During a rather rigorous 30-minute run on the elliptical at Ludlow Fitness (I averaged 8.5 mph throughout, woo!), I somehow managed to get it in my head that I was going to attend my very first Spinning® class last night. If I might say so myself, it was a bold move; though I’m well acquainted with self-directed workout sessions, I’ve never really been one to participate in group classes. Something about sharing a mirrored room with at least a dozen other sweaty, smelly, and presumably more experienced gym rats (who will inevitably bear witness to my many exerecise faux pas while sweating my workday make-up off) doesn’t seem all that enticing to me. I feel so exposed.
Nonethless, I swallowed my pride, checked my vanity at the door, and marched into the Spinning® room with a renewed sense of motivation to whip my ass back into shape. I don’t know what I was expecting, exactly – anything I’ve ever heard about it closely resembles anecdotes my military friends have from boot camp:
“I thought I might pass out and die.”
“I can barely walk now.”
“Is it possible to break your butt?”
But I was told that night’s instructor - a Diedrich Bader look-alike donning biking shorts and a bandana - was ideal for beginners because he leads a less intense class than the others, so I gave it a go.
Here’s the gist of how that panned out for me:
The first fifteen minutes were surprisingly easy. The next thirty were unsurprisingly hellish.Â
My quadriceps burned in a way I hadn’t felt them burn since sprinting for my 8th grade track team, and I was fairly sure that my heart might beat itself right through my chest mid-class. Thanks to Mr. Bader, his incorporation of a peppy soundtrack that included Vampire Weekend and Prodigy, and a can-do attitude that was slightly overwhelming (but mostly inspiriting), I managed to muscle my way through the entire class while keeping pace with the more seasoned riders, sparing my ego the “you’re-an-out-of-shape-weakling” blow.
Bits of knowledge I walked away with, and that anyone new to Spinning® should consider (courtesy of the  instructor, whose real name is Scott):
–Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! You’d be surprised how much this affects your endurance, and how much more you’ll be able to accomplish by making sure your body is sufficiently watered.
–Pace yourself. As much as we’d all like to think we can match Lance Armstrong in our first go at it, the reality is that we can’t. Find a comfortable pace that suits you if you can’t keep up, because it’s better to push through it at a steady pace than to overdo it in the beginning and shut down before the end.
-Breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth. This is also critical for enduring a brutal workout.
-Form matters. Maintain form over speed. If you spend the entire class incorrectly positioned on your bike, muscles that aren’t meant to get sore, will.
Would I dare do this again? Sure. Though I can barely sit today without being reminded of yesterday’s adventure, I appreciate breaking a good sweat while engaged in challenging activity.
Overall though, this is just a firm reminder of the long road ahead in training for the marathon (see my earlier post for the background story).
Anyone who cares to help a sister out can send a year’s supply of Bengay my way!
