So last night at the team training spin class I not only kept up with everything (and it was hard!) but there were other people - more experienced people! - who could not do it! but I could! I AM SO FREAKING AWESOME YAY ME!!!
He had us doing these sprints in the saddle and a bunch of climbing for loooong times out of the saddle. Translation for you non-cycling types:
Sprint = go really really fast, like twice your normal cadence, for a burst of like 15-20 seconds.Anyway, the hard part where others gave up (but not me!! can you tell how shocked/delighted I am??) was when he had us out of the saddle and climbing for a solid three minutes. I mean, even with all these spin classes, anything more than 30 seconds is a challenge for me. Thirty seconds is where my legs are all like "Okay, sweetie, let's sit down again, there you go." And of course you want to push yourself, but I never dreamed I could do three whole minutes. (I did totally want to give up every few seconds, after the first minute and a half. It was only pride that kept me out of that damn saddle, and the petty thrill of seeing others struggling more. It's just the vicious way we humans work.)
Cadence = that's how fast your legs are pumping, see. I think of it as the tempo of my knees.
Climbing = is when you turn up the resistance on the wheels, simulating a hill
In the saddle = sitting
Out of the saddle = pedal while standing up
Unbelievably, that was not the hardest part of the class. The hardest thing - at which I SUCKED, and of which I now live in dread - was how he had us turn the resistance way up, get out of the saddle, lean forward , and sprint. Sprinting WHILE STANDING, that fiendish bastard. It was one of those work-out experiences where you're like "Holy what? I have muscles there? What are these, I didn't know about them, they are puny and unhelpful, where did they come from and why I haven't I ever needed them before?"
So anyway, those are my scary and triumphant moments of last night's training. I had no such moments on Saturday - in fact, I had no training moments at all, because I didn't go. I had every intention, but since I'd taken a 5-day weekend, I completely lost track of what day it was. Which is embarrassing, but there you go. It was about noon on Saturday when it dawned on me that it was Saturday, and by then it was too late to go.
This coming Saturday's training is at a place called VisionQuest, where we do a spin class on our own bikes. Like, you put your actual bike on some kind of machine. Said machine measures your performance, things like how powerful a rider you are, top speeds, stuff like that, I think. I think the coach can control your bike, like the resistance, too? And they can program it to simulate actual cycling courses. For all these reasons, I am terrified of Saturday. TERRIFIED, DO YOU HEAR ME? It's like my bike will go Borg. That's a little advanced, for my tastes.
But I will go. Until then I won't think about it too much because I will be busy holding this little baby triumph to my heart.
Oh! And in the bestest news ever, I am no longer the only total newbie on the cycling team. Last night a couple of new people showed up and they had no experience. Just like me! I loved them instantly, even though we didn't say more than Hi to one another. They are way in shape and had no trouble with the workout, but I am hoping they can still be my newbie soulmates when it comes to actual real-bike stuff and the anxiety of never having done this sort of thing before. Which would be nice, as I have really really really hated fretting alone. Misery loves company, it's true.
So there's your update: All Is Going Well. I'll be sure to fill you in on Saturday's exciting/terrifying shenanigans.
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