One of my favorite things about living in a big city like Chicago is the endless opportunity for activities, both as organized events and things you come up with on your own. I finished five workouts last week, four of which involved events in the city. It’s a great time to get in as many outdoor activities as possible before daylight gets even shorter. Today I’m sharing my recent list of Active Chicago Workouts.

Fleet Feet Sports Historic Run – “Old Ravenswood”

Fleet Feet Sports is a running/fitness store that hosts several historic runs throughout the year from their Chicago area stores. Runs in the Historic Run Series are free events that allow you to learn a bit more about the selected neighborhood and workout with other local runners. Two weekends ago, K and I participated in the “Old Ravenswood” running event from Fleet Feet’s Lincoln Square location. The boundaries of the neighborhood Ravenswood are from Montrose Ave. north to Foster Ave., and from Clark St. west to the Chicago River {source}. A historian ran with the group {4 miles} and we stopped over a dozen times to learn various facts about the neighborhood. We stopped outside of famous residences and historic buildings, and learned that there are over 2,000 miles of alleys in the city of Chicago. No wonder we have so many rats 😉

Run to Andersonville Farmers Market

Last Wednesday after work, K and I did a quick run to check out the Andersonville Farmers Market. It was a cool, breezy evening with no humidity – perfect for running. I posted about a trip to this market last year, with a recipe for Summer Zucchini Salad. This market takes place on Berwyn St. between Clark St. and Ashland Ave., every Wednesday evening in the summer through mid-October. During last week’s visit, we ran 3 miles {with a few sprints for good measure} and picked up tomatoes and zucchini for a zoodle dinner I’ll be sharing later this week.

Sweatworking at The Bar Method

Sweatworking is a monthly fitness “networking” event hosted by a Sweat Life. Jeana Anderson is the founder of a Sweat Life, which now has eight contributing writers. I met Jeana a few years ago while taking her Bridal Sculpt workout classes, owned by Shannon Gail Weddings & Events. Jeana is the sweetest and it’s amazing to see the success of a Sweat Life! I attended a one hour barre class at The Bar Method in their Loop location for last week’s Sweatworking event. Sweatworking is reasonably priced for a Chicago workout class {around $16}. After the class, attendees went home with a goodie bag filled with products from a few different sponsors. We all received a one-week pass to The Bar Method. I plan on continuing the burn soon with another barre class – it’s such a great workout. My arms and legs were sore in new places for days.

Visit aSweatLife.com for more fitness and lifestyle motivation. If you’re local and want to check out Sweatworking, the September event will be held at Brooklyn Boulders on the 22nd. Buy your ticket here.

Biking to Green City Market

Our last workout event last week was a long bike ride with a stop at Green City Market. It’s one of my favorite farmers markets in the city – their Lincoln Park location is the best for a busy Saturday morning. Even though I love this market, last Saturday was my first summer visit this year. K and I have been stopping by local markets most weekends instead {down the street or a few short miles away}. Last weekend we decided to make a longer bike trip out of our visit, and ended up riding Divvy bikes for a total of 10 miles. Sweet corn, blueberry + peach smoothies, and the best heirloom tomatoes came home with us for an evening barbecue.

This week’s workouts have been less exciting {runs around the neighborhood} but I plan to repeat another active event week soon.

Does your city hold fitness events?