As part of my FitReserve month I visited Mile High Run Club, a treadmill studio in downtown NYC. So…a treadmill studio sounds miserable, right? That’s what I thought. Why would anyone pay to be on a treadmill with other people on treadmills? That’s the attitude I went in with, but I came out singing a different tune.
Mile HIgh offers a few formats, I went for the Dash 28 class, 28 minutes of running intervals followed by 10 minutes kettelbell work. They also offer The Distance, 60 mins on the treadmill and Ultra, 90 mins on the treadmill (for advanced runners).
I’ll start with the studio, which I really loved. The set up is very well-designed, the locker room is clean and spacious. The entry of the studio sells swag, snacks and drinks and there are in-locker room lockers and lobby lockers. You can peek into the studio before class, it’s dimly lit with purple/blueish lighting and has rows of treadmills and mirrors on all sides.
Once we entered the studio it was a perfect running temperature, a tiny bit cool but not cold. My instructor was Michael S, a former Olympic runner. We started with stretches and light moves to get warmed up, then we hopped on our treadmills for our 28 minutes of running. The treadmills are fantastic, they are Woodway 4Front machines (36 in the class) and when you land on the treadmill it feels soft with impact is lower on your body. These treadmills felt a ton better than the typical mill you’ll find at the gym. I was in love.
On the treadmill is a sheet with ranges for zone 1, 2, 3, 4. Throughout the class we were told to hit certain ranges, zone 1 being the easiest and zone 4 being the hardest. Because there are such wide ranges, the class works for everyone from newbies to competitive runners. Throughout the class we did two 3 minute hills (first one at incline 6, next at incline 8) as well as speed work, lasting anywhere from 60 seconds to 3 minutes. We did intervals followed by recovery time, either a light jog or walking. After 28 minutes I was sweating and feeling it. While I’m not the biggest treadmill fan (who is?), this class kept me motivated. Typically I wouldn’t do an 8 incline, but when someone tells me to do it. I’ll do it. Having someone give me intervals and goals to hit kept me pushing. Michael also called out form cues which was helpful. There was a good music throughout. Michael wasn’t as motivating as say what you might find in a spin class and it wasn’t woohoo energy, it was more of a serious vibe.
After 28 mins, we hopped off and grabbed kettlebells. We did a variety of moves for 10 mins: squats, lunges, planks, push ups, etc. At times it was hard to hear and see exactly what we were supposed to be doing because the room is big, the music is loud and there are treadmills in rows blocking your view. After our last plank, class was done. I was surprised that there was no cool down or stretch, it was just like ok you’re done, bye!
Overall, I really enjoyed the class. I pushed it harder than I’d push on a treadmill on my own and I liked being reminded of form cues along the way. The class went by super fast, 28 minutes on a treadmill isn’t that long and 10 minutes of weights is definitely not very long. If anything, I’d love for this class to have been a bit longer.
Like most studios in NYC, you know this one doesn’t come cheap. Single classes are $34 and packages bring the cost down only slightly- the biggest package is 20 and each class still comes out to $31. While I enjoyed the workout, I cannot imagine spending $34 to go on a treadmill. Maybe you get more bang for your buck with the 60 minute class but especially for 45 minutes, $34 is steep.
Mile High also offers outdoor runs and race training programs. I think this studio would be great if you’re training for a race in the middle of winter or you’re training for your first race and need guidance on training plans and running form. If you’re on FitReserve I definitely recommend giving this studio a try.
