Sunday Will Never Be the Same

Randi you lied to me. But I will forgive you because you were just trying to lessen the abject fear you saw in my face. I arrived 40 minutes early so I could claim my piece of real estate on the hardwood floor. Once I had secured my ‘spot’, I commenced walking around the big studio with nervous anticipation. I said to myself I may have bit off more than I could chew. However I was determined to find out what the hubbub surrounding Tabata was all about. After class I decided that    water boarding might be less torturous.  For me I was in anaerobic cardiac arrest for 60 minutes.  Well not really but I have never felt so unable to breathe since my last marathon.  There was no time for water breaks. Kristen did not once say: Hydrate. Frankly there wasn’t time to. Tabata was 60 minutes of extreme fitness and I realized quite clearly that I have been sleep walking through my exercise regimen these past 7 years.  Admittedly as a sexagenarian I did pretty well but there were several times during the class that I felt like quitting but my heart wouldn’t buy it. 

There was not a moment in the hour that I could think of anything except where I was. There was nary a moment to even think what I would write in today’s entry because it was a death march. I realized that my fitness level was that of a neophyte once again. Having said that I am more motivated than ever to recapture most if not my entire athletic prowess that had left with Father Time. 

As the workout drew to a close Kristen had us sitting with hands folded in prayer and I thought how appropriate I was praying that I was still alive and that the ‘event’ was over.  Spanky and Our Gang sang a song in 1967 and it hit home: Sunday Will Never Be the Same. 

Sunday's Entry: Tabata

Hey buddy put a shirt on!

Gotta Go to Mo's

I took the route of the substitute teacher via an old friend who has been at Equinox since it first opened in April of 2003. (Hey that’s when I arrived. Who cares old man) Maureen or as she is affectionately known as Mo  had seat 41 today and I was   expecting a professional and I was not disappointed. 

 When we used to be in grade school and the teacher was out sick we had this sense of relief almost like it was a snow day.  Well I wasn’t entertaining any thoughts of throwing paper airplanes across the room but I did feel I would take it just a little easier in Mo’s class, but I was WRONG! 

The studio was not jammed like KG’s renditions are but I was determined to pull my own weight and knock myself out.  I think that I am still being drawn out of bed with a purpose to work on my own version of fitness and I am happy to report it feels good, it feels very good.

I am very theatrical in my passion for my vocation and Kristen’s performances are Academy Award caliber that’s probably the reason why I am drawn so viscerally to her work.  The point is that every Equinox exercise physiologist (How can we call them trainers?) is authentic and it’s just rare to find people with a sense of purpose and genuine love for what they do.  My personal favorite of course is Kristen because she oozes this professionalism in a captivating way that delights my senses and kicks my butt as the same time.

Tomorrow I will report on Tabata!  It has something to do with short spurts of exasperated effort, which intrigues me, and guess who is teaching that class?  I will be back with a full report. 

And please leave a comment because if you speak up we can make this more than a diatribe by middle-aged bald man.  Or a MABM as I like to refer to it as. 

Angry

I am pretty upset and much more than I was willing to admit having been shut out again from Kristen’s class this morning. 2^nd on the waiting list might be good for a wedding seat but not to this party.

I listened in from the window outside in the crying room and KG was talking about how it was okay to get angry.  Too often we stifle ourselves about anger and quite frankly others can handle it much better than I.  But in anger we can draw on passion and that’s a healthy expression of anger and it may produce prodigious results.

The real truth is I actually felt depressed that I had missed the class, is that crazy or what?  Maybe so but all I know is that in the next hour which  I spent   jumping rope and lifting weights I was bummed. I even thought of taking the next class at 945 but my heart wasn’t in it.  I saw my friend Maureen outside on the floor and she consoled me as best she could and said come to the 730 class tomorrow. That seemed to ease the pain just a bit. 

Oh and I shouldn’t tell you this but remember I told you if you arrive 45 minutes before the class you have a shot at being in the ‘ten spot’? Well make that 60 minutes now my friends.  I am thinking about getting a tent.

Tomorrow’s entry will have to be entitled: Gotta go to Mo’s

Xanadu

Xanadu is a mythical fantasy city somewhere in China thought to be the capital of Kublai Khan’s empire in the 13^th century. It was also the movie musical in 1980 starring Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton John with a mesmerizing musical score by The Electric Light Orchestra.  That soundtrack sends me a rush from head to literal foot. 

Now that I have put that hat on your head what does that have to do with spinning and spinning in Kristen’s spin class?  Well when I think about legendary places I also think about altered states.  The kind of chemical reaction that takes place in my physiology when I am on each ‘ride’ I take in our studio.  We go to a place we thought only existed inside the heads of athletes and those gifted not only in body but in mind as well. 

When I am spinning and I would love to hear what you feel, I am enrolled to push myself beyond what I think I can do.  It’s almost as if and that’s key “As If” my ability rises like a tide that I have no control over.  Think about this for a moment when we workout  we can pat ourselves on the back, because we are MOTIVATED so much more so than the average Dick and Jane.  But do we really take it to the limit when it’s just us behind the wheel?  At times its possible but like running competitive running, spinning has an element that makes us feel akin to each other even though most of us do not communicate with each other except for our small circle of friends. It is in this unspoken camaraderie like a silent retreat (except for some exasperated grunts and groans) that makes us a ‘collective’ that moves to the rhythm of Kristen’s orchestrations.  

Is that Xanadu? Well for me it is because without this class my athleticism is just a memory. Now I get to go there two times a week if I don’t get shutout because my butt was in low gear.  Tickets are scarce here don't waste an opportunity to ride into Xanadu. 

Snake Eyes

Today I just couldn’t get it together even though I had plenty of time to make it earlier to the Elite 8 list. You know those that are there early enough to get the remaining crumbs because the house is full.  If this were dice I came up snake eyes today. 

Kristen is smart too because once the class is set she doesn’t glance at the crying room outside, at the ones who didn’t make it.  I was in a bad mood the rest of the day my wife said it was because I missed the class, maybe she was right.  Does this mean I am addicted now?  Oh my God. 

I took my medicine with a stiff upper lip and kicked my ass as best I could on the elliptical but I suspect it was a vain attempt much to my chagrin. Well what’s on the schedule for tomorrow?  Oh yes Mr. Mayhem Tripp Doherty I suppose I can get my fix there. I miss the KG version but in a pinch he will have to do. 

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