Can you top this? It seems to be the question I am asking myself every Saturday in KSC. How can it be that we can exceed our goals from the week before? I have no answer but I can speculate. Could it be Kristen’s soliloquies, which are totally extemporaneous but expertly woven just the same? Today as she had us adding gear she stitched in a story each time we raised gear to levels 1, 2 and 3. An adroit methodology that appears to draw out an even greater performance in our pedal stroke because we become fully associated and part of the story. Or maybe it’s her experimenting with her choreography too. Today’s was singular in that it carried virtually no AT 40 and it was more the supporting cast like I have alluded to in past entries. This makes the ride more ethereal, more Zen like and it allows the ride to take on a hypnotic meditative quality that I hadn’t really experienced in quite some time. The incentive for us to push harder lies in the innate talent she possesses. Sort of like wanting to shine for the teacher because we don’t want to let her or ourselves down. It makes pushing the envelope a goal rather than a task.
I can remember when I first started taking spin in earnest 19 months ago that Kristen would say: Right, left, right left. And today she used it again just like a metronome that sits atop the piano marking metrically the beat of the music. I delighted in this very simple drum check that gets my feet in time to the percussion and just a bit more focused on an intense ride. Right, left keeps me moving forward instead of looking back at what I just did on the road previous.
Today was particularly exhausting for me but that’s because I am improperly loading the resistance wheel (I know again John?) and a short talk with her post ride gave me the answer that I needed. She told me that if I wasn’t hitting the RPM at 65 it was because I had too many revolutions on that damn red wheel. She said in effect that I had to let the RPM be my guide and that if I found my reading lower than 65 I had to take off some gear. Makes sense because I felt like I was in an anaerobic state for most of the last half of the ride and that’s not training effectively.
Today she said: This is no joke. And as I looked at the burgeoning pool of sweat engulf the floor beneath my feet I had the proof that I never take riding with her as a joke. It’s serious training and I do need a day off now after 6 classes with my two favorite stars Kristen and Tripp. Each fulfills my training regimen to the max. The upcoming week has me looking for another star to report on, at least for Monday anyway. As KJ heads for chocolate town we wish her and her charges a safe and joyous time.
No comments:
Post a Comment