Ann Dunn
Success Story: Paxton Henderson

Having searched years for a truly successful fitness routine, I kept finding my performance peaking or plateauing . Whether I was exercising alone, at local gyms, or with personal trainers, something was holding me back. I was often cast as a body type, or told I was just a big guy. I felt as though I was being fed excuses for why I wasn’t successful instead of being motivated to really make progress with my athletic goals.

Formula ended this trend. Not only was the support and motivation incredible, I found myself treated the same as world class athletes and weekend worriers alike. I never considered myself a runner, or someone who enjoyed group classes, but found myself addicted to not only the results I was having, but the community and new friends I had found.

Success Story: Paxton Henderson
Ann Dunn
Success Story: Scott Davis

Ann works on the all important mental aspect of running as well. Phrases like “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” and “stay relaxed up top” have a way of getting rooted in your mind so that you can pull them out later during hard runs and races. Just last November, for instance, I PR’d in a 5k after five years of running 5k’s. What makes Ann’s approach even more effective is that she is both an accomplished coach and runner. She really knows what she is talking about when she creates a custom training plan, which includes a weekly pattern of easy miles, quality workouts, long runs, and time for recovery.

Success Story: Scott Davis
Ann Dunn
Success Story: Kristin Daumer

The combo of the training plan and the classes did wonders for my running performance. My long run pace improved by over one minute per mile faster. Hilly routes that used to fill me with dread became easier and more manageable. Running friends commented on my pace and my improving performance. I’ll never be fast but I certainly got faster and stronger.

Success Story: Kristin Daumer
Ann Dunn
Success Story: Rachel Booth

“That is when the light came on and I reached out to Ann as I knew she not only would be a great motivator, supporter, and running buddy, I felt that I had the flexibility to try something new and mix up my training a bit. I not only had Ann beside me in my early morning workouts at the track and around Charlottesville, I added another element into my training and incorporated a couple fitness classes a week at Formula.” 

Success Story: Rachel Booth
Formula Coaching
Emily Keenan
Health Coaching: A Breath of Fresh Air

Emily provided a non-judgmental space to discuss both my goals and my obstacles, and the plan I came up with to achieve a better balance is effective, yet easy to work into my daily routine. No matter what your personal goals might be, I would highly recommend working with her and seeing how health coaching can give you the tools to feel your best both physically and mentally!

Health Coaching: A Breath of Fresh Air

Formula Race Training

Breaking 5:00, Part II

Breaking 5:00, Part II

Pat’s instructions called for me to hit 40 seconds per 200 during the hard intervals in the first set, take four minutes rest, then resume and aim for 38-40 seconds on the hard intervals. The first set I was dead on the pace, knocking out between 39-41 seconds per lap on every hard 200. After the break I came back and hit 36 seconds and change on the first interval. Blazing. A little too blazing.  That extra two seconds per 200 had me breathing much heavier and feeling “that feeling” in my obliques.

Success Story: Heidi Gillenwater

Success Story: Heidi Gillenwater

Before long, I started noticing subtle things: my heart rate didn’t get as high when we got into faster paces. I started recovering more quickly at my “easy pace” between intervals. When I took my running to the hilly streets in my neighborhood, I found that hills that used to intimidate me were now surprisingly easy, as I seemed to float to the crest fueled by my strong glutes thanks to RDLs and kettlebell swings.

Climbing the Ladder Part IV: Unbridled Success

Climbing the Ladder Part IV: Unbridled Success

 When I passed mile marker one at 6 minutes and 50 seconds, feeling strong, I knew that I was well positioned to meet my goal.  As the pack thinned in the succeeding miles, I concentrated on my form.  On the climbs, I could hear in my head the familiar refrain from Formula: "knees up, toes up."

Incorporating Formula Classes Into Your Race Training

Incorporating Formula Classes Into Your Race Training

Hey gang!

If you've been to one of our classes, you know we aim to improve your strength, stamina, and function while having some fun along the way. 

Lately, I've been having a lot of discussions with our clients about how to incorporate Formula classes into their training for upcoming races, so I wanted to summarize my recommendations here.

Climbing the Ladder: Ken Begins Life with Formula

Climbing the Ladder: Ken Begins Life with Formula

It only took a few steps on the Woodway to convince me that it was not your ordinary treadmill. It is nice to be able to do speed work in a controlled and predictable environment . . . I was impressed that the Woodway provides a much gentler impact than any other medium I have run on, including my preferred surface, dirt.  That seems particularly beneficial when ramping up the speed.