Marketed as Houston’s Premier Running studio, RacePace Houston is bringing something unique to the running community here in town. The workout is unique–not only to Houston, but more or less the whole country. It’s also challenging and perfect for anyone who’s training for their first 5K or their 50th marathon. As someone who falls in between those two extremes, I went to two [very different] classes this week and survived them both!

Here’s what you should know before you go to RacePace!

1. RacePace is kinda like a cross between OrangeTheory Fitness and a RYDE spin class. You sign up for treadmills and choose a spot beforehand, like spin class, and you’re in the dark with lots of black lights and loud music. And then like OTF, you do various intervals on the treadmill while varying the incline and the speed for the whole class.
2. The RacePace treadmills are fancy af. You’re not running on a dinky treadmill that you might find in a hotel or your apartment complex. You’re running on a state-of-the-art Woodway treadmill that is ultra-low impact and what all the fancy college and Olympic athletes train on. Plus there’s all these nifty buttons that quickly let you select what speed and incline you want so you’re not pressing a button a thousand times to get from 3mph to 7mph.
3. All the coaches are certified. These people know what’s up in the running world and will all be certified by RRCA by the fall. Right now Jeff Douse (who’s a fellow ambassador for the Houston Marathon) is teaching all the classes, but they’re bringing on new instructors soon!
4. The coaches provide tips on your running form. I found this to be the most valuable part of the class. Throughout the class, the coaches remind you to lengthen your stride, reposition your arms, breath properly, etc. It’s not an individual one-on-one coaching session but the tips are perfect for building muscle memory for better form and transforming average runners into experienced ones.
5. RacePace is pretty much one of its kind. Apparently, there’s one studio in NYC with a similar concept, but outside of that our fabulous city of Houston is trailblazing its own way in the running industry. #HTOWNPROUD
6. RacePace is the perfect excuse to beat the heat. It’s summer in Houston, which means the temperature and the humidity is pretty much unbearable at all hours of the day. Luckily, if you’re still looking to get in some extra miles and don’t want to sweat sunburn, you can run indoors! (You’re still going to sweat plenty.)
7. The classes are as challenging as you want. Depending on what your goal speeds are you can adjust them easily throughout the class. There’s little cards at each machine that provide pace times for a 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon pace. So during the slower, recovery parts of the class you’re running at that marathon pace versus the 1-2 minute intervals at that faster 5K sprint pace.
8. You can choose from three types of classes. The RacePace classes range from beginners at the “start line” to advanced runners looking to build endurance for longer races. I went to a RP Starting Line class and a RP Endurance class and found them both to be challenging, sweaty, and a great workout. The difference lies in the length of time of the class (35 minutes versus 55 minutes) and the interval speed times.
9. Dress accordingly. Obvi wear comfortable running gear. But likeeee if you’re looking to jazz up the moment, wear some neon and take advantage of the black lights party! Bring a water bottle too. RacePace provides towels.
10. RacePace is all about community. In addition to offering indoor classes, RacePace coordinates weekly group runs at 6:30pm on Thursdays. The group runs either a 3 or 4 mile loop of the Bayou. The best part? They start (and end!) at Holler Brewing next door.

RacePace is having a soft-opening right now and offering an introductory offer of 30% off all packages until June 30, 2017. If you’re curious, you should check out one of their upcoming classes and tell them It’s Not Hou It’s Me sent ya 🙂

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