Balance Blog

For only $20-a-month Balance members ($40 for non-members) will be able to join the Balance Gym Run Club for three weekly runs. This includes two track workouts on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday morning long runs.  In addition to working with our coaches, run club members will also have access to the club newsletter, seminars, and a the ability to join the National Road Racing League at a discounted price.

The initial kick-off seminar will take place Tuesday March 6 at 6:30 PM at the Balance Gym Thomas Circle location.

Meet the Coaches

Mike Hamberger

Mike is the founder of DC Running Coach, LLC, a private coaching business in the Washington, DC area.  He has guided countless athletes to the finish line at all distances, including many age-group champions, Boston qualifiers and Ironman finishers.  He teaches an undergraduate course in sport psychology and holds various coaching certifications, allowing him to make the most of customized training programs or one-on-one instructional sessions.

He was a three-sport collegiate athlete in football, rugby and decathlon and competed as an elite multi-sport athlete in the Mid-Atlantic region for several years.  In 2011, Mike also launched the National Road Racing League, a DC-based running league focused on team competition.

Bobby Gill

Bobby is an avid ultramarathon runner who can be found on any given weekend either competing or taking pictures with the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club. It was only four years ago that he did his first run longer than five miles, a run he did in preparation for the National Marathon. After falling in love with pushing through mental and physical limits, he discovered trail running and for some reason decided to go longer. Next it was a 50k, then 50 miles, then 100k, and most recently completing his first 100 mile run, finishing the Old Dominion 100 Miler in second place overall. Bobby’s transformation from couch potato to front-of-the-pack ultrarunner is a direct confirmation that doing one thing a day that scares you can pay off dividends.

When not gallivanting through the woods, Bobby is also a Co-Founder and Race Director for the Cupid’s Undie Run, a wintery 1-mile charity underwear run that raises funds and awareness for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. What started as a small joke between friends has turned into nationwide way for runners and non-runners alike to gather and have a wildly good time, all for a great cause.

In addition to these questionably sane activities, Bobby is a certified running coach through the Road Runners Club of America, a certified CrossFit mobility coach, an amateur photographer and a self-proclaimed nutrition geek who focuses on paleolithic diets and sustainable agriculture.

Bryan Bowles

Bryan has been been a certified personal trainer for 19 years now. He has trained everyone from Balance Gym clients and White House officials to NBA athletes.

In addition to his personal training experience, Bryan is also an experienced runner. He has 66 marathons, 12 Iron Mans, 3 Ultra Marathons and 150 Olympic and Sprint Triathlons under his belt.