Level 42

There is something about her because she elevates me to Level 42. * Today she was game on!

What’s better than a fiery Kristen? Give up? A very happy Kristen Gagne that’s who. I love when she has an edge on and is near intolerant of any inconsistencies.    But there are times like today that I just love being in her class because she’s totally entertraining. Like when she belts out a very serious phrase and is quick to laugh as if she didn’t hear herself the first time saying it. She had me smiling every minute because she can laugh at herself, that’s so cool.

 Every once in awhile she will give out an individual specific lesson and today I was the recipient of that specificity as only she can give. I have become in a sense complacent about how hard I am working and I am not compensating for the fact that I have improved markedly in the past 15 months, and what was challenging for me before is now done with relative ease. And when she said: “That’s too slow” after a surge I was brought back to reality. God I love her for that. Any time she is critical you know it’s you she’s thinking about. She demands excellence and I am sure as all of us are, that’s one reason why we come back every day.

I did love that girly girl thing she did today about how  some riders are about not wanting to sweat too much,  are here to burn only a modicum of calories and then  being on their way. I for the life of me can’t conceive that anyone is like that in this class.  Kristen if we are in this class we are here because we want to kick our collective Asses and it’s your magic wand that is getting us into the shape of our lives. Maybe you see something this rider doesn’t from your vantage point but before long those riders will drop out of sight. 

And there is something about Saturday night. 

P.S.

I thought I was done with this but it came up again today. From my bike #3 I can see the rider under the clock. Now there are many of us who love this man but he was skylarking, chatting, putting a towel on his head during class and sitting in the saddle when he was told specifically by the Evil Woman to get in position 3. But no he just did as he pleased. This just can’t go on. ☺

 * Level 42: Something About You 1986

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dx9xe44W0

Cee Lo Green: Bright Lights Bigger City. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBhdIcb84Hw

Transitions

Last night some of us took a spin class in advance of the 90-minute charity ride that is occurring at the Vanderbilt Planetarium on Thursday May 5th.  The sponsoring entity is Image Cycling run by a man named John Hinrichsen who is a Life coach, mountain guide, indoor spin instructor for 16+ years, ultra-marathoner and former hockey player. I could go on but you get the idea. 

The setting of the Planetarium would have any instructor equipped with all the tools to make a ride even more exciting, but I suspect John would not need the theatrics of surround sound or compelling images of a beautiful rain forest or a revolving starscape on a dark night. He would be most at home even in the Lavender Palace playing the top 10 from Billboard. As it was the music was eclectic but motivating and when we ended our ride to Ravel’s “Bolero” I was intrigued to find out that it had lyrics.  

Someone asked me familiar with the Planetarium just how did they get bikes in there? Simple enough although the seating is permanent there was plenty of room on the periphery of the theater and a void in front of the image control console for about 26 bikes. We had about 17 riders and the number 26 is the number we are hoping will attend next weeks charity event to fill the house.  

The bikes not being Schwinn’s took some getting used to but once the questions of how would this work out were answered we all slipped into our normal ‘gear’ and rode what I and others thought was a not only compelling ride but a unique one as well. John talked about the new millennium and his take was that he felt that more advancements were ahead for us in not in the way of technology but they would come in the most compassionate way of cooperation instead of competition. Being a student of Humanistic Psychology this continuum of thought made so much sense. He made a great point about how we are so obsessed with the latest equipment, the newest fad of exercise technique and even HR monitors. He concluded and I concurred that these things are just not working. 

Titling this entry was easy, as I will call it “Transitions.” Transitions was a phenomenal under theme to his ride because as John moved in and out of the saddle (and this struck Debbie particularly) his movement was almost imperceptible. His grace and strength were magnificent to behold and ultimately one we could try to emulate as we advance along our own timelines.  I did not have to mirror his positions each time because I could set my own transitions like in the saddle by surging and pulling back as opposed to getting in and out. It gave a less structured element to the ride that was refreshing. 

For those of you that are taking the ride next week, we can tell you beforehand you are in for a great experiential 90 minutes and for those of us present this past Thursday night, we will all have something to add to our daily experiences with our favorites back home in Equinox.

P.S. 

I think there are a few open bikes for May 5 and if you can check this experience out, I highly recommend it.  

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/

The Empress

 Extemporaneous is the only way to go with Corso because the challenge is sometimes too great to contemplate. What I mean is that for me and this is just my take your experience might be totally different Michelle is a study in concentration. Monday night I listened intently to every single utterance from her and for a change she was off the bike giving us a conductor’s rendition of her choreography. She is usually atop her bike pedaling at a furious pace that makes her legs appear as if they are in retrograde as I have written about before. Monday night however had her using her hands and arms as batons and her physiology was doing a fandango I have never seen before. 

I was determined to fulfill each of her commands to the fullest and not back off even a ¼ of a turn because she is my spin barometer. I take her class intermittently and when I do I instantly know at rides end how I am progressing in terms of my fitness levels. And on Monday night for the first time, I made it through to the end without flailing although if it were but a minute longer I would have hit the wall and probably had reverse peristalsis. But by the time I did finish, I had nothing left and as the Empress started the cool down I had to just sit atop my Schwinn and catch my breath because I could barely lift my arms. Truly Michelle Corso is a Wonder Woman and Lynda Carter has nothing on this woman’s incredible physiology. (She has an unbelievable body).

The Five-Minute Rule

I got shut out today from The Blue Sapphire this Easter morning and my session ended up Napoleon Solo on a lone bike outside Studio 1, where I was joined coincidentally by Michele and Kocaj. I guess I just didn’t have enough impetus to make the class on time this morning because I was up at dawn but I lollygagged and young Liz had absconded my bike. No sour grapes I didn’t move my ass.  Rules are rules but they have to be carried out consistently and that’s not done all the time. 

As I listened to Michele I pedaled to a moderate resistance, and she  made a convincing argument that I needed to try either Fire or VIPR or TRX. Spin is just fabulous but if done correctly it’s only a lower body exercise and since taking up spin in earnest in February of last year I have all but abandoned my weight workout routine. Maybe just maybe I have finally heard the call and will try Maureen who I hear is fantastic at TRX or Kocaj with EQ: 360 or Fire as its known in its shortened version. I was looking at that piece of equipment and Michele said it was as if the Bosu and the trampoline had given birth and the result was the EQ 360. It would seem like it is more stable than the Bosu but not as elastic as the trampoline. I am just speculating about what it is all about, but I am definitely going to give it a try.  

I see that Telly’s class is booked for the 8:30 and so I think its time for CSI or the Corso zone on Monday morning. 

Spin Notes: I see that young Dana has made her recovery and is back to running and spinning. I also would like to point out that two relatively new members Rose and Margaret are helping sponsor a charity cycle ride on the 5th of May at the Vanderbilt Planetarium at 7 PM.  Sounds like a theme ride in an unusual place and I will report back to you on that experience. 

Hell & Heaven

Friday

Maybe it was just me but I got the feeling Friday that either Evil Woman was letting us off the hook because it was her first day back from Mexico or my spinning capabilities had improved markedly in the last week. I do know that I am improving but I also have to believe that Kristen was just going easy on us as she seemed to have this laissez-faire attitude rather than a Rihanna approach of chains and whips. That’s what I saw from #3 anyway. 

It’s good to have the now bronze beauty back and leading her flock and as spring hits full stride the summer is next up in a flash so we better crank that red dial to the right because the Queen of Spin is always alluding to stripping down to our near nethers into skimpy bathing attire. We can see that she is ready now it’s our turn. Although there are plenty of our spin mates that have nothing to shed like the Prom Queen for instance.  But if some of us are to look good in the altogether time is running out of the hourglass for Dorothy.   I see that shrinking man in the mirror but I still have a long way to go before I shed the T-shirt like I could do easily at 45. 

But no matter if we do get to our bathing suits or not in the summer of ’11, our fitness is climbing a ladder of success every session in the Lavender Palace.  

Saturday 

I said to Kristen how much difference a day makes. And I write this piece as a two-part episode of KSC because two rides could not have been more different than they were from Friday and Saturday. And at the outset know it’s all-good. The major difference today was she was as Don said: “back in the groove”. Even in vacation mode she’s good but there was no comparison from what she got out of us today as compared to yesterday. 

Have you noticed that there appears to be as Evil Woman puts it: New Blood in the room? It’s unmistakable because the energy has more amperage but that’s just my take. I love when new people arrive because it adds a vitality that is just indescribable like Almond Joy. What do you think? It’s always great to have new members and every time I see one in the locker room I introduce myself just to lend my support to help them feel at home here which is as I have described via Louis: The Third Space.  

 Kristen also gave me an insight in the sense of how she models each ride based on the 100 plus eyes she is looking out on. There are some that need a different type of coaching from class to class. That is so deep to think that she pivots from day to day adjusting her choreography based on who is in the room and more specific which day it is. 

Harder, deeper, faster, slower. It's what a ride is supposed to be when it's real good. 

In Absentia

Disappointed is what I was when I discovered there was no 1215 spin with Svengali today because of the holiday schedule. My friend Robin was more than a little chagrined because she was really looking forward to it. I might have just more experience doing it Napoleon Solo as I have sometimes reported. However my friend Jesse happened to be in house and we spun together and the time passed almost as quickly even though our resident stars were in absentia. 

No music? No problem the conversation was spirited and because I have a natural affinity towards this devout family and successful businessman my pleasure was double mint good.  It is people like Jesse and my friend Debbie Jensen that make time at Equinox often the best parts of my day.  No Tripp? No Kristen? They have their lives too and will be back in the saddle “faster than you can say Jack Robinson”* I didn’t have to dance alone today and it was as the new age phrase goes: It was all good. 

*Jack Robinson: This expression originated in the 1700s, but the identity of Jack Robinson has been lost. Grose's Classical Dictionary (1785) said he was a man who paid such brief visits to acquaintances that there was scarcely time to announce his arrival before he had departed (Dictionary.com, n.d.).