I remember my first time like it was yesterday. Her name was Heather. I was nervous. She was patient and guiding. Could this be love?
It was Spring 2008 when I went to my very first Spin class. I was overweight, out-of-shape and looking for a good form of solid cardio with a kick to it. For years I've heard people praise Spinning as an hour (or more) of ass-kicking, calorie-burning, heart-pumping fun. It was time to check it out.
Heather was a Spin instructor at the Sweat in Queen Village (Philly). If I remember correctly, she taught class Tuesday evening and Saturday morning. I had no idea what I was getting in to, but I listened to my intuition and brought a big bottle of water and was sure to grab some towels before heading in to class. They both came in handy. I had to sign in a half-hour before class and spent those 30-minutes warming my body up a little, some light stretching, and maybe some socializing to dampen the pre-class jitters. (With the extra weight I was carrying around back then, it didn't take much to get my heart rate up.) The Sweat in QV had a pool table right outside the Spin studio which was probably my idea of a warm-up. Any who, Heather was quick to recognize a new face to the class and helped me set up the bike, go over the positions, how she ran class, etc. The next hour was a very unpleasant hour, physically, but a lot of fun. I left sore, soaked in sweat, out of breath and exhausted. My next stop was to the local bike shop to buy a pair of cycling shoes. I was hooked.
During my tenure as a Sweat Fitness member I only "cheated" on Heather once with a Spin instructor at the Manayunk location. I forget his name. But he was absolutely horrible. He floated in to class all high-and-mighty wearing a biking jersey and started talking about some road race he was signed up for. I remember not being very impressed. The next hour was a waste of time to the tune of one continuous techno song. Every once and a while he'd say, "resistance up," or "resistance down," as he sat on his bike (yeah, didn't pedal along with the class). Purposeless Spinning. The most entertaining part of that class was listening to a fellow Spinner talk about her breast implants which she got at a discount because she worked at the surgeon's office.
After leaving Sweat for The Sporting Club at The Bellevue I only dabbled with Spinning. For those who don't know the social scene of Philadelphia, let me start off by saying I didn't fit in at The Sporting Club. It's ultra posh and high-end. I'd regularly trade sweat with people like Ed Rendell and Michael Nutter. A friend (who is a native Philadelphian) asked me if they allow females to join yet (which they do) and I wasn't surprised at the question. The place reeks of an old-school, men-only sports club. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the dank training rooms in the back were once speakeasies. But I digress. The Spinning classes there were ultra-popular and required you to sign-in 45-minutes before class. And when you signed in, you signed your name to a specific bike. There was no way to peruse the class and pick a bike next to something interesting. The room was equipped with a powerful sound system and black lights; once the class started, the lights went off and the tunes went up. Had a good feel to it but I always thought the presentation was more important to them then the actual workout. I'd Spin at random times and with random instructors so I never developed a solid feel for their class. The only instructor that left me with a lasting memory was a woman named Shosanna. Her class was solid but I believe the reason she left an impression was her name and the connection I made, for the entire class, to the character in Inglourious Basterds. Kept on thinking about Col. Hans Landa screaming out, "Au revoir, Shosanna!" instead of shooting her.
Now out here in the Land of Enchantment, I go to a local chain of gyms called Defined Fitness. They're a pretty nice gym, kind of LA Fitness-ish. There's one not too far from me and it has a semi-decent pool which serves as my back-up lanes when the base pool is shut down (like on Sundays). They didn't buy into the Spinning brand so they have "Cycling Fitness" classes. Same thing, just without paying the extra money for the name. I actually like their bikes better than the Spin bikes I was used to. Not sure of the brand (like it matters) but they come equipped with a cycling computer that displays cadence, time, distance (arbitrary, in my mind) and most importantly, power! There's also a "gear" indicator so you can really hone in on what "gear" (again, arbitrary number) matches up with your "hill." My workouts are more purposeful and complete, in my opinion, with this wealth of data and information to assist me along the way.
With the cold, dark winter behind us, I'm starting to cut back on the indoor cycling classes and pick up on the outdoor road rides. Nothing compares to a nice long ride in the saddle. But when that's out of the question, I've been fortunate to have a bunch of good indoor cycling instructors here in the desert to assist in developing my fitness. Some are better than others, but the beauty of these classes is you can make-or-break your own workout, depending on how you manage it.
Regardless, no instructor will compare to my first.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
A Short Stack Swim on Pancake Day!
Tuesday's are not a normal swim day for me, but with the holiday yesterday (Presidents Day), my normal pool at Kirtland Air Force Base was operating on their holiday schedule (something like 8a-12n) and thus was shut down for my normal Monday morning swim. I made up for it this morning with a workout that I grabbed from SwimArt's Facebook page the other day that looked interesting.
I ended up modifying Leslie's workout slightly to be more aligned with my training focus. Her plan originally called for doing some of the sets with your typical pool-toys such as paddles, kick boards and pull buoys. Instead, I did her prescribed sets and rest intervals while adding my own flare by using my one-and-only swim training device: a Finis Tempo Trainer. Below is the workout:
Warm-up
3x100y @ TT=1.40
Main Set
8x50y @ TT=1.20, :15RI
2x100y @ TT=1.25, :30RI
4x200y @ TT=1.30, :20RI
2x100y @ TT=1.25, :15RI
8x50y @ TT=1.20, :10RI
Warm-down
2x50y @ TT=1.50
Total: 2400y
An excellent way to start Shrove Tuesday! Hope everyone enjoy some delicious pancakes!
I ended up modifying Leslie's workout slightly to be more aligned with my training focus. Her plan originally called for doing some of the sets with your typical pool-toys such as paddles, kick boards and pull buoys. Instead, I did her prescribed sets and rest intervals while adding my own flare by using my one-and-only swim training device: a Finis Tempo Trainer. Below is the workout:
Warm-up
3x100y @ TT=1.40
Main Set
8x50y @ TT=1.20, :15RI
2x100y @ TT=1.25, :30RI
4x200y @ TT=1.30, :20RI
2x100y @ TT=1.25, :15RI
8x50y @ TT=1.20, :10RI
Warm-down
2x50y @ TT=1.50
Total: 2400y
An excellent way to start Shrove Tuesday! Hope everyone enjoy some delicious pancakes!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
2012 Season
This year is setting up to be an exciting year for swimming, biking and running. No kids, no pets, will travel! My three A-list events will be the ITU World Triathlon San Diego, Philly Tri and Ironman 70.3 Timberman in Gilford, NH.
The ITU will have an amazing atmosphere since it is a qualifying event for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The age groupers (like myself) will have an early-morning start in Mission Bay on Saturday while the elites will start later in the day and will be a blast to watch. Hopefully will catch up on some quick R&R on the beach before heading back to New Mexico and getting back to training.
I'll be back in Philadelphia for the Philly Triathlon in late June and plan to extend the weekend to catch the local nine play a game (or two) in South Philly. The swim goes with the current and usually brings some fast swim times. It'll be good to be "home."
Last but not least, I'll push the limits a bit and tackle a 1/2-Ironman in gorgeous New Hampshire. Should be an electrifying atmosphere and some beautiful scenery. I haven't been up to New Hampshire in about a decade and look forward to this trip.
Scattered in between my three A-list events are some fun local races. Chasing3 is doing an open water race series this season which I'm very excited for. Points will be accumulated for races included in this series and awards will be given out at the end of the season. The four races that count towards this series that I'm planning to enter are Billy the Kid Tombstone, Damnit Man, Cochiti Lake and Elephant Man. These will be my B-list events. There isn't much open water here in New Mexico so you have to take advantage of any opportunity that comes up.
The other two triathlons on my list, Coyote Carrera and Candyman, are local to Albuquerque and will be a fun warm-up and cool-down triathlon, respectively. They are typical Albuquerque races and are reverse-order sprint triathlons. Instead of starting with the swim, these will start with a 5K run, transition to a 20K bike and end with a 400-yard swim in a pool. Pool swims can get kind of hectic, especially if it's set up such that athletes are swimming both directions in one lane. But they are fun events to try new things that you don't want to attempt during an A- or B-list race.
In addition to the triathlons, I have two very exciting swimming events on my calendar which I'm very psyched about. The weekend after the 4th of July I'll be heading up to San Francisco to swim with some friends in the bay. The SF bay offers some fun open water swimming opportunities. The water is chilly and rough... can't wait! I met some real nice people during a Total Immersion Open Water Workshop in Maho Bay, St. John, USVI this past January who are planning to meet up in San Francisco that weekend to join me on these swims.
Although the official date has yet to be advertised, I'm planning a trip to Austin, TX in the middle of October to participate in the Highland Lakes Challenge. This is a five-day, five-lake, fifteen-mile staged event. Never been to Austin but I've heard some great things. Regardless, the swims should be awesome and a great challenge.
Here's my schedule:
The ITU will have an amazing atmosphere since it is a qualifying event for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The age groupers (like myself) will have an early-morning start in Mission Bay on Saturday while the elites will start later in the day and will be a blast to watch. Hopefully will catch up on some quick R&R on the beach before heading back to New Mexico and getting back to training.
I'll be back in Philadelphia for the Philly Triathlon in late June and plan to extend the weekend to catch the local nine play a game (or two) in South Philly. The swim goes with the current and usually brings some fast swim times. It'll be good to be "home."
Last but not least, I'll push the limits a bit and tackle a 1/2-Ironman in gorgeous New Hampshire. Should be an electrifying atmosphere and some beautiful scenery. I haven't been up to New Hampshire in about a decade and look forward to this trip.
Scattered in between my three A-list events are some fun local races. Chasing3 is doing an open water race series this season which I'm very excited for. Points will be accumulated for races included in this series and awards will be given out at the end of the season. The four races that count towards this series that I'm planning to enter are Billy the Kid Tombstone, Damnit Man, Cochiti Lake and Elephant Man. These will be my B-list events. There isn't much open water here in New Mexico so you have to take advantage of any opportunity that comes up.
The other two triathlons on my list, Coyote Carrera and Candyman, are local to Albuquerque and will be a fun warm-up and cool-down triathlon, respectively. They are typical Albuquerque races and are reverse-order sprint triathlons. Instead of starting with the swim, these will start with a 5K run, transition to a 20K bike and end with a 400-yard swim in a pool. Pool swims can get kind of hectic, especially if it's set up such that athletes are swimming both directions in one lane. But they are fun events to try new things that you don't want to attempt during an A- or B-list race.
In addition to the triathlons, I have two very exciting swimming events on my calendar which I'm very psyched about. The weekend after the 4th of July I'll be heading up to San Francisco to swim with some friends in the bay. The SF bay offers some fun open water swimming opportunities. The water is chilly and rough... can't wait! I met some real nice people during a Total Immersion Open Water Workshop in Maho Bay, St. John, USVI this past January who are planning to meet up in San Francisco that weekend to join me on these swims.
Although the official date has yet to be advertised, I'm planning a trip to Austin, TX in the middle of October to participate in the Highland Lakes Challenge. This is a five-day, five-lake, fifteen-mile staged event. Never been to Austin but I've heard some great things. Regardless, the swims should be awesome and a great challenge.
Here's my schedule:
(1) Coyote Carrera Triathlon
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Albuquerque, NM
Sprint Reverse Triathlon: 5K run, 20K bike, 400m pool swim
(2) ITU World Triathlon San Diego (A-list)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
San Diego, CA
Olympic Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
(3) Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Fort Sumner, NM
Olympic Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
(4) Philadelphia Triathlon (A-list)
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Philadelphia, PA
Olympic Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
(Bonus) San Francisco Bay Swims
July 7 and 8, 2012
San Francisco, CA
Open Water Swims: Alcatraz (1.3mi) and Bridge-to-Bridge (6mi)
(5) Damnit Man Triathlon
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Truth or Consequence, NM
Sprint Triathlon: 400m swim, 12 mile bike, 2.25 mile run
(6) Cochiti Lake Triathlon
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Cochiti Lake, NM
Olympic Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
(7) Ironman 70.3 Timberman (A-list)
Sunday, August 19, 2012,
Gilford, New Hampshire
Ironman 70.3: 1.2 mi swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
(8) Elephant Man Triathlon
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Elephant Butte, NM
Olympic Triathlon: 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
(9) Candyman Triathlon
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Rio Rancho, NM
Sprint Reverse Triathlon: 5K run, 20K bike, 400m pool swim
(10) Highland Lakes Challenge
October 17-21, 2012
Austin, TX
Open Water Staged Swim: 5 lakes, 5 days, 15 miles
Welcome!
Greetings, and welcome to my window into the wild world of the internet. I recently took up triathlons after the encouragement of some triathlon-crazy friends and have yet to look back. For 2012 I've picked up the pace with my training and have set some steep goals. Goals I would have never thought possible only a few years ago. This blog is an attempt to share my crazy world of triathlon-related items. And maybe I'll throw some other items into the mix. This could include, but not limited to, the Phillies, the Flyers, and anything nerdy. You've been warned.
First, a word on the title. I'm originally from the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. The cuisine of choice is the delicious and greasy cheesesteak. You can try to get a "Philly Cheesesteak" elsewhere all over the country, but it's no where near the same. Whether you like it "whiz wit" or, as I do, with sharp provolone cheese and fried onions, it's a tasty meal that will leave you craving more. My favorite cheesesteak in the city? John's Roast Pork in Pennsport. Yeah, they have some crazy hours but it's well-worth taking an extra-long lunch during the workweek. Oh, and their pork sandwiches are amazing as well. Can't go wrong.
In April of 2011, I lifted up my roots and dropped them in the high-desert of Albuquerque, NM. The Land of Enchantment is known for their chile. Come fall, the sweet smell of roasted chile fills the air and it's time to take a trip to your favorite chile farm and grab yourself a sack. While they are still nice-and-hot from the roasting, slip on some gloves, peel their skin, bag them up and store in your freezer for a year's worth of delicious chile to add to your favorite dish. The natives put chile in just about anything. Even cereal. Probably.
First, a word on the title. I'm originally from the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. The cuisine of choice is the delicious and greasy cheesesteak. You can try to get a "Philly Cheesesteak" elsewhere all over the country, but it's no where near the same. Whether you like it "whiz wit" or, as I do, with sharp provolone cheese and fried onions, it's a tasty meal that will leave you craving more. My favorite cheesesteak in the city? John's Roast Pork in Pennsport. Yeah, they have some crazy hours but it's well-worth taking an extra-long lunch during the workweek. Oh, and their pork sandwiches are amazing as well. Can't go wrong.
In April of 2011, I lifted up my roots and dropped them in the high-desert of Albuquerque, NM. The Land of Enchantment is known for their chile. Come fall, the sweet smell of roasted chile fills the air and it's time to take a trip to your favorite chile farm and grab yourself a sack. While they are still nice-and-hot from the roasting, slip on some gloves, peel their skin, bag them up and store in your freezer for a year's worth of delicious chile to add to your favorite dish. The natives put chile in just about anything. Even cereal. Probably.
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