Climbing for a Cause

Whether you enjoy hitting the rocks in warmer weather or have always been intrigued by the art and sport of rock climbing but have yet to give it a try, Hidden Peak gym might be just the spot to get your climb on. A hidden treasure located at 937 W. Chestnut just west of downtown, it's the only bouldering-specific gym in the area and when it was built in 1990, the only climbing gym downtown (since then climbing walls have been built at the Old Town Fitness Formula Club and Lakeshore Athletic Club Illinois Center).

Not only can you test your skills on the rocks and boulders without straying far from home, but come Feb. 28, the gym is hosting a bouldering competition that benefits cancer research, the Climb for Cancer Research. REI's events calendar tipped me off to this one and it sounds like a pretty cool event. Climbers compete in three categories of difficulty where each route across the bouldering wall is worth a specific amount of points. The points for all the routes completed are tallied to determined the winners of each category. But a pretty special part is that you're not just practicing your skills, you're helping a worthy cause. Climbing for Cancer Reseach is an organization who's "mission is to directly incorporate climbers into the discovery process of finding better treatments for cancer." The organization uses climbers skills to collect strains of cyanobacteria which can be used in cancer studies. All this for a $15 pre-registration fee, $20 day of. And it sounds like fun. Posted by Kate

Photo grabbed from terretta at flickr.

Taste of VQ Week Three

Lance Armstrong might argue with me about this one, but sometimes it IS about the bike. Or at least that's what I thought walking out of class Monday night after putting in the effort but not seeing likable results, nor having a worthy explanation.

I'm getting better about getting to class early enough to snag a seat in the front row, but this time I was feeling like I belonged in the back of the pack. Spinning fast during warm up but the minute it's time to calibrate for the CompuTrainer set and follow the resistance route, I'm a strugglin'. Turns out I was Speedy Gonzales thanks to a loose knob--we're supposed to calibrate when we see somewhere between 2.5 and 3 on the screen and I was apparently less than 2--and I definitely felt the added weight. And especially after we got into the crux of the workout.

Tonight was all about cadence...beyond that I can't say much because just as my legs produced undesirable and unexplanable failed results (in my mind), the computers copped out on my side of the room. Instead of following the workout on the screen, we were looking at black and having to track our wattage and speed the old-school way, and working on the correlation between our threshold numbers from week one and cadence. We reached that threshold average--mine was 185--during the workout but not until we pedaled first at low speed, low resistance and worked up to high speed, high resistance and high speed, low resistance. We held speeds of 15-17 mph up to 26 mph for two-minute intervals, and the workout looked like we were going up and down a hill.

But if you can't get your legs up to 26 mph, with or without resistance, you're screwed. The guy near me who makes the riding look effortless was spinning away and hitting his intervals--I'm having a hard time even cracking 24 mph, and feeling like I'm going to vomit. OK so part of me thought that maybe I was pushing and not moving as a result of postponing a trip to the bathroom, but even that didn't provide any relief--as much as I didn't want to get off in the middle of class I was happy for the respite, until I had to get back in the saddle. Still struggling, with intervals at lower speeds even becoming difficult I call out to Dave for some suggestions. Everyone else is riding without a hitch so why can't I? After making sure my gears are set right he lowers the resistance, providing temporary relief but I'm still missing the mark. Hmm. I'm chalking it up to some faulty bike mechanics or a night without the computer throwing me out of whack. I couldn't be that bad, could I? Not to toot my horn but I usually have highs, not such lows or failure with a fight.

The saving grace of the evening: We skipped the off-the-bike core training. Photo grabbed from amazon.com. Posted by Kate

The Meditation Report: Kate's Day Two and Three

Day Two: After my attempt to meditate yesterday that had me wishing for sleep rather than relaxation or rejuvenation, I knew I had to take those 10-minute sessions and remove them from the bedroom. With husband at home and watching TV, I planned extra time at the gym and slipped into an empty studio room. While it was quiet, I could not remove my mind--it was racing a million miles a minute, thinking about all of the things I had yet to finish up at home or assignments looming on the horizon. I still felt stressed out, but one thing provided relief when I got home: My husband cleaned the kitchen and folded his laundry making for a clean home (and one item checked off my list!).

Day Three: This time I had planned to go to a 15-minute meditation session at Equinox; that failed when 5:30, 6, 6:30 rolled around and didn't want to work out much less leave the house. Boo on me since I thought I needed someone leading me through the meditation. So once again I was on my own--I must have been incredibly tired though. I had dozed off and woke up thinking it was the middle of the night. When I realized it wasn't even 10, I figured I could meditate and then go for a late-night workout. I'm not even sure what I thought about for those 10 minutes, just that by the end of it I was ready for more sleep. The bed won and my ambition was sacked. Posted by Kate

Fit-Pic: Work Cycle

It's not bike to work but bike at work. I've seen the treadmill setups where business executives are caught on film walking slowly on a treadmill but plugging away on their computers or leading meetings over the phone at the same time. But I never thought to apply the same thought to a bike until I saw this photo. Amazing the images you can dig up on Flickr--and while looking for something completely unrelated. Thanks weathershenker for the image--I definitely need to get me one of these set-ups then I'll really be able to get my training in check instead of merely working out my fingers for all the hours I spend on the computer. Photo grabbed from weathershenker at Flickr. Posted by Kate

Need an Excuse to Relax?

Whether you need a last-minute Valentine's gift for your significant other, want to find a unique treat for a lover's weekend or simply need some R & R, checking out the latest spa specials might be just what the doctor ordered. And with spas across the country getting into the lover's spirit, now is the time to find more specials and different experiences you won't find other times of the year.

Time Out Chicago set the mood right last week when the spas issue landed in my mailbox. Now I'm not one who frequents the spa, unless I'm desperate for a massage to work out the kinks in my body from running (and trust me, there are a lot of them). But if I were independently wealthy, it would definitely be on my list of go-to haunts--not just for the massage but for a eucalyptus steam when available (talk about a great refresher at Snowbird's Cliff Spa) or anything else that can help me relax. Liz and I have been all about the meditation this week and a portion of that for me comes in the form of escaping the daily grind and the spa is one place I can do that.

But me aside, there are tons of spa deals for the weekend ahead, both at spas associated with health clubs and individual locales. I'm not even close to scratching the surface so you'll want to check with a spa near you for features and specials this weekend. Here are a few that I found:

• It's Valentine's Day and heart month so Fitness Formula Clubs keeps the loving all month with a $59 60-minute massage or facial special. Or if two want to share in the relaxation, sign up for a Couples Massage for $120.
• Salon 1800 spoils you or another special person with an assortment of treats to save on by Saturday. Check the promotions page for savings on facials, mani/pedis and massages.
• Equinox Fitness carries the love theme through four spa packages available this weekend. Lay all Your Love on Me offers a 50-minute Swedish massage, How Deep is Your Love offers a 50-minute Deep Tissue massage, Put on a Happy Face features a 50-minute signature facial and Just the Two of Us where you can choose two 50-minute treatments. In the Bay Area, these deals are available for $99, $189 for Just the Two of Us, but check with your local club for pricing and availability.
• If you have a lululemon store near you, you'll most likely find a variety of community events each month. The Chicago event that caught my eye happens on Valentine's Day from 1-3 p.m. and has some perks that might shout out to inner beauty: information on ayurvedic massage oils and natural facial-care products, a Pilates demonstration, aura and relationship readings, and a tea tasting. OK, you caught me--I have no clue what half of this means but that means I'm even more intrigued. And the shopping doesn't hurt either.
  

For more events, visit your local spa or health club or read the community calendar pages in a daily paper. As for me, I'll be checking out the listings in Chicago at Time Out. Photo grabbed from funny-p at stock.exchg. Posted by Kate