Shut the Blinds

The Secret 730 is no longer classified in fact I found out Tuesday morning at 530 that it books out in seconds now. It was maybe a few short months ago I took this particular time slot and there were a few bikes available but now no way. And think about this for a moment the 730 is in no way a prime time slot. 830 or 930 maybe but what Young Dana has done is made this class her own and her following has grown in leaps and pedal strokes.  

Struggling to focus on breathing mid-way through I was trying to formulate in words what it is she does that makes me feel like I am going beyond the effort I thought I was capable of. The best I could come up with is that each time we “punch” through another ceiling she raises the floor beneath us. In this way instead of falling off after a Herculean interval we recover in a place we used to be challenged in. Does that make sense? 

I think too that her trademark “Shut the Blinds” has a remarkable affect on the ethereal aspect of the ride. When we filter out the major sense of sight and implore our imagination into the mix we can go anywhere we want to. The journey becomes 4 dimensional and we feel the moving parts of our body more intensely. 

The discography is always just right. A little AT 40 and a little classic Rock n’ Roll so that elders like me feel right at home. I was  just a bit lethargic this morning and I virtually had to kick my ass out of bed but Dana I am so glad I did.  

Heart of Fire

What else can be said about her? It’s nearly 500 episodes I’ve written about Kristen James. I loved her as Kristen Gagne too but this woman continues to be original in every single class I am privileged to be in.  Why is it that her class is sold out in seconds? I see other classes on Book A Bike: 37 Bikes Left 0 Bikes Left 37 Bikes Left. We need a bigger studio but only for her classes. And that is not to say her very talented staff is nothing short of extraordinary but she is in my opinion alone at the top. Some say I kiss her ass but I have no agenda with KJ only that she be present, make me sweat and inspire me. That’s all I have ever asked of her and she does it every time.  

The 1-year anniversary of her beloved Dads passing is nigh and that morning in church when she said goodbye will stay with me forever. Watching her nearly collapse her beloved Don kept her from falling. I cried a little that day. As I have said before she is SIN. Singular in nature.  

Double Spin Part......

After 2 hours of spin I’ve had enough of the day and so I decided to crawl back under my soft white sheets for a short siesta only to be woken up 20 minutes later with a start thinking I was late for KSC. I think I am infected with a rocking pneumonia and I need at least a day off to recover from 7 classes in 6 days. Trying to make up for lost time never works out even when you try and catch up on the somnolent state or missed sessions in the Lavender Palace. 

Howard convinced me to take the second after I was lamenting to anyone who’d listen that I was done in by the 8 am version of Kristen’s Spin Class. He said come on Jack there’s some open bikes. And everyone knows KJ hates open bikes even if it is mid-summer and many of the regulars are away on vacation. I felt compelled and forgot albeit briefly just how tired I was. Luckily I was back in the 4th row somewhat out of the watchful eagle Kristen eyes so I could turn down the amperage just a little bit but we all know how that goes once you’re in you’re in.  

I know that my HR monitor must have been off because it showed that my range was 123 to 220. (Technically I was dead no?) I was excited because I broke 1000 calories. Even if it’s only an estimate I am going into Saturday in a caloric deficit for sure. And since I don’t drink I might have some room for some buttered popcorn. Perish the thought!  I love Saturday KSC I just don’t know why but I do.  

This week I did three night versions of the talented lot we have at EQ. John Kocaj on Monday, Kristen Finello (K2) on Tuesday and Damian Young Atlas on Wednesday.  It’s a great alternative to have night spin especially during summer and all 3 have my admiration and respect. However what possessed me to do 7 in 6 days is pure lunacy and I am so resistant to doing something else consistently and as of right now that discipline eludes me.  I’ve tried Yoga with the talented Raj and group exercise in the main studio with the Super Human (not just superwoman) Rocky. Oh well one day I will wake up and move among the saner of you that have a well-rounded fitness regimen. 

PS

Some of you may know that my writing is automatic. I wrote this last night I wish you would take a look and tell me what it means to you. 

http://mylifeafteraa.blogspot.com/2013/07/psychic-demeanors.html

Reentry

Is there life without spin? Well of course but life is just a bit different nonetheless. The discipline of the exercise regimen has so much less resistance with spin in your life. One knows when all the classes are from the carefully assembled schedule and by simply showing up all we need do is put in the pedal stroke. Take the schedule out and exercise can be catch as catch can, which is where we lose our footing. The intricacies of life with all its currents and eddies makes exercise seem like a luxury and almost every task our mind can think of gets advanced to the higher priority. Oh I will get to the club but I just don’t know when. Not knowing when can make a world of difference in the state of our mind and of course the state of our body. 

As much as exercise is an "outside job" the actual work is the ultimate “inside job” What goes on in our conscious mind is the thing.  When we complete a class we feel just a bit more ready to take on the world than without it.  Exercise although it expends energy makes us perform at a higher rate than if we remained sedentary. Using some of the fuel we wake up with everyday when burned gives rise to a more efficient use of what is still left in the tank.  A higher octane if you will. We pay more but we get more MPG.  

When Kristen2 asked me if I was all right her query was raised because my pen had gone silent. It’s so true that my own rocket fuel to write is prospered by that magic flywheel and that little red resistance wheel.  So now as my reentry back into the club is renewed I am certain that my gift of afflatus will return.  At least I hope so because this piece is as flat as a crushed thumbtack. 

I was going to call this piece Outside the Spin Room but since I was able to catch the 7 PM Monday class with John Kocaj I changed it to Reentry. And coming back to spin class with John instructing was probably the best thing I could do. John is an erudite teacher with a choreography that is very precise and he adds the dimension of what a thinking man’s version of what spin class  looks like. It’s not so much about the music with John it’s the content. It’s what I came away with which was more important. Instead of going like a banshee his approach had me ease into the pedal stroke and suffice it to say that by rides end I was feeling like I hadn’t missed a class rather than more than a dozen. Take John he’s distinctive and his approach to class is different and as to how you’ll have to leave that as something that is purely individual and experiential known only to you.