Spinning!

Survived my first 24Cycle/Spin class this morning! And surprise, surprise, I loved it! Out of all of the classes I've taken so far, I think this one had the lowest learning curve, yet yielded the most challenge and SWEAT! I was pretty soaked by the time it was over, but I also felt so invigorated. In fact, I'm still feeling the high from that class, almost 3 hours later.

I got there early so I could introduce myself to the instructor and also have her help me adjust my bike. I was indeed the only newbie in this particular class, so I did feel a little apprehensive beforehand. But there was still a wide variety of ages and fitness levels, so I relaxed a bit more as we got into the warm-up.

Learning how to adjust my resistance was of course a little tricky at first, but I think I got the hang of it pretty quick, once the instructor (Vanessa) started giving numerical cues (i.e., "you should be at about a 6 right now," etc.). I probably took some intervals a little easier than I should have, but that was only because I didn't know what to expect and didn't want to crap out early. But during the second half, I made sure to keep pushing and paid close attention to the number cues, as well as how some of the advanced people in the class were performing. That's when the dripping sweat and muscle fatigue started to kick in. It hurt so good!

I was worried I would experience a lot of discomfort from the seat, but it wasn't too bad. I definitely looked forward to the intervals where we lifted off of the seat though. I only had cotton shorts, which, as I read the night before, you're totally supposed to avoid, but oh well. Now that I made it through the first class and want to keep going in the future, I'll be on the hunt for some proper padded cycling shorts in the next few days. You'd think my own natural built-in padding would be enough, but not so much, haha.

Vanessa's a great instructor too. She's tough, has a sense of humor and has some pretty bitchin' abs, which I found motivating. I didn't realize how much of an ab workout that can be! No complaints in that regard. The music was mostly older rock (Van Halen, circa David Lee Roth, Black Sabbath, quite a bit of AC/DC and even some Warrant, which made me chuckle). I personally enjoy the older stuff, so I hope she keeps up that selection in the future.

Great class. And, as sick as it sounds, love that it's offered at 5:30 am. I like mixing in some of the evening classes, but I still want to keep up with my early morning workouts too, so the cycling class is a perfect fit. In fact, after class was over, Vanessa and I chatted a bit and she asked if I liked the time of the class. I said that I did and out of nowhere, casually blurted out "I'm a morning person!"

On the drive home, I gave it some more thought and y'know what? I think I am a morning person now. I certainly wasn't in the past, but because I've gone out of my way to pursue fitness in the morning, I'm to the point now where getting an early start on my day just feels best. On the weekends, I find myself "sleeping in" til only about 6 or so. And if I don't get out of bed by 7:30, it's usually because I just want some extra cuddle time with the man. But if I try to stay in bed too long after I'm awake, I just feel like I'm wasting time and losing productivity. Yesterday I was up at about 4:25 (wanted to grab a lane in the pool) and this morning, 4:36. I guess I'll just roll with it. Trying to fight it and saying "I'm not a morning person, I swear!" just makes it feel like a drag. Anywho.

After work today, I'm supposed to do a practice 5k run with my boss. (I'm running my first official 5k race on the 17th.) I suppose it's a good opportunity for a second workout, but I'm also kinda hoping she changes her mind and/or the weather gets super crappy so I can go home, haha. I do need to keep up with my running though. I'm still feeling confident (er, cocky?) enough to treat 5k as pretty easy for me, but I also haven't ran much in the past week and a half since I've been going to all of these classes. In fact, even though I'm going to classes the next two evenings, I think I'll work in some quick 2 mile runs in the morning, just to keep me fresh. I should probably work out a schedule for the next few days while I'm thinking about it:

Tuesday:
-AM 24Cycle class
-PM 5k practice

Wednesday:
-AM 2 mile run @ home
-PM TurboKick class

Thursday:
-AM 2 mile run @ home
-PM Zumba class

Friday: (taking off from work)
-AM 24 S.E.T. class?

Saturday:
-Mid-AM Biggest Loser Boot Camp class

Sunday:
-4-5 mile run @ gym

Alright, that's enough for today. I'm out!