A New Kinda Girls' Night Out...with New Balance

Better get these laced and ready for Wednesday!

There are a lot of things I could be doing on a Wednesday night...actually cooking dinner for once instead of tossing together a salad (or grabbing something at the store), watching the new Top Chef Duels, catching up on the ever-growing errand list, or putting in some QT in the pool, on the bike or out on the trail.

But what's unfortunate about these options is that they're all activities I'd be doing alone. And while sometimes we all like a little alone time, I get enough of that other times of the year--like nights when my husband's on call. Besides, it doesn't take much arm-twisting when a night out involves fitness. Maybe when I have to drive there, but not when it's only a short bike ride away.

So when I heard about New Balance Chicago's new Girls' Night Out, I knew what I'd be doing on Wednesday, August 13. Question is: who wants to join me?


New Balance's Girls' Night Out is an evening designed to help active, social women connect and achieve personal fitness goals together. Other cities, like Boston (New Balance's hometown), have been lucky enough these evenings for months, but August marks the first time Chicago gets a taste of the fitness-focused evening. "Girls' Night Out will offer women the opportunity to redefine what a 'night out' with their girlfriends means to them," said Jeff Mach, co-owner of New Balance Chicago.

This night promises the appetizers, drinks and music you'd find at a typical happy hour, plus the workout you're usually passing up to enjoy that social time. Make that two workouts. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. with a run and ends back at the store with a bootcamp workout. For the first Girls' Night Out, the "train like a celebrity" bootcamp will be led by trainers from Jim Karas Personal Training, a training studio created by Jim Karas who's known for training stars like Hugh Jackman and Diane Sawyer.

Knowing how much my quads burned, my abs ached and my arms were on fire after a cardio-free workout I tried at Jim Karas' space a few years ago, I'm starting to think I'd be ready to collapse in a heap after this evening out--and how I'd be able to pedal home. But for this fitness fanatic, it only makes me more excited to go. 'Cause then I know I've earned all those post-workout treats I'm sure I'll be putting in my mouth after the sweat session.

The Short List:

• Where: New Balance Chicago at 2369 N. Clark in Lincoln Park.
• When: 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 13.
• RSVP and learn more about Girls' Night Out here.
• Can't come this week? Check out the GNO MeetUp app for more events happening down the road.