The Devil Inside

So often I have found myself keeping my vociferous nature while in KSC subdued. I have always felt it’s Kristen’s show and I just didn’t think it was my place to bellow like I so often do in Tripper’s classes. However perception is not always the way things are and of late I have felt just a little bit more relaxed and on cue and only on cue from the Evil Woman will I answer loudly in the affirmative about just how much I love spinning with her.  

When I used to run long distance I kept the voices inside my head right there inside my head thinking that I needed all the energy so that I could expend it all on the road race I was in.  But I think spin is more like dance and in my past life as a dancer I was extremely vocal and although the movement was the thing so it was for me letting out the devil inside. And those voices inside my head seemed perfectly at home beneath the din of the loud pulsating music of the discotheque. Spin is almost like an aphrodisiac because it brings out the passion just like the devil inside.  

When Love Takes Over

What does it say when you look in the mirror and can actually say that you like what you see in terms of your physical form?  It took two years and as I am now able to slip my size 32 jeans off without unbuttoning them I can only speculate what it’s due to.  Oh yes spin class, less diet soda (I am convinced it creates an appetite for junk food) better eating habits, and a general sense of well being even when things are as uncertain in my life than ever before.  

My friends yes FRIENDS that I have met in KSC and Tripper’s classes have given me the gift of recognition. Doesn’t everyone long to be recognized by other human beings? It’s what we crave beside air, food, drink and sex.  The feeling of even the glance and smile of another you’ve sat next to in the effort we give each hour in the Lavender Palace is hard to put a price on.

 Sometimes things have a way of coalescing all at once as if an alchemist showed up on the scene and magically took time and space and compressed it into a narrow pocketbook and made it an easy read in one sitting.  Lately I find that my friends do a double take when they see me now. Something must be agreeing with me these days and it’s not my hairdresser that knows for sure.  

The new week is upon us and De-Tox Monday will help us shed those unwanted carbohydrates that like to make a home above and below our waistline. Hey have you seen Kristens new website? It’s pretty cool and whatever is for sale I’m buying. How about you?  

Beast It

I had to think about how I could write a paragraph of expletives that would describe all the superlatives that danced in my head riding with Darryl Gaines today in the 9:45. I might start with HFS. And if you need a translation of what that means send me an email or ask me in class because this man has Game with a capital G.   Right from the get-go he had me from the first note. And just so you know in the Webster-Merriam Dictionary next to the words enthusiasm and rhythm is this mans picture. 

He had the most engaging countenance I have ever seen on a man. When he looked at you petitioning for just a little more you felt it deep in your solar plexus. He loves what he does and I am reminded of that song by LL Cool J: Doin' it and doin' it and doin' it well. And he was. He moved like a Twyla Tharp dancer with grace and as he slipped invisibly between the bikes and rows you could feel his charisma leaving a white smoke trail that soon permeated the whole room. 

And talk about an innovative move, he had a sparkling assist from Pam Polestino. Because whilst Darryl performed his Merlin show, she sat atop the instructor bike and gave a performance like a co-star in a Jane Fonda video. I don’t get to take Pam’s killer classes probably because they might leave me crippled but seeing her up there was a treat in itself. She’s a pros pro and her presence jacked me up even higher. By the way I cranked out 969 in the calorie burn and even that number didn’t shock me because it was not just a spectacular ride and call but it was killer as well.  

I could go on about Darryl Gaines about his voice, his music, his fluidity and most of all his captivative charm and I am already thinking road trip into Manhattan I gotta have more. . If you missed this ride I’m feeling sorry for you.  

It's A Force Field

Today for the first time I think I got inside the Evil Woman’s head. Well not literally of course but I certainly got a glimpse into how she plans out each 55-minute journey we take. I also know that it’s different each time just like the terrain would be if we changed bike courses each time we rode.  Most often when I start each class I try not to think about what’s in store for the ride I just turn it over to KJ and follow her instruction to the letter if I can.  But today as I clipped in I envisioned myself back in Central Park doing a 20 miller or a 30k race on foot and knew that I had to pace myself else I leave myself virtually Jackson Browne, running on empty. This mindset changed the whole dynamic for me because I was able to “see” myself not only finishing strong but also leaving just a little on the table for the next ride.  I think that was important when I was running competitively because it gave me the impetus to want to run just a little bit faster the next road race on the schedule. This could bear some meditation because I can easily get lost in the physical reality that we are not moving an inch but in this way I ride a 20 miler each time I get on board my Schwinn.  

Today in the front row it felt like spring training because my regular mates outside of David were missing. And as I looked outside at rides end I knew my other “infielders” were in the 915.  And in from the outfield was Don Berman. Normally in dead center in the last row here he was acting if he could play first base with ease.  

It was a great ride and I was extolling the virtues of Kristen’s professionalism to a good friend that rides exclusively with another and she too admitted that KJ has a vision and she delivers it with charm and an adroitness which is unparalleled at least to my way of thinking. And there was David Blatt back among us again. I thoroughly enjoy this man because he is pure in heart and has a dynamism that carries over in his professional life as well as he himself personally. Welcome back David.  He was also talking about a book, which I have to pick up: The Book of Birthdays by Russell Grant. He described a certain someone whose birthday falls on April 3 and he said this Aries was in the perfect job. I tend to agree. Below is the link if you care to take a peek. 

N.B. Darryl Gaines will be in the CS on Thursday for the 9:45 let's show him what we're made of. His friends on FB are raving about this man. 

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Birthdays-Russell-Grant/dp/0440508894/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330192282&sr=1-1

Darryl Gaines

Voila. Remember our new friend that was taller than the average bear? (By the way his name is Mike)  He’s got game that boy because he showed up in KSC and the “fresh meat” the kind that KJ likes was excited.  We talked about it in the locker room and as I chewed his ear off about what I do he told me in no uncertain terms he would be back for more.  

Well another season is nearing its end and with the Vernal Equinox due March 20th maybe just maybe we escaped the wrath of Old Man Winter this year and I for one am looking forward to earlier  sunrises and later  sunsets. Did you know that the word Equinox is Latin and it means equal night? 

  I was thinking about it on these dark winter mornings  and there’s just one thing I do miss about the old CS. The sun would rise on that side and even when the lights were low the natural luminous added a touch of energy that I do miss. What I don’t miss is the long lines for the last ten bikes that was a real PITA. That was a non-sequitur if I ever saw one. 

So just a reminder that Darryl Gaines from NYC will be here next Thursday for the 9:45 and as I was informed by Michelle Koss who has rode with him before his energy is electric. Let’s show this pro the caliber of spin athletes Kristen has trained us to be so that when he goes back to his territory he’ll have plenty to sparkle about for weeks to come.  

Fury

The sheer look of determination on her face made me think about a woman’s fury. And if looks could kill, the Evil Woman would have slain the 7th Army this morning in the 8:30.  I wasn’t sure what had her attention but I knew that whatever it was it was facing incineration in the next hour. Over the last week or two I have gotten used to pounding the pedal stroke more efficiently and my metabolic rate is on fire and today I consumed nearly 700 calories again. However there was one member I truly felt for today and that was Coop because while he was away he was not to be seen in any cardio endeavors by his own account and in the middle of the ride as I looked askance at him in the 2nd row, I could only imagine the devil of a time he was having getting back in sync.  

The last days of empty bikes this winter recess had me picking up a ride just before the half hour deadline and I found myself in Murderer’s Row, which is the front with David, Stacy and “Dirty Rotten” Cindy. Whenever my dexterity permits I always go for that first row for not only expediency in landing a bike but also that row virtually on top of Kristen is just expected to kick their own asses and with this lot I am assured of a great workout every single time.  

I am wondering if the bathing suit spin on Saturday is still on and besides being sexy I think Kristen is right on the mark about how we hold our posture when we’re half naked. I know that when I’m on the beach I hold my stomach in more and throw my shoulders back for the best wingspan I can exhibit. We will have to see I am not sure how much mileage this will get because after all someone might take it the wrong way including some of my readers.  

In the news:

 Next Thursday in the Lavender Palace at 9:45 EQ Woodbury will be featuring Daryl Gaines from Manhattan and if KJ is extolling his talent I think that we have to give this man a our attention and saddle up for him. Over the past two years we have been treated to outside talent that has been nothing short of stellar. To wit: Robert Sherman who still resonates with me more than a year later. So Mr. Gaines we look forward to your brand of spin and I am sure we will greet you will a full house.  

Duende

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No illusion here what you see, hear and feel are the genuine article when you step into Kristen’s Spin Class. It is a rare occasion that a newbie is in our midst and today there was a new man that took on the challenge of KSC. I am sure he wasn’t disappointed however the real question is will he be back? Only he can answer that query it’s not for anyone else to say.

I had the occasion to welcome a new member in the locker room today by telling him that he had exceeded the height restrictions at our club and after a good-natured opening line we began to chat it up by talking about my favorite pastime. He asked me was it Kristen James’s class I just came from? (He noticed my drenched physiology) I said yes and then he exclaimed isn’t that impossible to get into? Difficult I told him but certainly not impossible if you use the right application and your hand to eye coordination is similar to a pinball wizard.

On further discussion he thought he wasn’t up for such a daunting challenge. I told him that the level of difficulty was purely his own determination. The amount of resistance on the pedal stroke was completely in his control and unlike a group class no one will know how much effort you put forth except yourself. I further explained that you wouldn’t be taking the class to lollygag and that simply one’s own integrity would be the measure for how hard you worked. He thanked me and although spin is not for everyone if you want an exercise that has virtually no impact on your body, a great way to incinerate calories and be in a group and not exercise alone this was a great option. For years after I stopped the personal training here at EQ I exercised by myself and I have to tell you it was lonely. Now I don’t have such problems.

Figure out what a duende is? She’s blonde and 5’9’ and if you need more hints drop me a line.

Definition of DUENDE

: the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm