Imagery vs. Technique

Once in a great while I get intuitive hits while I ride and today was one of those days. As Kristen painted her beach run in Mexico I was transported to my own runs in the sands of Long Beach training for the Boston and New York Marathons.  The only thing missing for me today was the olfactory sensation of the salt air. 

In the first 15 months of spinning I have finally come to the expectation that I pay attention to my form keeping my upper body ‘quiet’ and letting my legs do virtually all the work. This takes concentration, dedication and a conscious effort because it is so easy ‘bounce’ up and down or shift my upper body from side to side. These movements add nothing to my performance and probably subject me to an increasing chance of injury. And one thing that spin has done for me is that it has kept me virtually injury free and I want to keep it that way. 

This week had me in Michelle’s class on Monday night and Tripp’s class on Tuesday and the former was classic in it’s technique and the latter was like the best amusement park ride ever conceived of on a stationary bike. Today however, the Evil Woman merged those two rides for me. We all know that her instruction and attention to form is unparalleled and she usually uses the imagery of other riders ahead of us to move alongside and pass but today she chose the imagery of her recent Mexico trip and she talked about running in wet sand with the ocean on her right and some buoys off in the distance as markers to shoot for. Whenever she elects to this type of imagery it makes me viscerally attached to former experiences that are indelibly etched in the memory of my soul. Running on the sand in Long Beach was one of those pastels that will never leave me. There are races too in Central Park and on the streets of Boston that have similar deep attachment to me. So when she waxed on with her guided imagery, my effort and I guess energy levels got lifted just a little higher with the benefit of emotion rather than conscious effort. I hope you’re following me here because it was in that instant I realized that my athleticism is emotionally based rather than in my musculature.  It says to me that I can pay attention to form all I like and I will continue to do so but it is in my imagination that unleashes the adrenalin rushes that fill my bodily cavity. 

By the way as much as I love the “breakaway” I am now so in love with the “surge” as well because the word is much more emotional to me and since I am a sentient being at heart and so attached to words in general this new ingredient makes spin even spicier. 

P.S.

Over on Tripp’s Blog I have posted a members experience on her triathlon in her own words. I posted some pictures as well. I have never had a guest blogger but Constance has a picturesque story so give a look @ http://trippdoherty.blogspot.com/