Corso Spin Inspiration

A head start on the dawn of 2011 had me in Roslyn taking on the Empress of Fitness, Michelle Corso. As his her wont Michelle took us through a meticulously guided tour of her beautifully choreographed hour. It left me with the indelible reminder that she is not only adroitly scientific, but also so impressive to look at with the naked eye.  She truly is God’s artwork in the flesh.  And when she played: Abracadabra and that distinctive verse of “Black panties, leather and lace” echoed in my ears, I was launched into troposphere, forgetting that my influenza still had a vice like grip on my trachea.   

Quite by accident I have a “uniform” for her class, it is my CSI shirt, which I have renamed “Corso Spin Inspiration”.  I wore it last time and as I went through my closet this morning the CSI shirt almost beckoned to me and that is what I donned today. 

I looked around the darkened studio of Roslyn and noticed once again that I was the only male present but as I perused all of the riders I noticed something even more singular. Most of the women were as lean as Michelle. Almost as if she has trained her own little army to accompany the Empress. One rider in particular Vera had my attention because she almost looked like as if she was in an exercise video wherein you see one student working in tandem with the instructor.  Vera kept a cadence that mirrored Michelle. Which is no small feat in itself because the intensity of the Corso Vortex is as advanced as they come. At one point she said: “Don’t save it”. I thought incredulously that I had already borrowed some from the rider in back of me whilst she wasn’t looking.  I never have reserve when I spin in the Corso Vortex I lay it all out on her dance floor.  

Part of me wishes Michelle would get off her bike and walk around the CS injecting her own personal energy into our pedal stroke in an even closer proximity, but I suppose that might take away from who she is.  In any case a fabulous way to close the door on one wonderful year in the CS.  

P.S. We broke 10,000 today. Thank you one and all.

Our Universal Mind

The day has given me the respite I have unconsciously clamored for and the pressure of not having to do something has finally given me the freedom to luxuriate in the day. A paralyzing snowstorm gives virtually everyone a permission slip to stay home, be in bed and watch your favorite movies.  

Since I have become an avid spinner my life has taken a direction that is not on the compass rose. It is in this new ‘degree’ numbered 361 that I have taken my inspiration to a new level.  I knew it   was possible but I never knew hot to act on it.  I also know that talent alone is never enough to bring dreams from the somnolent state to the tangible one we call life with our eyes wide open. We are responsible for the effort not the results. Too often I have thought just the reverse.  Ask the universe and your wish will be answered. 

P.S.

I just wanted to thank all of you for making KSC so enjoyable for me. I am just 55 visits away from 10,000 by all of you. Thank you forever.

Jack 

Afflatus

As I limped in this Boxing Day to an edition of the Blue Sapphire, I felt like I was an outsider. I haven’t been in the CS since Monday and this upper respiratory infection has left me lacking the desire that arrives each dawn. 

Prideful at times I felt I needed to tell Carolyn that today I would not have my usual pandemonium and energy as if this mattered, but I never want her to think I am ever anything but totally enrolled in her inspirational brand of technically superb and charismatic sessions.  

All of my senses have been dampened this past week and I am glad that when I do return in 2011 afflatus will run deep and never silently.  

It's Christmas Time

What shall I pen today since it has been what seems like a fortnight since I made an entry into my long list of blogs. I have what every writer fears, that he will lose the readers he holds so precious. I suppose I was on a collision course of over extending myself with the lack of sleep and deciding that if one class was enough why not two. I think it’s possible but I need to make a schedule and just not awake at dawn to spin and then deem another is necessary without a plan in place. Just before this ‘bug’ hit me three days ago I had taken a day off from class and did a circuit workout a la Jack LaLanne. You know the ones where you hit 8-10 machines and do 3 reps on each. Now that the new studio is complete, Equinox has also added a section for stretching where there was only a blank space before. A truly marvelous engineering job performed by Jack Smith and company. It makes the club seem so much more spacious.  

But it’s hard to break the routine I have carved out for myself. I just can’t seem to get enough of kicking my ass whether it’s with Kristen or Tripp.  I keep telling people the difference between the two is of course night and day.  Class vs. Recess. I gotta have ‘em both.  

I will avoid the politically correct Happy Holidays and instead extend my best wishes to all my friends that I have been blessed with this past year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My friend Debbie Jensen (the PQ) informed me that the New Year numbers are four 1’s.  1/1/11. I call that picket fence time when it shows on the digital clock.  I am just so happy it brings me to tears. 

Have a great vacation Kristen and we look forward to your return! 

A Lavender KSC Christmas

Jack's sleigh hit a snowbank and he will be back soon when he dusts off all the snow.  I miss you all and a Merry Christmas to my friends. I will be up and running soon again.  Did you miss me?

The Evil Woman @ Christmas Time

I want more!  We always do when something is really really good.  But, do we really know when enough is enough though?  I can remember waking from a hangover and exclaiming I was not going to have another drink again. Only to be persuaded as it passed that it would be different this time and I would face a clear head the next morning, only to be proven wrong each and every time.  Definition of insanity: Doing the exact same thing and expecting different results.  Then there are the rationalizations we endlessly engage in because we ignore what he had to endure, which was the excruciating pain and frustration while we were in the midst of what we thought was sublime happiness.  

However, that was my past life and things are different now and I know better. Well some of the time I do.  This morning was an example of just that. The Evil Woman was at her interplanetary best!  She was resplendent in a form fitting lavender top and her gesticulations and verbiage must have been taken right out of the book of Rumi as she weaved tales of everyday life.  She delivered a sermonette today about life that you had to experience and if I tried to recapitulate it, it might lose something in translation. Needless to say it was genuine and I heard the orchestra playing in accompaniment.  

Sign up children she is outmotherstanding!  

Not often do I get to see my fellow spin mates in their street attire but I did today. Her name was Naomi. I recognized the face immediately and she helped me with some Christmas shopping with such care and dedication and since she doesn’t read my blog, (which crushed me) I wanted to acknowledge her publicly because her charm and poise were almost as lovely as her beautiful countenance. Thank you Naomi. And read my blog please. 

Perfection

Not often can one use that word in any sentence without abusing it’s true meaning. Perfection means that there is no room for improvement. If that is the true meaning of perfection I want no part of it.  Approaching perfection is always the goal knowing that we will never reach it makes the journey all the more powerful. Once we think we have reached perfection, we become complacent and there is not much game in that.  

The spin game in the new CS has me wondering what 2011 will bring for all of us especially in KSC. I have renewed my commitment to spinning with The Evil Woman so that I can stay sharp in form as it relates to my posture in and out of the saddle and how to breathe correctly. Kristen is always bringing us something new, and this week she was focusing on how long we could keep our mouths shut and nose breathe.  I know from Carolyn that nose breathing gets me the most oxygen to my body and that mouth breathing has much more CO2 which helps me little in recovery. It was a great experiment and it takes a great deal of concentration because the default setting has my mouth open gasping for what I think is gallons of air. 

Can I single out someone in our midst? Would anyone mind? She is Mary McCann. I would love to start to talk about someone new every time I write and in Mary’s case we have the ultimate cheerleader. She is devoted to her husband and family first but I have not found many that are so self effacing and so willing to help others even when the situations in her life are challenging.  I mentioned to Mary only in passing that Constance Korol was trying to help Island Harvest in the procurement of dry goods for that charitable institution. Virtually the next day Mary with the help of her daughter produced a huge decorated box, which found it’s way to the corner of the front desk. And even more importantly within days it was filled to the brim. Mary McCann, a great cheerleader and for those that are close to her a great friend as well.  

Release Me

As this song played the imagery of being held captive by another had my complete attention. We hold the key always; it’s not in someone else’s pocket.  When we ask to be released from a relationship or a situation it is always in our power to swing open the gate holding us from our freedom.  We are never powerless even though we voluntarily hand the power over to someone else.  

These are the types of inspiration that become nascent in KSC. And Kristen had me on fire with afflatus for several of my blogs today.

 Another bit of Zen from the Evil Woman had me thinking about: Utilize Don’t Analyze. When something has passed it’s gone and the continuance of holding on to it in our mind becomes a self-defeating activity. If we are thinking about how challenging the last ‘road’ was we could get lost from maintaining our focus and drift off to trying to rest on past accomplishments instead of just a quick recovery. How many times do I want to luxuriate in my effort of success and I fail to stay on the next ‘road’ that is right here, right now. 

We are becoming more fit each and every day that we effort like we do and what we were capable of even 6 months ago seems like child’s play now.  I often wonder if I am merely pushing dirt around on the floor or I am really cleaning up my mind and body into the athlete that was buried under the life of excess and poor diet. The answer is a resounding yes! 

I got up early and I punched my  way into yet another KSC for tomorrow’s class at 8:30 one of my favorites of the week. 

Agnes: Release Me 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo_fX1CgX2I

CSI: Corso Spin Inspiration

The barometer of where I am physically in terms of my progress in spin lies in taking a class with Michelle Corso. When she saw me in the hall today I had my CSI shirt on and she asked me if I was “Investigating” her. Nothing could be further from my mind because with Corso it’s all about the challenge there is no investigation, I already know that she is the Empress of Fitness. She doesn’t like it when I talk about the degree of difficulty in what taking her class entails.  The fact is that you can make the hour any way you want it to be. For me I try to keep up with every “road” she spins and if you want a workout that brings you to the brink here is where you must find yourself, eventually. 

I get inspired simply in gazing at what God had in mind when he designed what the human body looks like in its pure form. Michelle’s anatomy is a sinewy design that I can only hope parts of my body will look like. When I was in my 30s I took for granted my own 6 pack, the Corso form however would have given Michelangelo fits trying to sculpt her.  On top of it all Michelle is self-effacing and never condescending which makes the attraction mysterious and so very appealing. Did I mention her choreography? Nothing esoteric and when she played, Turn to Stone by ELO I was wishing for one more road.  

She is a major star in the Equinox House of Spin.  

ELO: Turn to Stone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFljpJdYRKM

Sunday With The Blue Sapphire

I am closing down the Blue Sapphire and incorporating her ride into KSC.  I suspect that there will be no objection and I will put as much effort into these vignettes as I do everywhere I write. Yes I have started a new blog inspired by an engineer of all people, and I am calling it Jacbook.  I will write experientially as always but I think that it will be in some cases avant-garde but I will refrain from any revisionist soliloquies that so often plague the politically correct world in which we live. Mystery will unfold over time. Jacsbook.blogspot.com.

It was Carolyn’s turn in the new studio and she seemed to like it and placed particular emphasis on the cheap seats in the back row. Larry seemed to get way too much attention and there was a petition being handed out by yours truly to issue a cease and desist order. I feel quite playful today and I was surprised to hear Carolyn offer what I thought was a sexual innuendo. It went like this: Slow and Steady, that’s how I like it. She said it twice so I was not mistaken and the newlyweds Stacie and Peter confirmed my suspicions. However, it may have been my mind that goes to the default setting of a typical male and looks at the prurient side of spin whenever possible. The Blue Sapphire inserted a 6-minute choreography that was meditative for me but Stacie alluded to it being an orgasm and since Peter was there no one blushed.

Kristen In 4D

If someone were to tell me that we could have 4 Kristen’s teaching every 1 of our classes, I think that the signup list would be 2 times what it is right now. The designers of the new CS, (or the Lavender Castle) in their innate wisdom decided to mirror her on all sides.  Sitting in #5 yesterday I had a great view of the left and right oblique of the pedaling Queen of Spin in all her fury in a side view that reminded me of a beautiful cyborg in a computer generated image of perfect synchronicity. 

However, there was one angle that any femme fatale might be just a little uncomfortable with and that was the (clearing my throat), rear view.  And one that I will personally thank the engineers for the next time I see them walking about. Thank you Mr. Smith.   Let’s face it her physiology could not be better than an air brushed photograph and she looks great from stem to stern. No need to be concerned KG your gluteus maximus is chiseled marble. Of course we have the front view and we all know that one which needs no intro or explanation. 

I really like the temperature in the studio and I would personally rather be warm than cold, but I suggest that some of us bring a second shirt to keep us from the chills when we egress at the end of the ride. All in all great energy within our new home and with anything new there will be things to get used to like the size of the room and the aforementioned temperature. For the early classes we will not see the sunrise and it’s a little darker in the 6 AM than normal. What is really more important is that the drama of being shut out of KSC will be a distant memory as the last two classes had two open bikes and there are new riders we haven’t seen before and I wish to welcome them because now we all get to take a ride with the Queen of Spin, Kristen Gagne. 

The Lavender Castle

Coincidentally, which there are none of, this morning in the new CS marked the 200th entry into the blog that quite literally has changed my life. Bold statements don’t come easily to me my friends but when I asked Kristen if I could start a blog about her it was a seminal moment in retrospect.  In the 10 months that followed I have changed my life routine and in addition to getting fit, losing weight, making a ton of new friends my writing has taken me on a journey of the mind, body and spirit. That might sound like New Age psychobabble but it’s a phrase that is truly authentic to me in a 21st century world that is built on sensory deprivation.  

Where do I begin in thanking all that have made my journey here in my 3rd space? Okay let’s do it.  Kristen, the Evil Woman or The Queen of Spin tops the list. Next and not in any way of descending importance are: Peter and Jared. They put up with a lot of s**t and give us smiles in return.  The professionals that have given me boatloads of inspiration and perspiration are: Tripp Doherty, Carolyn Mellace, Michelle Corso, Mike Borska, Damian Vella, Maureen Gallagher, Cathy Munzer Stone and Alex Aquera. My apologies to Bill Randall and Michelle Laskin but I will get to you rest assured. A late entry in my thanking list is Louis Cohen a membership advisor that is outer worldly and has truly broken the mold for that position, and there is no one comparable.   I know I have missed someone but if I have, blast me the next time you see me.  

I thought that I would spend a few moments with Kristen this morning with no agenda to see what flies off the top of her head and becomes nascent as I sit near her familiar seat out of the saddle. She was overwhelmed with emotion and at one point confessed that she had to look away because her lacrimal glands were acting up. She was shivering either from being cold or Peter informing her that her class was booked in 8 seconds flat.

Well the new studio is open and maybe it was the fact that today was Opening Morning, but it was just like it always is, booked and a waiting list a mile long.  Well maybe not a mile but a waiting list just the same. Now there are more bikes and the chosen few list has just expanded and spinners that turned away simply because they couldn’t get in will. (I think)

KG Khristened the place with her lovely innuendos, one about KY and another by questioning: “Who needs to be screwed” as she brandished her screwdriver just so no one got the wrong idea. There are some new bikes that had some kinks but it all worked out and the class was spectacular. Kristen was resplendent in lavender and had some concern about the “rear view” but I don’t think anyone will complain.   I think we all gave it an extra effort this morning and the only way I can tell I have not been faking it is the three pools of sweat that glisten in the rising sun behind me.  

I actually thought I could do a double into the Corso Vortex but I left it all in KSC today.  200 episodes and I find that the stories are never ending and I thank my new friends for the recognition and the support they have shown in reading the ramblings of a WMABM*.

Black Magic Woman

Mike Borska and his unique avuncular brand of spin is always a welcome change. His choreography always takes a tremendous amount of thought on Mike’s part and is a dramatic departure from the Top Ten that dominates the airwaves today and in our CS. 

As Mike queued up Santana and the classic Black Magic Woman, the familiar lyric of: “Don’t turn your back on her” took a different spin from my perch in #14. And my version was: “Don’t let her back be turned on you”.  An esoteric reference that you can always ask me about if you’re so inclined. I try to keep from being distracted when spinning, but when artwork like that is in proximity you just have to give in to it.  

Confused? Don’t be those that need to know do know.  In any case a sold out show and I was slow to warm because I had put in my 8 classes this week and frankly my gas gauge read: Fuel Low.  No matter though, because by sessions end I was fully engulfed and bellowing to the finale of Rosie by Bruce Springsteen. Mike has an exacting style that is more coaching than didactic and it is soft on the ears, which make my upper torso feel more relaxed than normal, and that transfers power where it should be in the pedal stroke. I have been acutely conscious of my tendency to hunch my shoulders and grip the handlebars like I’m the Boston Strangler. 

The new CS officially opens on Monday and let’s be real this is truly Kristen’s baby that she gave birth to, and I for one want to acknowledge the Queen of Spin because without her dynamic personality we are right where we are now with 40 bikes. Thank you KG. Her first class is 8:30 and I am sure we will all be trigger happy with mouse and cursor tomorrow morning to be there with her for the inaugural KSC.  I hear tell that the Mother Ship has determined that the 75-25 rule will hold true like before except this time with 56 bikes, the split will be 42 online and 14 bookable a half hour before class just like before.

See you Monday in our new home and I will end my stay in the old CS with The Blue Sapphire on Sunday.  

Hit By a Stone

Today marked a return to a session with the Heart of Stone, Cathy Munzer of the same name. Most atypically her husband Steve was present and he got a dose of just what it feels like to get hit by a Stone. That might be his name by birthright but The Heart of Stone has taken it and given it a whole new meaning Steve could not have conceived of before he met this phenomenal dynamo.  I could also see that he has a long way to go to be in the same league of fitness (as we all do) as his better half owns.  Like Michelle Corso there is not an ounce of fat on this diminutive young woman.

I just had this idea that I was going to take it easy and try to recuperate from my rigorous spin schedule, but when a Stone hits you it’s not likely any real recovery will take place until we usher our physiologies outside the CS.  My friend Debbie J., a.k.a. the PQ was alongside me for this ride and Mrs. 112 was cheering me on trying to prevent me from  “drifting” between roads and told me to  pick up my pedal stroke. Between the two it seemed to work, and by the time it had all ended the same 3 puddles were underneath my Schwinn.

Today I had decided that after a tremendous amount of sales pressure from Michelle at the front desk, (j/k) that I would treat myself to an 80-minute massage from young Katie.  How dare I? But God am I glad I did, because I soon discovered that I had two aliens inhabiting my calves and if not for the magnificent hands of Katie, they might have breached the skin and taken a piece out of my torso. That could be a little extreme but my wife loves all those CG movies where creatures appear from beneath the skin and devour their victims.  I’ve known this therapist a long time here at Equinox and she knows Reiki, reflexology and does a deep tissue massage that will have your trigger points begging to be left alone. I walked out of the Spa weaving and in a legal altered state that stayed with me until I was donning my pants.