Alright, loyal readers of mine, I would like to start off with an apology. I'm going to mess the chronological order up here on C&C and it's not meant to throw you off. I'm sorry in advance. As I promised in my last post, I will catch everyone up on the happenings of the last few glorious months. And I will. But not in this post. Like the man in the stall said to the man waiting: give me time.
Those in my generation may recognize the title of this post as lyrics from a song called Garden Grove by Sublime. It's the first track on the self-titled Sublime album released in the summer of 1996. Ah yes, the summer of '96. Seems like yesterday. Kurt Angle won the gold medal for the USA in wrestling at the Olympics in Hotlanta while I goofed off and probably did nothing with my life as a typical 15 year old kid. But I digress.
A few weeks ago Sublime rolled into the desert and put on a show for the Land of Enchantment here in Albuquerque. You may be thinking, "What? Sublime? But Brad Nowell died years ago!" Yes, he did. But the rest of the band lives on (except for Lou Dog, RIP) and they've created other bands (see: Long Beach Dub Allstars) in the past 16 years. Most recently, they (the original drummer and bassist) started playing with a guy named Rome Ramirez. They started doing some shows going by just "Sublime" until Nowell's family caught wind of this and got pissed. Sublime isn't Sublime without Brad (I agree) and they took the fight to the courts and won. So instead of just Sublime, they are called Sublime with Rome. Now you're all caught up. Allow me to slightly modify the first sentence of this paragraph and say, "A few weeks ago Sublime with Rome rolled into the desert..."
As a big Sublime fan I jumped at the chance and procured some tickets. Along with Sublime with Rome (SWR), Pepper and Cypress Hills was on the card. I never heard Pepper before but...Cypress Hills? Insane in the Brain? Yeah, them! Apparently in the 100 years since Insane in the Brain was popular on the radio Cypress Hills has continued to perform and record together. Who would have thought?
Prior to Pepper warming up the crowd a band called Huntington Beach Surround Sound took the stage for a quick set. I didn't catch much of their show. All I can say about them is Huntington Beach is one of my favorite spots in southern California. Good surfing.
Hearing a band for the first time live is a great experience. That's how I feel about Pepper. They put on a good show. A classic three-man-band with both the guitarist and bassist sharing the lead vocals. They had a very Sublime-like sound and were entertaining. Some cool coconut-punchers. I was impressed enough to buy a few of their albums on iTunes. If you haven't heard any of their stuff, I'd recommend them highly.
And now for something completely different...Cypress Hill took the stage. I'll be completely honest: I didn't see any of their show. Well, just bits and pieces from a distance. I left the seats after Pepper to meet up with some friends also at the show and decided to relax on the sidelines and listen to CH instead of crawling through a dozen drunk-and-high fans to get back to said seats. Yes, they did play Insane in the Brain, and a bunch of other songs. Yadda yadda. During the break I got back to where I belong to catch the main performance.
Sublime with Rome put on a good show. I'm not going to lie, though, they played a lot more classic Sublime than I expected. They only played three song from Yours Truly. (Luckily for me, they did play my favorite track from that LP: Take it or Leave it. Thanks guys!) The rest was old school Sublime (with a Nirvana cover, Drain You, off of Nevermind thrown in there). In addition to Rome on the guitar and vocals, original Sublime bassist Eric Wilson hung out on the side slapping his bass and adding some backup sounds via a keyboard. For the most part Eric just played along, smoked a cigarette and gazed out at the crowd through his sunglasses. Very low key. On drums was a guy named Josh Freese. You may be thinking, "Josh Freese? That doesn't sound right!" You are correct, my friend. Josh isn't a Sublime original. Bud Gaugh was the original drummer. And he did, for a while, tour and drum with SWR. However, he had a change of heart and left the group. He was unhappy with playing Sublime music without Brad. I don't blame him. SWR also had some guy on the 1's and 2's.
They ended their show predictably early and left the stage for a few minutes as the crowd chanted for more. Everyone knew they were coming back out. They hadn't even played Panic (hit track from Yours Truly)! They came back out and played a few more tunes before dropping their instruments and leaving for good. Satisfied (somewhat), the crowd dispersed into the desert night, ears ringing and heads nodding.
In other news, what is this?
Hidden in the title of this post is another topic I'd like to ramble on about here for you, my loyal readers. As Brad said, he had a "deuce deuce" in the trunk of his car, referring to a firearm that uses .22 caliber ammunition. Balling. Twenty-two (22) was also the race number I wore for the triathlon I was in last weekend up at Cochiti Lake. I'm switching topics here and I hope I don't lose you. Stay with me.
Last year around this time there were some wicked fires up in the area of Cochiti Lake which ended up cancelling this race for obvious reasons. This year things were cleaned up and the race was on like Donkey Kong.
The lake is only about an hour north of Albuquerque and I decided to just get up early and commute back and forth to this race instead of finding other lodging options. Left around 5a and got to the race site in plenty of time to set everything up and get ready to roll. Transition area closed and headed to the beach. And by beach I mean area by the lake with sharp, painful rocks. You'd think in the desert we'd be able to make a beach with sand, yeah? Think again.
The 1500m swim was a triangular course that we had to do twice. Water was warm (71 deg F, I believe) and I went sans wetsuit. At the first buoy I took a foot/fist to the face which nearly knocked my goggles off my head. Luckily they stayed partially on and I just had to tread water briefly to get the water out of them and get them back over my eyes. Other than that, the swim was pretty uneventful and straight forward. Think my final swim time was in the 33-min area.
Transition went well and I hopped onto my Cervelo P2 and headed out to the course. Now the transition area for this race was located at the bottom of a boat ramp. A long, steep boat ramp. Coming out of the transition area the first thing you hit is said long, steep boat ramp. Once at the top of the boat ramp, the hill continued. Nice way to start the bike. Eventually we got to the top and turned onto the dam service road. This supplied some gorgeous views of the lake/dam and surrounding area. The road was a rough gravel-like texture but flat and fast. This lead back to the main road for a quick downhill burst before climbing back up to start a second loop. After completing the second loop we headed back down the hill and boat ramp to the transition areas (good thing the brakes were working) and changed into my Brooks for the run.
Ah yes, remember that long, steep boat ramp and hill coming out of the transition area? It was there for the bike and didn't go away for the run. Except when heading out for the run I had 26-some miles of biking on my legs and lactic acid was already kicking in. Running up those hills was not fun at all. At times I felt like I wasn't even moving. After what seemed like an eternity I was at the top and onto a much more flat section of the out-and-back run course. But the damage was done. My legs felt shot, and I wasn't the only one. I've never seen so many athletes walk on the run leg of a triathlon as I did at this race. I joined them. There were a couple times where I just needed to walk it out for a few seconds. The dry heat, heavy sun and killer hills really took it to everyone out on the course. But eventually I was at the top of the hill again and heading back to the finish line. Was nice to be able to coast down the hill and boat ramp to finish the race. Somehow I was able to put one foot in front of the other and let gravity take me home. My final race time was just a few minutes under 3 hours. Definitely a challenging course. Probably the most challenging I've been in...so far.
Hung around the transition area for a little bit after the race, socialized and had some food before loading the Jeep up and heading back to the Abq. Gorgeous day and a fun, but challenging, triathlon makes for a great Sunday.
Here are my results:
Swim: 33:25
T1: 2:50
Bike: 1:23:25 (18.0 MPH)
T2: 2:06
Run: 54:53 (8:51/mi)
Total: 2:56:39
My next race isn't until August 19th, but it will be a big one. I'll be traveling to Gilford, NH for Ironman 70.3 Timberman. Can't wait!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
A papa tomato, a mama tomato, and a baby tomato are walking down the street...
Ketchup. Or, catch-up. If you wanted the latter, this is the blog post for you. As for the former, check your refrigerator.
I realize I went from the introduction of a joke to the punchline pretty quickly, but time is of the essence. And if you haven't heard the body of that joke, shame on you. Uma Thurman tells it pretty good in Pulp Fiction. Check it out.
It has been a long time, my loyal readers. Your humble author has been busy, and I'll try to recap the best I could. But not all at once. No use feeding you Cheesesteaks and Chile from a fire hose. My memory is a bit hazy on the details but I'll try to hit the major points.
As for tonight, this is just a teaser. In the next few days/weeks, I'll be posting some detailed entries on the following items that have gone down since the last time we chatted:
(1) Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon in Ft. Sumner, NM
(2) Hexy finally gets his drink ware
(3) Philly Tri back home in Philadelphia, PA
(4) Traveling to San Francisco, CA and my swims in the Bay
That is everything, I think. Some other topics might sneak in there on us, but that will be alright. Keep everyone on their toes.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
I realize I went from the introduction of a joke to the punchline pretty quickly, but time is of the essence. And if you haven't heard the body of that joke, shame on you. Uma Thurman tells it pretty good in Pulp Fiction. Check it out.
It has been a long time, my loyal readers. Your humble author has been busy, and I'll try to recap the best I could. But not all at once. No use feeding you Cheesesteaks and Chile from a fire hose. My memory is a bit hazy on the details but I'll try to hit the major points.
As for tonight, this is just a teaser. In the next few days/weeks, I'll be posting some detailed entries on the following items that have gone down since the last time we chatted:
(1) Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon in Ft. Sumner, NM
(2) Hexy finally gets his drink ware
(3) Philly Tri back home in Philadelphia, PA
(4) Traveling to San Francisco, CA and my swims in the Bay
That is everything, I think. Some other topics might sneak in there on us, but that will be alright. Keep everyone on their toes.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
2012 ITU San Diego
The 2012 ITU San Diego wrapped up about 12 hours ago and while things are still fresh in my head I thought I would sit down and tap out how things went. A long day on the road heading back to Albuquerque begins early in the morning tomorrow (Sunday) and I'm pretty exhausted from an early morning today (4a Pacific), but those are the sacrifices I make to you, my loyal readers. Please excuse any and all potential grammatical errors in this post. I'm fading fast.
Today was a beautiful day for a triathlon. Got up around 4 this morning and got some nutrition down my throat. The hotel I'm staying at, which is very nice and comfortable, isn't triathlete friendly. My room doesn't even have a refrigerator. So I had to make due with what I could gather that didn't need to be chilled. After putting together my stock of water bottles laced with Nuun tablets and getting in a quick morning stretch, I headed off to the transition area. Luckily it was only a 30-min walk from the hotel so I didn't need to fight the traffic/bus situation of 2500+ athletes converging into the same area.
My bike was [luckily] where I left it the night before and I quickly laid out my stuff, tapped gels to my bike, got everything situation, etc. At about 6:05a the transition area was closed, a local triathlete sang a real nice Star Spangled Banner, and the first wave of racers got ready to head out the shoot. My wave (M30-34), all with royal blue swim caps, was the last wave on the list, scheduled at 7:20a. I still had quite a while. To pass the time I went for a couple out-and-back swims to loosen up and enjoy some open water swimming. Also met a cool fellow New Mexican and chatted with him and his family for a while.
The first wave was delayed by 15-minutes but they compressed the schedule and our wave was able to start on time at 7:20a. I did my best to avoid the sometimes-lethal kick to the face and lined up towards the back and to the outside. The horn blew and we were off...
Swim
The race started with a 1500m swim in Mission Bay. Water temperature was quoted as 64F which made wetsuits legals. I broke out my 2XU T:2 for the first time since last Memorial Day and took advantage of it's thermal protection (and, of course, added buoyancy). However, as I was pulling the sleeves up to where they should be, I must have either been pulling in the wrong place, have some crazy Hulk-like strength, or the suit wasn't manufactured with the highest quality because a seam in the sleeve ripped. So, looks like I'm in the market for a new wetsuit. Suggestions?
My swim was a bit of a disaster. My stroke felt pretty good - feeling the glide - but my sighting led me astray quite a few times. And by astray I mean pretty far off. As in a volunteer had to chase me down with a kayak. Apparently sighting off the wrong buoy isn't a good idea. The first half of the course I zig-zagged all over the place. Wish I had a GPS unit tracking my path. I knew it was bad when I passed the same guy (he was easy to recognize with his gold TYR Hurricane Freak of Nature wetsuit) three times.The second half of the swim was a little better. Got into a groove of alligator-eying every 8-10 strokes and staying somewhat on track. So good I ran into not just one but two buoys in the process. Ran right into them. Even got semi-tangled up in their anchor.
The last 50-100m of the swim was a mucky mess of seaweed and mud. Nothing like swimming 1500m and then having to wade through knee-high mud. It was an awkward depth of water: too shallow to swim but a little too deep to high-step out comfortably. After getting out of the water, we were shuttled into the opposite end of the transition area than my bike. And with 2500-some participants, the transition area was big. Luckily my stuff was racked not far from the cluster of port-a-johns, so it wasn't too hard to find. After de-mudding, slipping off my ripped wetsuit and putting on my bike gear, I was out of the transition area and hitting the road.
Note: I tried to write this entry the night of the race since it was fresh in my head. I was, however, pretty beat and ended up crashing right about here. The rest of this entry is a week after the race, so the details aren't quite as fresh. I apologize.
Bike
Next was a 40km bike ride that started at Mission Bay and made its way to La Jolla (which I finally got used to saying). The course was well marked, pretty wide in most areas and easy to navigate. It was quite the beast of a course. Right out of the transition area it was a subtle climb until you got to Mt. Soledad. From there it got pretty intense, including a section about 1/2-mile in length that was a solid 10% grade. The hill was pretty meaty. And of course, what goes up, must come down, and the ride down the hill was a good opportunity to tuck into a decent aero position and let the legs relax. It was a two-loop course to make up the 40km before cruising back into the transition area. The energy from the crowd along the route was awesome. Quite a few people took to the streets to watch the age groupers tackle the course.
Security (in the form of volunteers and the San Diego PD) were out in full force on the course to help us out. However, no matter how well they did their job, it's impossible to stop everything. And less than 2 miles into the bike, a guy on a beach cruiser ignored securities demand for him to stop and he came cruising across the bike course perpendicular to my path. It would have been an ugly and disastrous bike-on-bike T-bone collision had I not have gotten a handful of brakes and a quick swerve. Other than that situation, the local traffic and people were respectful of the racers and kept to their own lanes.
Run
As I was getting off the bike and getting into my Brooks for the run, my back started to tighten up to punish me for the 90-minute bike ride. I pounded a gel pack, headed for the exit and tried my best to ignore the pain. After about a mile or so the pain crept away and stayed away. My legs felt pretty fresh coming off the bike but I had over 6-miles left before the finish line so I did my best to keep a good pace. Looking at my Garmin every once and a while, I tried to keep my pace at the 8:00-8:10/mi mark. The run course was a two-lap route on the "boardwalk" (which is nothing like the boardwalks I'm used to on the Jersey Shore). The course looped around the southern point of Mission Bay with the beach on our left and sweet condos to our right. Aid stations were plenty serving water, Gatorade and even some sort of energy bar/gel/etc.
On the last lap and shortly before the last aid station I decided to take in a few more calories to send me home. Reached into my tri suit's pouch and got a Cliff gel pack. I think it was Double Espresso (apparently Chris "Macca" McCormack's favorite flavor). Tore off the top but must have tore it a little too high. The resulting small orifice didn't allow much flow, and instead of re-tearing it a little lower to open it up, I just squeezed harder. As a result, another seam in the packaging gave lose and delicious energy in the form of a paste went everywhere. I was able to get some down my throat, which I followed up with some water at the aid station, but I was licking the rest off my hand, fingers, arm, etc. the rest of the race. It wasn't until after I crossed the finish line that I realized the extent of the mess. Luckily it doesn't really show in any of the photos that were taken of me.
Results
For my very first triathlon at the Olympic distance, I was going to be pleased with any result. Hey, it's a PR! However, with the swim turning into one of my strengths, I was disappointed with my results. It goes to show there is definitely a lot more to open water swimming than stoke length and stroke rate. Definitely something that will need some work and concentration. They say you can't win the race in the swim, but you can lose the race in the swim. The same is true at a personal level: you can't win YOUR race during the swim, but you can lose YOUR race during the swim. Regardless, it's a good starting point and was definitely a fun weekend. Here are the final numbers:
Swim: 38:23 (2:34/100m)
T1: 3:09
Bike: 1:30:36 (16.46 MPH)
T2: 3:24
Run: 51:32 (8:17/mi)
Total: 3:07:01
My next race is coming up in a few weeks. I'll be doing an Olympic Tri at the Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon in Fort Sumner, NM on Saturday June 9th. Just a quick 3 weeks away. Fort Sumner is where Billy the Kid is buried and there is also a lake out there (think it's called Lake Sumner). It will be my final tune-up before the Philly Tri a few weeks after that. Stay tuned for more.
Today was a beautiful day for a triathlon. Got up around 4 this morning and got some nutrition down my throat. The hotel I'm staying at, which is very nice and comfortable, isn't triathlete friendly. My room doesn't even have a refrigerator. So I had to make due with what I could gather that didn't need to be chilled. After putting together my stock of water bottles laced with Nuun tablets and getting in a quick morning stretch, I headed off to the transition area. Luckily it was only a 30-min walk from the hotel so I didn't need to fight the traffic/bus situation of 2500+ athletes converging into the same area.
My bike was [luckily] where I left it the night before and I quickly laid out my stuff, tapped gels to my bike, got everything situation, etc. At about 6:05a the transition area was closed, a local triathlete sang a real nice Star Spangled Banner, and the first wave of racers got ready to head out the shoot. My wave (M30-34), all with royal blue swim caps, was the last wave on the list, scheduled at 7:20a. I still had quite a while. To pass the time I went for a couple out-and-back swims to loosen up and enjoy some open water swimming. Also met a cool fellow New Mexican and chatted with him and his family for a while.
The first wave was delayed by 15-minutes but they compressed the schedule and our wave was able to start on time at 7:20a. I did my best to avoid the sometimes-lethal kick to the face and lined up towards the back and to the outside. The horn blew and we were off...
Swim
The race started with a 1500m swim in Mission Bay. Water temperature was quoted as 64F which made wetsuits legals. I broke out my 2XU T:2 for the first time since last Memorial Day and took advantage of it's thermal protection (and, of course, added buoyancy). However, as I was pulling the sleeves up to where they should be, I must have either been pulling in the wrong place, have some crazy Hulk-like strength, or the suit wasn't manufactured with the highest quality because a seam in the sleeve ripped. So, looks like I'm in the market for a new wetsuit. Suggestions?
My swim was a bit of a disaster. My stroke felt pretty good - feeling the glide - but my sighting led me astray quite a few times. And by astray I mean pretty far off. As in a volunteer had to chase me down with a kayak. Apparently sighting off the wrong buoy isn't a good idea. The first half of the course I zig-zagged all over the place. Wish I had a GPS unit tracking my path. I knew it was bad when I passed the same guy (he was easy to recognize with his gold TYR Hurricane Freak of Nature wetsuit) three times.The second half of the swim was a little better. Got into a groove of alligator-eying every 8-10 strokes and staying somewhat on track. So good I ran into not just one but two buoys in the process. Ran right into them. Even got semi-tangled up in their anchor.
The last 50-100m of the swim was a mucky mess of seaweed and mud. Nothing like swimming 1500m and then having to wade through knee-high mud. It was an awkward depth of water: too shallow to swim but a little too deep to high-step out comfortably. After getting out of the water, we were shuttled into the opposite end of the transition area than my bike. And with 2500-some participants, the transition area was big. Luckily my stuff was racked not far from the cluster of port-a-johns, so it wasn't too hard to find. After de-mudding, slipping off my ripped wetsuit and putting on my bike gear, I was out of the transition area and hitting the road.
Note: I tried to write this entry the night of the race since it was fresh in my head. I was, however, pretty beat and ended up crashing right about here. The rest of this entry is a week after the race, so the details aren't quite as fresh. I apologize.
Bike
Next was a 40km bike ride that started at Mission Bay and made its way to La Jolla (which I finally got used to saying). The course was well marked, pretty wide in most areas and easy to navigate. It was quite the beast of a course. Right out of the transition area it was a subtle climb until you got to Mt. Soledad. From there it got pretty intense, including a section about 1/2-mile in length that was a solid 10% grade. The hill was pretty meaty. And of course, what goes up, must come down, and the ride down the hill was a good opportunity to tuck into a decent aero position and let the legs relax. It was a two-loop course to make up the 40km before cruising back into the transition area. The energy from the crowd along the route was awesome. Quite a few people took to the streets to watch the age groupers tackle the course.
Security (in the form of volunteers and the San Diego PD) were out in full force on the course to help us out. However, no matter how well they did their job, it's impossible to stop everything. And less than 2 miles into the bike, a guy on a beach cruiser ignored securities demand for him to stop and he came cruising across the bike course perpendicular to my path. It would have been an ugly and disastrous bike-on-bike T-bone collision had I not have gotten a handful of brakes and a quick swerve. Other than that situation, the local traffic and people were respectful of the racers and kept to their own lanes.
Run
As I was getting off the bike and getting into my Brooks for the run, my back started to tighten up to punish me for the 90-minute bike ride. I pounded a gel pack, headed for the exit and tried my best to ignore the pain. After about a mile or so the pain crept away and stayed away. My legs felt pretty fresh coming off the bike but I had over 6-miles left before the finish line so I did my best to keep a good pace. Looking at my Garmin every once and a while, I tried to keep my pace at the 8:00-8:10/mi mark. The run course was a two-lap route on the "boardwalk" (which is nothing like the boardwalks I'm used to on the Jersey Shore). The course looped around the southern point of Mission Bay with the beach on our left and sweet condos to our right. Aid stations were plenty serving water, Gatorade and even some sort of energy bar/gel/etc.
On the last lap and shortly before the last aid station I decided to take in a few more calories to send me home. Reached into my tri suit's pouch and got a Cliff gel pack. I think it was Double Espresso (apparently Chris "Macca" McCormack's favorite flavor). Tore off the top but must have tore it a little too high. The resulting small orifice didn't allow much flow, and instead of re-tearing it a little lower to open it up, I just squeezed harder. As a result, another seam in the packaging gave lose and delicious energy in the form of a paste went everywhere. I was able to get some down my throat, which I followed up with some water at the aid station, but I was licking the rest off my hand, fingers, arm, etc. the rest of the race. It wasn't until after I crossed the finish line that I realized the extent of the mess. Luckily it doesn't really show in any of the photos that were taken of me.
Results
For my very first triathlon at the Olympic distance, I was going to be pleased with any result. Hey, it's a PR! However, with the swim turning into one of my strengths, I was disappointed with my results. It goes to show there is definitely a lot more to open water swimming than stoke length and stroke rate. Definitely something that will need some work and concentration. They say you can't win the race in the swim, but you can lose the race in the swim. The same is true at a personal level: you can't win YOUR race during the swim, but you can lose YOUR race during the swim. Regardless, it's a good starting point and was definitely a fun weekend. Here are the final numbers:
Swim: 38:23 (2:34/100m)
T1: 3:09
Bike: 1:30:36 (16.46 MPH)
T2: 3:24
Run: 51:32 (8:17/mi)
Total: 3:07:01
My next race is coming up in a few weeks. I'll be doing an Olympic Tri at the Billy the Kid Tombstone Triathlon in Fort Sumner, NM on Saturday June 9th. Just a quick 3 weeks away. Fort Sumner is where Billy the Kid is buried and there is also a lake out there (think it's called Lake Sumner). It will be my final tune-up before the Philly Tri a few weeks after that. Stay tuned for more.
Friday, April 27, 2012
(Kettle)Bells to the Wall
A couple months ago, my old roommate emailed me with an article from the New York Times about kettlebell gyms around the country. Highlighted in said article wasa well-regarded kettlebell gym located here in sunny/windy Albuquerque. The name of the gym is Firebellz, which is a nod to the Firefighting/EMS background of the founders/owners.
I first got into kettlebells back in 2009 while training at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia. I would mix one or two kettlebell classes in between Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes in an effort to continually mix up my workout.
For those unfamiliar with kettlebells, they are basically a cannon ball with a handle welded on to it. I'm sure anyone who is curious has already Googled the topic to find out more, so I won't labor on the details. The workouts typically consist of various lifts, swings, stretches and moves that incorporate the kettlebell(s) in some fashion. It's been said to be the secret behind the Iron Curtain and the crazy strength/toughness of the Russians. I bet Ilya Bryzgalov could tell some good kettlebelling stories.
The KB (kettlebell) classes at Daddis were intense. They were only 30-minutes in length and they were never an easy 30 minutes. The classes were advertised to be a similar burn to a full hour or even 90-minute session lifting weight in a gym. I believed it. I would have sore muscles that I didn't even know I had.
When Christina (my old roommate) sent me that NYT article it got me interested in getting back into the swing (no pun intended) of things and potentially add it into my workout schedule. But, for whatever reason, I didn't act on it until a few weeks ago. They were running a Groupon special for their introductory course and I decided to give it a go. After just a few minutes getting reacquainted with the KB, I was re-hooked.
The special was for their "Spark" class which is required for newbies (like me, sort of) to learn the techniques, postures, etc. in order to properly and safely workout with a KB. It was very beneficial. My experiences at the KB classes at Daddis were very technical and safe, but I never had the one-on-one interaction with a certified KBer to show me the proper stances, positions, angles and details. The devil is definitely in the details. The first Spark class we did nothing but deadlifts. A lot of them. Some with the bell, some without. The instructors were very thorough and patient. The deadlift movement is the basis for a lot of KB moves. It's critical to master, thus we spent a lot of time on it. My second class was much of the same, but spent some more detailed time on the swing, also another key movement in KB training. My hamstrings and glutes were very sore afterwards. (And they still are.)
While at my first class, I was keyed in on a program Firebellz offers called the Body Transformation Contest. It is a 12-week program they run, monitor, motivate, etc. in order to help people reach their fitness goals, whether it is to lose weight and tone up, or to bulk up with some solid mass. In addition to attending the classes they have offered at various times during the week, they assist with tracking your goals, monitoring your diet, and increasing your knowledge about your body, nutrition, injury prevention, and other hot-and-critical topics. The results from those who have participated in the past are pretty amazing. You can see for yourself on their website. If you're anything like me, you're skeptical of these before-and-after photos. You see them all the time on TV, whether it's for P90X, Weight Watchers, Curves, or whatever and you're never quite sure if you can fully believe the truth behind the advertising. Are they the same people? Did they post-produce the photos with some modifications to enhance the results? But I met the dude who won the past BTC (Body Transformation Contest) and he's legit. (Although, I just me the guy, so I didn't know him as the "before" dude.) The people coming out of this are filled with praise for the program. Chatting it up got me pretty amped.
So I took the plunge and threw my name into the hat for the upcoming BTC.
And it starts this upcoming week (4/30).
Tomorrow (4/28) I'm due at the gym for the initial photo, weigh-in and measurements. This Thursday is the first group meeting to review all the details and to meet the rest group. Meal logs aren't required for this week but getting to the required classes is. No better time to dive into things than now.
Between triathlon training (ITU San Diego is right around the corner), hockey season starting up and this BTC, it'll be a full schedule, but a healthy one. And since I have this little lane in the information super highway, I thought I would make a constant effort to update my progress along the way with weekly stats, results and thoughts to share with you, my loyal readers.
Stay tuned for more.
I first got into kettlebells back in 2009 while training at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia. I would mix one or two kettlebell classes in between Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes in an effort to continually mix up my workout.
For those unfamiliar with kettlebells, they are basically a cannon ball with a handle welded on to it. I'm sure anyone who is curious has already Googled the topic to find out more, so I won't labor on the details. The workouts typically consist of various lifts, swings, stretches and moves that incorporate the kettlebell(s) in some fashion. It's been said to be the secret behind the Iron Curtain and the crazy strength/toughness of the Russians. I bet Ilya Bryzgalov could tell some good kettlebelling stories.
The KB (kettlebell) classes at Daddis were intense. They were only 30-minutes in length and they were never an easy 30 minutes. The classes were advertised to be a similar burn to a full hour or even 90-minute session lifting weight in a gym. I believed it. I would have sore muscles that I didn't even know I had.
When Christina (my old roommate) sent me that NYT article it got me interested in getting back into the swing (no pun intended) of things and potentially add it into my workout schedule. But, for whatever reason, I didn't act on it until a few weeks ago. They were running a Groupon special for their introductory course and I decided to give it a go. After just a few minutes getting reacquainted with the KB, I was re-hooked.
The special was for their "Spark" class which is required for newbies (like me, sort of) to learn the techniques, postures, etc. in order to properly and safely workout with a KB. It was very beneficial. My experiences at the KB classes at Daddis were very technical and safe, but I never had the one-on-one interaction with a certified KBer to show me the proper stances, positions, angles and details. The devil is definitely in the details. The first Spark class we did nothing but deadlifts. A lot of them. Some with the bell, some without. The instructors were very thorough and patient. The deadlift movement is the basis for a lot of KB moves. It's critical to master, thus we spent a lot of time on it. My second class was much of the same, but spent some more detailed time on the swing, also another key movement in KB training. My hamstrings and glutes were very sore afterwards. (And they still are.)
While at my first class, I was keyed in on a program Firebellz offers called the Body Transformation Contest. It is a 12-week program they run, monitor, motivate, etc. in order to help people reach their fitness goals, whether it is to lose weight and tone up, or to bulk up with some solid mass. In addition to attending the classes they have offered at various times during the week, they assist with tracking your goals, monitoring your diet, and increasing your knowledge about your body, nutrition, injury prevention, and other hot-and-critical topics. The results from those who have participated in the past are pretty amazing. You can see for yourself on their website. If you're anything like me, you're skeptical of these before-and-after photos. You see them all the time on TV, whether it's for P90X, Weight Watchers, Curves, or whatever and you're never quite sure if you can fully believe the truth behind the advertising. Are they the same people? Did they post-produce the photos with some modifications to enhance the results? But I met the dude who won the past BTC (Body Transformation Contest) and he's legit. (Although, I just me the guy, so I didn't know him as the "before" dude.) The people coming out of this are filled with praise for the program. Chatting it up got me pretty amped.
So I took the plunge and threw my name into the hat for the upcoming BTC.
And it starts this upcoming week (4/30).
Tomorrow (4/28) I'm due at the gym for the initial photo, weigh-in and measurements. This Thursday is the first group meeting to review all the details and to meet the rest group. Meal logs aren't required for this week but getting to the required classes is. No better time to dive into things than now.
Between triathlon training (ITU San Diego is right around the corner), hockey season starting up and this BTC, it'll be a full schedule, but a healthy one. And since I have this little lane in the information super highway, I thought I would make a constant effort to update my progress along the way with weekly stats, results and thoughts to share with you, my loyal readers.
Stay tuned for more.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
2012 Coyote Carrera Results
Saturday marked the much-anticipated start to my 2012 triathlon season with the Coyote Carrera Triathlon held here in Albuquerque. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the event seemed to have gone off without a blip.
I will be completely honest when I say I was not completely "ready" for the event. Yes, I've been training steadily but the last few weeks I have been slightly off on my usually solid regiment of swimming, biking and running (and, of course, cross training). To make things worse, I was sent on business travel this past Tuesday and spent a couple days away from home base, working odd hours in a different area without my usual resources and with gobs of good eating with coworkers. Not the ideal scenario.
For all the business traveling that I have done, I have never been able to make progress on any fitness/weight loss/etc. goals while away. That's why I'm so impressed with someone like my friend Quoc who can have a man-weekend in Vegas and still stay on track with his goals. Whoa! Way to go.
As for me, my "workout" leading up to the race was limited to sitting in large conferences rooms and walking from point A to point B. As a result, I felt stiff, rusty, tight and generally unprepared Saturday morning for the race. Imagine the tin man from Wizard of Oz before they would oil his joints. That's how I felt.
Nevertheless, I was excited! It was a gorgeous New Mexico morning among a couple hundred fellow triathletes. Got up a little later than anticipated and ended up getting to the transition area at about 7:10. Luckily traffic was light. Was a little later than I wanted to get there but still had plenty of time to find my spot, get numbered and start to prepare.
After some light socializing, a short jog and dynamic stretching and the Star Spangled Banner, it was go time. I was in the first wave (8:00AM) and the run started right on time. The course was very similar to the Thanksgiving 4 Mile race from last year and it brought back some good memories. The run felt pretty good. The majority of it was on the Bosque which is a nice flat trail. I pounded a Cliff energy gel right before the transition area. My T1 was pretty bad. Getting out of running shoes and into bike shoes should be a pretty smooth transition but I botched it up. My transitions need some work.
EDIT: The run was supposed to be a 5K course. However, I noticed my time and my pace, as displayed on the results, did not match up with a 5K run. After an inquire to the race director, it appears the course was unfortunately set up short. The run was actually 2.72 miles.
The bike route was a two-loop course on open road. In addition to dealing with other triathletes, we had to deal with horrible New Mexican drivers. And the worst part was 9.5 miles of the little-over-10 mile course was on pothole-infested roads. They made Pennsylvania roads look like a smooth sheet of ice. I hit a few unavoidable ditches and thought my kidney was gonna jump out of my stomach. Rolled into the transition area, racked my bike, grabbed my goggles and headed in to the pool for the swim.
The swim was as hectic as I assumed it would be. Bodies splashing all over the place. Each lane had people going in both directions which made it nearly impossible to pass (or, for that matter, to be passed). Was one of my weaker swims. I just couldn't find my cocoon of calmness and I felt, on numerous occasions, my technique slip. My time was also killed by the waiting at the walls for all the traffic to sort out. Jumped (read: walked up the steps) out of the pool, across the Red Bull finish line and celebrated the completion of my season opener.
Below are my official results for the race:
2.72 mi Run: 19:35 (7:12/mi)
T1: 2:20
16.5K Bike: 30:32 (20.14 MPH)
T2: 1:02
400m Pool Swim: 8:57
Total: 1:02:26
That was good enough for 55th overall (out of 201) and 12th in my AG (out of 17).
Overall I wasn't completely disappointed with my performance. My rusty body could have used a couple of squirts of oil along the way, but that's the life of an AG triathlete. Seeing a nearly 9-minute 400 meter swim makes me cringe a bit, but that's the nature of the beast with these pandemonium pool swims.
Looking ahead, ITU San Diego is only a few weeks away which is very exciting. Travel plans are set and all I have to do between now and then is continue along with my training plan.
I will be completely honest when I say I was not completely "ready" for the event. Yes, I've been training steadily but the last few weeks I have been slightly off on my usually solid regiment of swimming, biking and running (and, of course, cross training). To make things worse, I was sent on business travel this past Tuesday and spent a couple days away from home base, working odd hours in a different area without my usual resources and with gobs of good eating with coworkers. Not the ideal scenario.
For all the business traveling that I have done, I have never been able to make progress on any fitness/weight loss/etc. goals while away. That's why I'm so impressed with someone like my friend Quoc who can have a man-weekend in Vegas and still stay on track with his goals. Whoa! Way to go.
As for me, my "workout" leading up to the race was limited to sitting in large conferences rooms and walking from point A to point B. As a result, I felt stiff, rusty, tight and generally unprepared Saturday morning for the race. Imagine the tin man from Wizard of Oz before they would oil his joints. That's how I felt.
Nevertheless, I was excited! It was a gorgeous New Mexico morning among a couple hundred fellow triathletes. Got up a little later than anticipated and ended up getting to the transition area at about 7:10. Luckily traffic was light. Was a little later than I wanted to get there but still had plenty of time to find my spot, get numbered and start to prepare.
After some light socializing, a short jog and dynamic stretching and the Star Spangled Banner, it was go time. I was in the first wave (8:00AM) and the run started right on time. The course was very similar to the Thanksgiving 4 Mile race from last year and it brought back some good memories. The run felt pretty good. The majority of it was on the Bosque which is a nice flat trail. I pounded a Cliff energy gel right before the transition area. My T1 was pretty bad. Getting out of running shoes and into bike shoes should be a pretty smooth transition but I botched it up. My transitions need some work.
EDIT: The run was supposed to be a 5K course. However, I noticed my time and my pace, as displayed on the results, did not match up with a 5K run. After an inquire to the race director, it appears the course was unfortunately set up short. The run was actually 2.72 miles.
The bike route was a two-loop course on open road. In addition to dealing with other triathletes, we had to deal with horrible New Mexican drivers. And the worst part was 9.5 miles of the little-over-10 mile course was on pothole-infested roads. They made Pennsylvania roads look like a smooth sheet of ice. I hit a few unavoidable ditches and thought my kidney was gonna jump out of my stomach. Rolled into the transition area, racked my bike, grabbed my goggles and headed in to the pool for the swim.
The swim was as hectic as I assumed it would be. Bodies splashing all over the place. Each lane had people going in both directions which made it nearly impossible to pass (or, for that matter, to be passed). Was one of my weaker swims. I just couldn't find my cocoon of calmness and I felt, on numerous occasions, my technique slip. My time was also killed by the waiting at the walls for all the traffic to sort out. Jumped (read: walked up the steps) out of the pool, across the Red Bull finish line and celebrated the completion of my season opener.
Below are my official results for the race:
2.72 mi Run: 19:35 (7:12/mi)
T1: 2:20
16.5K Bike: 30:32 (20.14 MPH)
T2: 1:02
400m Pool Swim: 8:57
Total: 1:02:26
That was good enough for 55th overall (out of 201) and 12th in my AG (out of 17).
Overall I wasn't completely disappointed with my performance. My rusty body could have used a couple of squirts of oil along the way, but that's the life of an AG triathlete. Seeing a nearly 9-minute 400 meter swim makes me cringe a bit, but that's the nature of the beast with these pandemonium pool swims.
Looking ahead, ITU San Diego is only a few weeks away which is very exciting. Travel plans are set and all I have to do between now and then is continue along with my training plan.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Season is Upon Us
I apologize for a lack of post recently. The past few weeks have been dynamic. Spring has rolled in to the desert which means unpredictable weather and high winds. And by high winds I mean some crazy high winds. If this was New England, I would go as far as calling them wicked. But it's New Mexico, so I'll just say, "eeeeeeeeeeeeee! These winds are ALL strong!" Phillies baseball has begun and the Broad Street Bullies are preparing for playoff hockey. It's a good time to be alive. To top it all off, a week from Saturday my triathlon season will officially begin with the Coyote Carrera Triathlon.
This triathlon will be here in town and since we lack a solid source of open water it will be a "Reverse Sprint Triathlon." The race will begin with a 5K (3.1 mile) run starting at the designated "Athlete Village" AKA the Rio Grande Pool. This is right along side the Rio Grande River (clever, huh?) and the run course will primarily be on the Paseo del Bosque. I don't know what Paseo del Bosque translates into or what it means, but I do know it's probably the best bike/run/horse/roller blade/etc. spot in town. It runs north-south along the river and is about 16 miles of uninterrupted, paved, well marked trail. It's fairly flat so I'm expecting the run times to be quick.
Transition 1 (T1) will mean flinging off my running shoes and slipping into my Shimano's for the bike. Originally, the course was set to be the standard sprint distance of 20K. But I guess the organizers ran out of real estate and had to cut it down to 16.5K. Bummer. Any who, from the transition area we'll head south towards the "South Valley" and take the bridge on Bridge Blvd (I sure hope they don't use tax money to brainstorm names around here) over to the "west side" of Albuquerque. By the "west side" I am referring to west of the Rio Grande. Before I moved out here, the only bit of advice from a local was "live East of the river." But I think the west side gets a bad rap. In perspective, it's harmless. Will Smith's mother wouldn't send him to live with his aunty and uncle in Bel-Air for a little trouble in the west side of Albuquerque. But I digress. The course then heads north to Central Ave, also know as the old Rt. 66, where we'll head East back over the river and repeat. After two laps we'll cover approximately 10.3 miles. I'm not too familiar with this loop but I have a feeling it is pretty flat and should post some fast bike splits.
After the bike I'll grab my goggles and jump in the Rio Grande Pool for the finale: a 400 m/y (haven't been to this pool before - they claim it's a 25 m pool but never know) swim. It's an 8-lane pool and the deal is you swim down and back in the same lane before ducking under the rope and repeating in the next lane until you cover all the lanes. Sounds hectic, and it probably will be. Both directions in the same lane leaves not a lot of options to pass. All you can do, sometimes, is hope the potentially slow swimmer in front of you is professional enough to pause at the wall and let you scoot by. But that could be asking for a lot.
Regardless, the Coyote Carrera Triathlon will be a nice, laid-back, convenient race to start the season. Unfortunately, due to it's odd length/format/etc., it's not a very good primer for my first A-list race (ITU San Diego) which is only three weeks after Coyote Carrera. I'll take what I can get and plan to use this opportunity to sharpen my skills in a race environment.
Let the season begin!
This triathlon will be here in town and since we lack a solid source of open water it will be a "Reverse Sprint Triathlon." The race will begin with a 5K (3.1 mile) run starting at the designated "Athlete Village" AKA the Rio Grande Pool. This is right along side the Rio Grande River (clever, huh?) and the run course will primarily be on the Paseo del Bosque. I don't know what Paseo del Bosque translates into or what it means, but I do know it's probably the best bike/run/horse/roller blade/etc. spot in town. It runs north-south along the river and is about 16 miles of uninterrupted, paved, well marked trail. It's fairly flat so I'm expecting the run times to be quick.
Transition 1 (T1) will mean flinging off my running shoes and slipping into my Shimano's for the bike. Originally, the course was set to be the standard sprint distance of 20K. But I guess the organizers ran out of real estate and had to cut it down to 16.5K. Bummer. Any who, from the transition area we'll head south towards the "South Valley" and take the bridge on Bridge Blvd (I sure hope they don't use tax money to brainstorm names around here) over to the "west side" of Albuquerque. By the "west side" I am referring to west of the Rio Grande. Before I moved out here, the only bit of advice from a local was "live East of the river." But I think the west side gets a bad rap. In perspective, it's harmless. Will Smith's mother wouldn't send him to live with his aunty and uncle in Bel-Air for a little trouble in the west side of Albuquerque. But I digress. The course then heads north to Central Ave, also know as the old Rt. 66, where we'll head East back over the river and repeat. After two laps we'll cover approximately 10.3 miles. I'm not too familiar with this loop but I have a feeling it is pretty flat and should post some fast bike splits.
After the bike I'll grab my goggles and jump in the Rio Grande Pool for the finale: a 400 m/y (haven't been to this pool before - they claim it's a 25 m pool but never know) swim. It's an 8-lane pool and the deal is you swim down and back in the same lane before ducking under the rope and repeating in the next lane until you cover all the lanes. Sounds hectic, and it probably will be. Both directions in the same lane leaves not a lot of options to pass. All you can do, sometimes, is hope the potentially slow swimmer in front of you is professional enough to pause at the wall and let you scoot by. But that could be asking for a lot.
Regardless, the Coyote Carrera Triathlon will be a nice, laid-back, convenient race to start the season. Unfortunately, due to it's odd length/format/etc., it's not a very good primer for my first A-list race (ITU San Diego) which is only three weeks after Coyote Carrera. I'll take what I can get and plan to use this opportunity to sharpen my skills in a race environment.
Let the season begin!
Monday, March 5, 2012
You'll Never Forget Your First
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.
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.
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