $700. Bike stores sell popular, quality bikes to build shop loyalty and make revenue from repairing their customer’s bikes. Also, there’s not much difference between brands: the components are standard in entry-level bikes.

TRY NOT TO BUY ONLINE

You’ll probably Google “affordable bikes [year]’ in your initial search but most of what you will see are bikes you can ONLY buy online. They may be cheaper but you need to understand you’re going to need a LBS to assemble and tune-it-up it for you (around $80 in major cities).
Pro Tip: If you buy a bike online, I HIGHLY recommended you get a bike store to assemble it–you don’t want anything to go wrong while riding at 20 MPH because you forgot to tighten a bolt.

Shop Craigslist

If you can wait a few weeks (or months) for your road bike, Craigslist is a great website to find a deal. Your success on Craigslist depends on your geographical area; you’ll find more bike postings if you live in a major city.
If you have any friends who have experience with bicycles, ask them to check out the Craigslist posting with you. You are the one who ultimately determines how your body feels on the bike but they can ensure that your body is in the right position (saddle height) and inspect for any damages to the frame/spokes.
Pro Tip: Save time shopping for bikes on Craigslist by making an account and setting up a saved search with filters or set an alert on the Craigslist mobile app so you can respond fast to postings.

Find out if you’re getting a deal 

So…you fell in love with a bike during a test ride. Don’t buy it that day and look at your options online. Most local bike stores have online websites with prices of their bikes, which gives you the opportunity to shop around competitor websites.
Bike shops tend to match their local competitors if you have some form of proof (e.g., photo or website price) but there is no guarantee they will match bike wholesale website prices!
 
Pro Tip: Early spring is usually when bikes stores like to mark down previous year model and display the new models for the spring..

Watch YouTube Reviews

When you whittle-down your bike choice, I recommend you search on Google and YouTube for [prospective bike] + review, to uncover red flags from reviewers.

Editors Note: I bought a Trek 1.1 for about $100 less than the online price at a local bike store (spring sale)
trek-1.1-bike

trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/road-bikes/performance-road/1-series/1-1/p/1400000-2017/