The Black Market

A Saturday spin and I was just in time. I was sure that 75 minutes would have me sitting in the first lounge chair so I could begin my story. Uh yeah, no. I wound up being 7th in the 10 most wanted. Not much margin for error in the continuous clamoring for KSC.  A young woman then left the line as she kept pushing enter on her blackberry to get into  this class and a cancellation came up so she was free to give her place to the next salivating spinning enthusiast. 

Today marks 6 months exactly my addiction of Zen in a bottle. Although I have been exacting in my exercise regimen these past 7 1/2 years at Equinox nothing can come close to the frenetic pace I have been caught up in taking exercise with the catalytic converter that is Kristen Gagne. I have waxed poetic in over 120 odd episodes  and I never seem to run out of superlatives each and every time I catch this Broadway show. 

In one of the comments of a recent story an anonymous writer wrote that the prime motivation for me was the female form and most specifically the gluteus maximus. Yes I do confess to favor that part of the female anatomy and yes  there are plenty of museum like derrieres here in KSC but to suggest that it is the  prime motivator, is well just frankly absurd and totally uncalled for. Did I convince you?  I know it was a vain attempt at best but please don’t tell anyone.   

Well, my line mates have left me here to type some final entries before I catch the show and something tells me it’s gonna be a good one!   

Flash! I just got propositioned to sell my seat to KSC and so a black market has developed and I am here to report the crime element here in all places, Woodbury Equinox. Paul tells me that he and his wife Janet are both on their computers fridays at 715 trying to get into Saturday’s class.  It’s crazy and he told me that he had to draw the line when he saw people waiting to be on the waiting list. A phenomenon, he called it. Paul, welcome to our world. 

Post Script

Kristen took me into orbit when she played Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order and I thought would she venture into that world of Punk Rock just a tad more? I hope so. Maybe she reads this blog and gets influenced just a bit. 

It's No S.O.P.E.

Back in the saddle again. I think that was Gene Autry’s signature song, and it  has been almost a week since I have taken a KSC and for one reason of another I just kept missing her time slot. And It was sweet  of our leader to ask  yesterday; when I was coming back to her class again.  Hold on thar,  Baba Looey, I  have never forgotten that KSC is the root of my rejuvenation, not only physically but in the desire that arises within me each morning as the summer dawn gently lifts my eyelids from my somnolent state. Oh God Jack that description is way over the top and my editor and intuitive would spank me for it.  I have to make sure that I don’t luxuriate too much in my garden of words. 

Today we were treated to a scientific explanation to S.O.P.E. The scale of perceived exertion. I didn’t know that they had a measurement for how hard I am breaking my ass but behold they do!  

Today’s session was an exemplary one even though I hate most of the music. There I said it I hate the music. However, I only need the rhythm of the road for me to have an effective pentametric to my ride and there is plenty of that even though the lyrics leave me tone deaf. However Kristen leaked to me that she was going to play a song for me tomorrow and so I am postponing my open heart surgery and I will be there. Gee could it be Erasure or even New Order?  Chains of Love or Bizarre Love Triangle? A five minute stint in heaven awaits me on Saturday. 

Post Script

Bianca Lupo, a true delight in personality and form.  She is a 100 watt bulb in 40 watt world. Because of my age I suppose young women give me the same feeling as my step daughters do. It is the unique emotion in a man called paternalism. Some men might exclaim: “Yeah right” but for me it is genuine and it feels so damn good to be able to separate how you feel about a young woman and your romantic interests in life. 

I got off track there because I wanted to write about this diminutive star whose countenance is lit with the ease of pulling a chain.  She was very instructive in my complimentary session of TRX and enhanced my resolve to take more sessions with her as an adjunct  to the hour long group sessions that Kristen, Maureen and Lori hold during the week. In any case, I highly recommend Bianca Lupo, she knows her stuff and in even the trying moments of her workout  the sets seem to have plenty of sugar coating to make the medicine go down.  

My Favorite Bike

I was talking to Sharon the other  morning and she talked about something interesting that I had not considered before, and that was where she liked to position herself in the CS. She preferred the back row but  could not exactly describe why, but it seemed to be based on internal comfort more than anything else. My own feeling is that it really doesn't matter to me. I have been positioned all over mostly because I have  been relegated to the remaining ten bikes an hour before the class. Whether I  get  online or sit if I have the time  it really doesn't matter  as long as I get a bike. But if I do have a choice I think I like to position myself  somewhere in the middle because it gives me a sense that I am riding in a pack and it makes me feel the camaraderie we all have even though we don't speak to each other.

Writing this blog has also given me a degree of recognition in the CS that I may not have obtained and for that I am very grateful.

P.S. My favorite bike is #16.  

Two Blue Stars and a Comet

Inspiration  with me always appears in a flash of light. And when I looked up in position #41 and saw Carolyn’s eyes, she flashed a lightning like smile and it reminded me of a comet across the sky. You can tell a lot about a person from their eyes and their smile and with the Blue Sapphire you see devotion, dedication and inspiration. I won’t mention the physiology she carries because it’s sinful that someone looks that great.   

 Today in the CS the temperature control was malfunctioning and it felt like a sauna as we came through the glass doors.There must have been a shortage of towels in the locker rooms  because it seemed like  all the riders had bath towels covering the handlebars as if preparing for the impending bath by sweat.    But I soon forgot that as any excuse to ease up on my effort in fact, it was quite the opposite. When I spin with the Blue Sapphire I abandon any thought of holding back. However, I really had to concentrate on my breathing because I was soon out of it, breath I mean but soon I got back on the rhythm of the road and with my breathing as well. My air intake  is still challenging to regulate but I am working on it. 

The CS was a  packed house and it was crossover Sunday because the room  was filled with members of Kristen’s, Mike’s and Tripp’s classes. Even Don Berman made a guest appearance and of course my friend, Debbie the Olympian was in center stage.  No disrespect to the other sunday classes,  but Hello Sunday is the best show in town, in my humble opinion. 

The hour disappeared  faster than that comet in Carolyn’s smile but with an effort like that I welcome it just the same. Two blue stars and a comet the Blue Sapphire is truly a celestial display.

The Jewelry Box

If I asked the women of spin about what’s in their jewelry box I bet there would be many stories attached to each piece. And if I asked them is there  a piece of jewelry in that box that they don’t wear very often because it might be suitable for a different situation or a different day?  I feel rather certain there are pieces that just don’t get worn for one reason or another. And if I asked the men about maybe their watch collection for instance , is there one watch that sits there unused but still admired?  This is what I thought of today while spinning with Maureen Gallagher. She was here when I got here in April of 2003. Always present as a trainer and very active in group exercise. She was just there in my mind.  I have known Mo since the beginning. I have trained with others like Nicole and Randy but both have left Equinox some time ago. But Mo still there. When I started spinning I gravitated towards Kristen because she was prominent in the club and  she was Group Fitness Manager.  And of course I have chronicled my experiences in this blog with much relish and plenty of garnish.  

But back to my inspiration of what I felt today in spin class. I thought I had signed up to spin with Damian, that new young man but instead there was Maureen.  And I have to tell you if there is a piece of jewelry  ladies that you have forsaken in your jewelry box and boys if you have not worn that watch the one in the corner for quite a spell try them on again. And you will find like I did Maureen Gallagher  might have been overlooked but, she is a treasure in this club and I will certainly pay more attention. 

Knocking on the Anaerobic Door

As I eavesdrop in on two of the riders behind me a new member is asking who is the best spin instructor. Tracey  says Kristen, but  for the most part that selection is subjective because quite frankly they are all very talented.  Each has their own particular style and I love the one’s I blog about.   Let’s leave the world of opinion and venture into what today might be like.  Deliciously torturous? That became a self fulfilling prophecy today as The Evil Woman’s demeanor had the look of her avatar. There was something in her raised left eyebrow that signaled their would be no mercy and no sugar coating. There are some sessions that Kristen is just well, sweet even though she uses her sickle with liberal abandon. Not today it was succinct to the point and there was no peanut butter and jelly on this sandwich, just dry burnt toast. We just had to deal. 

As I chronicled in Tripp’s entry I felt a major breakthrough this week in his class and it has carried over in KSC, so I know it’s not just a hallucination. I can definitely breathe more regularly through my nose at least on the inhale,  which must mean I am getting more fit and my recovery between “roads” is getting faster and faster. I am also telling my grey cells to send more blood to my legs and instructing my heart to slow down between breakaways and intervals. And that self-talk seems to be working as well.  So nigh on 6 months in, the results are showing themselves albeit inexorably slow. 

Knocking on the anaerobic door was one phrase Kristen was using today  and the imagery of me actually knocking the door off the hinges and me prostate on top of it  came to my mind. I have been out of breath for almost 6 months here  but that’s because I was so out of shape by KSC standards.  But as I said this is about to change. 

Next up: Punch ‘n’ Judy. 

TRX II

Another battle royale with my body will take place again at the noon hour today. Last week left me virtually crippled until I was able to achieve some relief in the CS the next day which seemed to alleviate the build up of lactic acid in my legs. Another line again for TRX and I thought the noon hour would not be as trafficked as Kristen's spin classes are, but the Kristen devotees were out in full force for this version of the Master Motivator.

One of the women on the real world line for TRX gave me the inspiration for this post because she was feeling some joint stress in her first session. As we get older we need oil for those creaking joints. Dorothy and the Scarecrow have a permanent job with me because I never seem to be as flexible as I would like to be. However, I don't give much time to stretching and really taking care of my infrastructure as I know I could be. Although I do more stretching now than I ever have but it's simply not enough.

The second class was more rewarding than my first foray and being the lone man didn't seem to bother me too much. One of the women in my triad commented: Well there's no mistaking what your name is. Kristen handles TRX like she does her spin classes, expertly. I love her patience and as beginners she is taking her time as we gain experience in this new form of group exercise.

What does come to mind with these flexible straps is a feeling of being suspended between heaven and earth. I love how I can deepen the stretches like the figure four and and lower back. I almost feel like I've joined the circus and might be invited to join a high wire act when my training is completed.