Relax for Speed

03/10/09 - Spin

I skipped my Tuesday yoga class today to run some errands. I'm getting ready to leave town, and it's pretty hard to wedge in all the things I need to accomplish, and still have time for double workouts. I reviewed my schedule, and figured yoga was probably the most expendable.

Finally, though, after several weeks of trying to obtain trainers, which has involved begging from my tri club and borrowing trainers that don't fit my bike, I got lucky, and got a trainer for Spin Class! I was in business to see what this class is all about.

I arrived early to fumble around with getting my bike onto the trainer. Being so new to the process, I felt clumsy and awkward, but everyone was willing to help each other with this essential step. After getting my bike situated, I hopped on, clipped in, and started a nice smooth and easy pace.

It took probably about 1 minute for me to remember how bad my seat is hurting me. It's not placed in the right position on my bike and I don't have the tools to move it. It's too far forward, so the large part of the seat is sitting in the middle of my pelvis, and my actual bottom is kind of hanging off the end. OUCH! This causes some immediate pain to some important areas, and I'm finding, that it's cutting circulation off to my legs and feet. Need to get this fixed asap!

That aside, this was a fun class. It's such a nice way to practice biking technique without the risk of running off the side of a road. Our instructor really helped us focus on relaxing for speed; opening our bodies while riding, letting go of the shoulders and arms, to allow for strong, powerful, and easy movement. She also suggested finding words or phrases to call upon during the most difficult moments, that would help remind you to regain that fluid body positioning. I've got my Beastie Boys little diddy all set for these moments.

We did a bunch of 3 minute sets, building our speed with each minute. 1 minute at 80% effort, 1 minute at 87% effort, and 1 minute giving it everything you've got! I'm pretty sure I mentioned it yesterday, but I just love these little short bursts of energy. They make me feel strong and successful! I hopped of the bike at the end, and felt like I could have done a whole lot more. I think that's the feeling I should be going for, seeing as how in a race, I'll be getting off the bike and will start running!