MyStryde was badly in need of an updated review. Our first review was just after the studio opened back in 2016. We had vowed to come back and check in on them. We always keep our word. It’s safe to say an update was necessary.
MyStryde has the group feel and energy of a spin class, but replaces the bikes with treadmills, Woodway treadmills for that matter (the best around). We know, we know, “Running is boring and I don’t want to do it for 10 minutes, never mind an ENTIRE HOUR!”… We promise you this class is dynamic, full of intervals and focuses on form that will keep you super engaged for the entire class.
The Endurance class is all about making you push yourself just out of your comfort zone. Each tread has a pace card that breaks out a speed range based on your running level and intensity so you always have a guide as to how fast you should be going. Class starts with a quick jog at a level 2 to get your muscles warm and then gets into intervals increasing speed from level 2, up to 5 in 30, 60 or 90 second increments. You’ll do this a couple times through with a goal of increasing your speed by 0.01 or 0.02 each time. Then, you’ll bring in inclines too increasing from an incline of 1.0, to 3.0, to 6.0, to 9.0 while increasing your speed. Class usually ends with an all out sprint at your level 6, because hey you gotta go out with a BANG!
Kelli will turn you into a runner. Yep, you read that right. She will teach you how to hold your body while you run, which is something tons of people don’t realize the importance of. Swing your arms front and back, pull up and out of yourself, engage your core and on hills pick up your knees and use that bootay! Betchya you didn’t know about aucasinosonline.com all that? We didn’t either. This stuff is life changing! Mid interval, she will keep time and count down each interval giving you time to slow or speed up your tread, while sharing her own personal self talk mid run that has helped her push through the endless amount of races she’s completed. Got questions about nutrition, race prep or stretching? She’s got that covered too.
The studio is at the end of Hanover Street right at Commercial and fits into the picturesque North End like it belongs there. The place is homey with exposed brick throughout, there is a few pieces of retail for purchase in the lobby along with some benches in case you get to class early. There’s two showers in their locker room as well as two bathrooms so you can primp post class if necessary. Parking is much easier than you might think too with the Parcel 7 Garage offering $1 parking for up to 3 hours as long as you validate your ticket (which you can do at any shop in the market below the garage).
456 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113 North End Running $$$
MYSTRYDE
North End Running, HIIT $$$
456 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
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MyStrydeRunning
Stryde is the signature class over at MyStryde giving you a little bit of everything. You’ll jog, run and sprint on both a flat road, uphill (we’re not talking a subtle incline but more like Heartbreak Hill) and in dynamic mode for 30-60 seconds at a time. Expect to get a real serious mental and physical work out while pushing yourself past your limits, and maybe slightly winded if you’re doing it right 😉 Ya know that epic scene in Rocky 4 when he climbs that snowy mountain in Russia? It’s kind of like that.
The first minutes of class began with a jog on a flat road. Every minute or so we increased our speed to the next level then slow back down to our jog to get our legs moving and warm. (Beginner, intermediate and advanced paces are listed on your pace card from 1-5. 1 is minimal difficulty and 5 is your all out sprint.) After that we brought in the lovely inclines that get your entire body involved aka booty gains and some core work. We starting with an incline of 2.0 running for 30 seconds (level 3 on your pace card) and pushing for 30 seconds (level 4 on your pace card) and repeated it for inclines of 5.0, 9.0 and 10.0—SUPAH STEEP guys! Our recovery between inclines got shorter each time with the final one lasting for just 20 seconds. The second half of class was all about speed sprinting tabata style without an incline. We’d sprint for 20 seconds then jump off onto the tread edges for 10 seconds. We did this for 8 rounds pushing our pace every single time. Last, but absolutely not least, we crushed 4 sprints in dynamic mode with a goal of keeping a speed of 6.0 or higher. In case you didn’t know ‘dynamic mode’ means you move the tread with your power, no power needed.
Erin is concise, to the point and not a newbie to this whole running thing. She’s been getting miles in since middle school and with multiple marathons under her belt, including 2 years of completing the Boston Marathon, she knows a thing or two about coaching. Erin let us know how many rounds of sprints were coming, or the game plan for our inclines ahead of time allowing us to mentally prepare. She totally got how this was not just a workout for our legs and lung stamina but psychological conditioning too.
MystrydeRunning
A little bit of this and a little bit of that makes this class the perfect addition to your Saturday. You’ll definitely break a sweat, but you won’t be so spent that you can’t bust a move on the d-floor later that night. Plus the combo of cardio and toning totally earns you an extra drink at the bar. This is a class you will want to add into your Saturday routine.
Rolling hills (both up and downhill) at varying speeds took over the first 35 minutes of class and our heart rates spiked like never before. As always, the goal was to push past whatever limits we had set for ourselves by increasing our push pace a bit each round. We took it to the mats for the remainder of class to get our tone-on with the help of a trusty kettle bell. Let’s just say we got a seriously well rounded workout.
Two rounds, 30 seconds per exercise:
Russian twist with kettle bell
Legs up, kettle pulse up
Slow roll all the way up, and down completely extended with kettle bell
Lower legs 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees (no kettle bell)
Plank series:
Low plank
Right side- option to thread the needle
Left side- option to thread the needle
Partner work, 2 minutes:
Low plank alternating high 5’s, 20 seconds on 10 seconds rest
Self-Stretch
Rachel got right to it the second we snagged a tread and turned those bad boys on, which we totally respected because ain’t nobody got time to waste on a Saturday morning. Immediately, we began to jog while she gave us an overview of what to expect from the next 45 minutes. It was a little tough to differentiate her overview from the actual coaching at first, but after a while we got the hang of her flow and appreciated her never faltering chants mid sprint! She made sure to demo all mat work and did an awesome job of breaking up the running and core sections of class. There was a shift in energy as we transitioned from the treads to the floor (thanks to some hard hitting Fifty Cent and Wale beats) and we got after the weight work with the same intensity as our run. The quick minute of self-stretching at the end of class was a little disappointing, but we’re pretty sure that’s not the norm.
MyStrydeRunning
Katie got down to business right away, packing a serious workout into just 35 minutes. Being a seasoned runner herself, it’s clear that she knows what she’s talking about. As we warmed up with a medium push on an incline, Katie prepped us on what was to come. She seamlessly got us on and off the tread for some mat/kettlebell (3 sets) and not once were we unsure of where to go or what to do. Her demos were clear and easy to mimic. Class went by in a blink but we magically didn’t feel slighted by having a shorter class. If anything we were amazed at what an intense total body workout we got in just a half hour!
