SoulCycle and Comfort Zones

I don't usually feel out of shape or nervous when I'm in a gym or fitness studio. I've been blogging about going to the gym and fitness studios for eight years. I've been showing up to them for six years before that. I'm pretty confident in my ability to do the movements or be able to laugh at myself as I learn how to do them. So I signed up for SoulCycle the other day because there's a studio literally down the street from the hotel in which I was staying. I put myself in the front row, because, you know, I'm in the top 3 on the leaderboard whenever I go to Flywheel. And I have been to SoulCycle twice before in 2013 and 2014. I felt prepared for class.

Oh how I was wrong.

I very quickly realized that whatever the people around me were doing, was not what I was doing. It was choreographed and it looked really cool to see them perform synchronously. And then there was me bopping around on the wrong beat. The lights are really dim. There's no monitor to help you gauge how to adjust the flywheel. At Flywheel they tell you to set it between 15-18, over 34, between 25-27 etc. Here, it was all 3 full turns on the bike! Three full turns from where? A flat road? An entirely-to-the left knob? I also learned pretty quickly that I skip a pedal beat each time I try to adjust the wheel, which apparently has never caused an issue in a spin class until I tried to keep up with this bunch.

I was embarrassed. I kept thinking that other people were thinking that I didn't belong in the first row. I was also wearing pants that didn't fit, so that didn't help me at all. You should try spandex on when you find it in your bedroom closet at your parents' house, especially if it still has the tags on it.

I survived the class. I want to add that everyone at SoulCycle NOMAD was very nice and helpful. No one told me I sucked or that I belonged on the bike in the back in the corner. I just felt like I belonged on the bike in the back in the corner. I went back to my hotel, took a shower, wrote two grant progress reports, and went to bed so I could wake up early to trudge to my professional development day ALL THE WAY IN THE FIDI in wintery mix. We stayed in a hotel by our office so people could safely wander home from the company party and still make it to the meeting at the office the next morning, which I was thankfully exempt from attending.

I, instead, returned to SoulCycle on Thursday morning with a mild hangover from the cheap ass wine I enjoyed at the aforementioned company party. You sign up for the specific bike that you want when you sign up for class. After Tuesday evening, I considered asking for another bike that was not front and center by the instructor. I fretted about it. I told myself I didn't deserve a bike in the front and that I would distract the other riders with my inability to do choreographed push-ups on multiple handlebars while following the beat of a song that I'm damn near positive would never play on Atlanta's 94.9 The Bull (which a is a pop country station with an affinity for Luke Brian that is often on in my car.) But I also considered that this was the 8 AM class and the hardcore really good people were probably already on their way to work and that maybe I should just tell my brain to shut the hell up and keep my bike.

I thought about my friend Jen. We met at the tennis court at sleep-away camp when I was 12 years old. My bunk was filled with cliquey bitches and I was sad that I didn't have any friends. Jen told me she would be my friend and told me there was an empty bed in her bunk. Her bunk was for the girls slightly older than me but she said she'd help me talk to the counselors and see if I could move in. I did that week. And I lived with that bunk for two summers after that. Jen is still a fantastic human being. She is a great wife and a great mother. Her kids are the kids you dream of having. They are thoughtful, moral, funny, and beautiful - just like their mom.

Jen started her fitness journey last year. She impresses me every day with her commitment. She looks great and she's trying new things. She recently tried a spin class. Apparently she's been hesitant to go even though the instructor kept telling her to try it. I told her she had to try it. What kind of person would I be if I told my friend that she had to go try spin class, but then I hid in the back corner because I was embarrassed that I wasn't the best person in the SoulCycle room? So I kept my bike, I asked for help setting it up because that thing looks nothing like what I'm used to, and I clipped in. And I did much fucking better than I did on Tuesday. I had a great time. I felt why people are obsessed with SoulCycle and call it a religious experience. I stepped out of my comfort zone and it felt really good.

Thanksgiving Fitness

My sister lives in Dallas and my aunt lives in Plano, so the family trooped off to Texas for Thanksgiving this year. Frank was a little miffed that he wasn't invited until he found out he got to spend the long weekend with his trainer Jennifer. Frank now has his own Instagram account, be tee dubs.

I arrived at DFW on Wednesday and headed back out Sunday. I made it to three different gyms in between.

My aunt lives super close to Flywheel Plano so on Thanksgiving morning I agreed to help my cousin push one of his Mustangs into the garage if he'd drive me to Flywheel in the other. His other car is a white Shelby Cobra and it's beautiful and makes a ridiculous amount of noise and I love it.

Not Even Flywheel Could Help Me

Sunday morning I awoke with the distinct searing pain in and between my eyes that can only mean one thing - I stayed out way too late showing off my impressive endearing straight up terrifying ability to chug Fireball interspersed with the occasional tequila shot. Guess what Atlanta? I found my people. So help me God.

The reason I woke up was the screaming alarm on my phone announcing that it was time to go to Flywheel. During my drunken bedtime routine, I laid out my spin clothes and my shoes, so clearly I really wanted to go. This is like that one time when I woke up wearing my gym clothes because I was afraid I'd oversleep for the Holley Mangold seminar. What can I say? I'm special.

So I'm dressed, I get in the car, and I consult the park instructions that I saved in my calendar invite. Midtown one-way streets and random ass parking entrances confuse the beejezus out of me so I reached out to the Flywheel Midtown team and received a detailed email back. I realized that the street I thought went right actually only went left (not while I was on it, I realized this as I drove down 10th Street, thank God), completely throwing off my understanding of the directions. I turned around 4 times, and then finally said fuck it when I got concerned that I'd be late and told I couldn't go to class. I parked in a residential building parking structure in the visitor spot and I am in no way sorry. Who is visiting at 10:30 in the morning on a Sunday who isn't there from the night before?

Sunday Funday: AMDAP and Some Soul

Today was a jam packed Sunday Funday. I woke up at 7 AM to bright sunlight and was confused as to why my body felt like I had just run a marathon. Then I remembered that I had competed in the Frostbite 2014 the day before and decided to go to the grocery store because I had an overwhelming need to drink Paul Newman's Own. I ate white rice with Kerrygold butter, which is almost as blasphemous as eating in on toast, and I washed it down with half and half (lemonade/iced tea not cream/milk) in my bed. I didn't have anymore Young and the Restless episodes to watch so I was a little sad.

I got myself dressed and headed on over to Brick New York for CrossFit speed dating otherwise known as As Many Dates As Possible (AMDAP). There was a great turn out and we had a 48 minute WOD. We spent 45 seconds doing an exercise and then moved on to the next guy to perform the next exercise. We had air squats, synchronized lunges, wallball tosses, partner sit-ups with the med ball, KB swings, and junkyard dogs. There were some cute guys but I was just excited to spend time with my new best friend Janice, who goes to Dynamix and judged at Frostbite. Speaking of judges at Frostbite, I may or may not have been hitting on one at Frostbite and I was pretty happy to see him at AMDAP. I made sure he got my number before moving on down the line.

This was awesome Heidi. Thank you for hosting it!

CYC with Keoni Hudoba

The best part of being known for being a social media fitness whore who shares every sweaty moment of her life? Your friends invite you to fun free workouts.

My buddy Ryan sent me an email with instructions to sign up for a free CYC class last week. Since I like Ryan and I like spinning, I was all over it as fast as my hungover brain could process the sign-up process. I had never heard of CYC (maybe because I've become mildly obsessed with CrossFit), so I did some brief internet research to see what I had gotten myself into.

What the website has to say:

Personal Trainer Designed
The signature Cyc Method, designed by Keoni Hudoba, an Under Armour-sponsored athlete, offers an exhilarating beat-based 45 minute ride that activates the whole-body, the whole time.

Sports Specific Sectors
By incorporating weights through sectors inspired by more than 20 different sports moves, the Cyc experience takes the boutique indoor cycling studio concept beyond the bike.

Social Fitness
Cyc is a collective of fitness-minded people who just so happen to be on a bike. We connect people inside and outside the studios through our lounge space, events and social tools.

Ride for Change
When you ride at Cyc, you ride for change. For every mile you ride, we donate to the Cyc charity partner of your choice. We also hold private charity rides and pop-up ‘Cyc-ling’ rides at cultural events such as SXSW.

Keoni Hudoba, the creator of the CYC Method, is hot, Hawaiian, and drops the eff bomb more often than I do, so I immediately loved him. He lost 100 HUNDRED POUNDS to go on to become an Under Armour sponsored athlete, a Master Trainer for Barry’s Bootcamp, and the creator of the DRENCHED method. I love me a good success story.

source

Flywheel Wednesday(s)

So I coerced my friend Jay into going to Flywheel with me again tonight. Basically I'm thrilled when anyone is willing to workout with me and call it quality time. After last week's stressful late arrival, I made sure to leave work an hour before class. Of course the C train arrived immediately and I was in the west 80s with about 40 minutes to spare. I used that time to stake out possible places to inhale dinner afterwards.

Class was even better than last week. The playlist was better and by better I mean there was more thugged out rap dance mixes because apparently that's what I love to listen to when sweating my little heart out. Not so secret confession - I LOVE reggaeton when I'm running. I think the class's energy was better as well.

Flywheel and Fabletics

So last night I went to Flywheel UWS with my friend Jay. Although I left my office 45 minutes before the start of class and I was only traveling 49 blocks, I ended up arriving after class started and I missed the first 10 minutes. The people at Flywheel were wonderful because they recognized the sign of crazy in my eyes as I ran in flustered and unhappy. They checked me in and set up my bike while I got changed and even got my clips in the bike when I was freaking out some more. I don't like being late.

The class was great and it was hard. My lingering hangover didn't stand a chance with the torq in the high 30s. Neither Jay nor I had taken a class with the instructor John Wellman before, but I really liked him. He was funny, his music was great, and he reminded the class about our form. I'm under the belief that anything a coach says you should consider as directed towards you, and while I'm not narcissistic enough to believe that John spent the class evaluating my every move, I did find that his advice and feedback applied to me.

Flywheel Upper West Side

Darryl is BACK. New Yorkers rejoice!

Rebecca and I made plans to finally go to a Darryl Gaines spin class together after seven months of discussion. So at 12:30 PM on Saturday afternoon, I could be found clicking my spin shoes into the bike at Flywheel Upper West Side.

The commute from East 82nd to West 83rd was a struggle.

Yes I did send this photo to my brunch date.

Flywheel Atlanta's Cara on Burning Off the Booze

My amazing friend Anna, who is one of my primary reasons for wanting to move to Atlanta because then I could see her every single day, sent me this blog post written by one of her favorite Flywheel instructors. Anna actually took me to one of Cara's classes when I was in Atlanta in April and she was awesome.

I can take no credit for this post but I wanted to pass it on.

How to Burn Off Those Booze Calories (From a Fitness Expert)

source

Darryl Gaines Has Decided to Fly

This may be the most incredible use of KidPix I have ever seen.
source

After two months of obsessively Googling, "Where does Darryl Gaines teach spin?", the Internet gods have answered my prayers. Darryl will be teaching at Flywheel starting this week. I am a big fan of Flywheel. I am a big fan of Darryl Gaines. Win win.

The interview with Darryl about what he has been up to for the past two months can be found on RateYourBurn's blog. He is already on the schedule to teach at the Upper West Side and Flatiron locations, but based on this interview, we can expect Darryl to be teaching all over Manhattan. Let us rejoice.

Breaking News: Darryl Gaines Quit Equinox

source

This morning I thought I was going to Tripp Doherty's 6:30 AM spin class. Too bad it starts at 6 AM. Oops. I ended up getting on the bike at 6:25 and enjoying an awesome half hour ride. While there, I learned that Darryl Gaines has left Equinox.

Say what?

I haven't heard why Darryl decided to leave, but perhaps he got the idea from another person who has recently decided to part ways with the gym...

I'm not in Manhattan right now, but I can only imagine that mass hysteria. I'm not being facetious - people really love Darryl and I'm not sure how they plan on getting through the day without him. Actually, I do have an idea - invite Tripp Doherty to take over the lunchtime classes.

source

Sweat It Out

This morning I woke up to a novella of a text message in response to some long ass diatribe I made about feelings and the future and God only knows what else. Three bottles of wine at happy hour lead me to confess feelings I didn't even know I was capable of having to my very convenient hook up across the street. I am an idiot.

Instead of feeling shame, I dragged my ass next door for a prosciutto, egg, and mozzarella cheese and booted up my work computer. Then I realized it was covered in water. Miraculously, it still works.

I went to TranscendCycle at 12:30 PM. It was a killer ride. I love this class so much and I get to go enough to have semi-regular status. I sit next to a girl named Melissa and Darryl calls us out by name. TranscendCycle is more of a dance party than a spinning class, and I find myself having flashbacks to Governors Ball.

Then I went to Bikram at 6 PM. It was vicious and I loved it. I haven't been to Bikram in years and I finally got to try out Bikram Herald Square. The place is awesome and I will be writing a full review soon.

Sweating out my hangover was the best decision I could have made today. It kept my mind off of my stupidity and I felt pretty damn awesome by the time my 8:30 PM conference call rolled around.

Monday Morning Spin

This morning the sounds of "What Makes You Beautiful" and a light show woke me up at 5:45 AM. Bet you didn't know you could set your iPhone alarm to do that, did you? Nothing gets me to hop out of bed like a One Direction dance party and soon I was dressed and on my way to spin class.

This was the first time I've gone to a class with Betsy Buzaid. Turns out this is the last 6:30 AM Monday class she's teaching at Equinox, which is a bummer because I liked her. My body is pretty sore from kickboxing so I'm not sure how difficult this class is, but the music was good and there was some pretty decent climbs.

I'm always looking for ways to cut down on the amount of stuff I drag around. Today I wore my spandex under my jeans and packed my tank and sweater. I insisted on wearing my Uggs and packing my flats, which in hindsight was stupid. I should have just sucked it up and worn the flats even though it was chilly out.

fully showered and dressed by 7:37 AM

I got fed up waiting for mirror space. I also don't have the patience to dry my hair, so I put on some bb cream and put my hair up. Then I headed over to Juice Generation. I love when I do more by 8:30 AM than I normally do all weekend.

I got the very un-Paleo peanut butter split with almond milk. And then a fat girl came in and ordered the same thing. Eek.

Wednesday Morning Spin

I have an early volleyball game this evening and felt it would be slightly inappropriate to spin during lunch and peace out of work at 5:30, so instead a I signed up for a 6:30 AM spin class at Equinox on 85th & 3rd. It was no Darryl, but I enjoyed the workout.

Amanda Shapin was covering the class for the normal instructor. She had a pretty solid playlist, although a little heavy on the Taylor Swift, and just the right amount of energy for 6:30 AM. I don't like too much forced energy at that hour, but I also don't want my instructor silent either. Amanda had us alternate between fast songs and slower songs for hill climbs. One of those hill climbs was 6 minutes long. My legs are dying.

I read an article on Running Times about junk miles and recovery runs and my takeaway was that it is important to train your muscles to perform when they are fatigued. The stress of spin on my legs after cardio sculpt or 30/60/90 will push me to work through pain preparing me for the 50 mile trail race.

I was eyeing Amanda's cycling shoes. I spent some time this morning trying to find them but I don't think I was able to. I am a huge fan of my Shimanos, but here's a rundown on some other cycling shoes I think are attractive.

The Shimano WM62 in black and white are similar to the light blue pair that I wear. I like that Shimanos have a little bulk to them and I find they are more flattering than the similar models SIDI makes.

http://www.zappos.com/shimano-sh-wm62-white-black

 But SIDI makes some damn fine looking cycling shoes. The T3 and T3.6 are so effing hot and they're lightweight because they are intended for triathlons. The

http://www.sidiamerica.com/sidi/tri/t3_women.html

http://www.sidiamerica.com/sidi/tri/t36.html

Some people prefer cycling shoes that look like running shoes. I'm not the biggest fan but I do love the colors of the Pearl Izumi pair below. They remind me of my crosstrainers. Is SCUBA blue now a real color?

http://www.zappos.com/pearl-izumi-w-x-alp-impact-black-scuba-blue

Day 6 Whole 30 - Bareburger

Tonight my parents and I ate at Bareburger  on 73rd and 1st. I had read that Bareburger's meat was grass-fed and that you could get your burger wrapped in a lettuce lead instead of a bun. I convinced the parents to support my paleo diet and go here over the standard pizza. (My parents love pizza. I do not. Who is the child here?)

I ordered two beef patties, medium rare, wrapped in lettuce. Iceberg is the only choice, although I think Boston or Bibb would've held up better. I got fried onions and mushrooms on one and raw red onions and country bacon on the other. They were pretty damn good. I was pretty pleased until one of my many pseudo-ex-boyfriends told me that Bareburger uses frozen meat. Meh.

I didn't have any cheese, sauces, or French fries. I did eat a few cornmeal crusted spicy pickle spears because they looked interesting and sounded tasty. So cornmeal is not paleo - I'll live.

This morning I went to Inside/Out with Jonathan followed by spinning with Carolyn. Good workouts but I felt a little lightheaded. If I'm not in perpetual carbo-loading mode, do I now need to eat breakfast before morning workouts?

Day 2 of Whole 30 and Weight Loss Wednesday 1.9.13

Day 2 of Whole30 started off with a breakfast of 6 strips of bacons and 2 fried eggs. And this is a diet?

I took pictures for Weight Loss Wednesday and weighed myself. As per the Whole30 instructions, I will have to stop using my scale. I decided to weigh myself today instead of Monday because I always weigh myself on Wednesdays because I like consistency. For the next 30 days, you will only get my fat kid photos.

144.2 lbs
27.3 % body fat

I weighed myself during the holiday break and I weighed 150 lbs. I weighed myself last Saturday morning after binge drinking and eating Chinese food and weighed 148 lbs (I was just curious.) So this sudden weight loss either has to do with no bread and no rice, or the fact that I couldn't keep my dinner down last night. I guess we'll find out in a month.

My Wednesday schedule just changed and I will be working from home in the mornings. I have a weekly doctor's appointment at 11:15 AM that conveniently leaves me in Columbus Circle for 12:30 PM TranscendCycle with Daryl Gaines. The class is really popular and everyone loves him. I'll admit, there hasn't been an instructor I've wanted to like me as much as I'd like Daryl to like me since Yves. I'm not sure if I found his class difficult today because of my run last night, my crappy night's rest, or what, but I'm convinced I should have rocked it. Now I have to go every week to prove that I'm the best.

I ran into two of my high school friends in the locker room who were going to 1:30 yoga. I yelled, "You're busted" because I saw them at the gym when one said she was unable to attend 12:30 spin. Turns out I really freaked her out because she was hiding from her boss who was also in the locker room. Sorry girl! I hope you enjoyed Warrior Flow!

I felt incredible lightheaded on my way into the office and was overcome for the need for fruit. Is this because my blood sugar was low? Someone who reads this blog must know the answer so pipe up please. I made a quick fruit salad at the deli down the street (yes, I know that this fruit is neither local, farm fresh, or organic - shoot me), grabbed a coconut water, and headed into work. I inhaled the fruit and my coconut water at my desk before going to heat up my steak and asparagus.

This is not cute.

I think I am going to Target and pick up these Room Essentials® Chevron Melamine plates and cereal bowls so I can experience fine dining at work. Only $6.99! It's okay. I don't mind if you copy me.

New Year's Day 2013

Since I stayed in last night, I was up at 6:44 AM. I can't begin to tell you how great it was to watch a sunrise on New Year's Day when I hadn't been up from the night before. Boycotting New Year's Eve two years in a row have been two of the best decisions I ever made.

I was booked for bike 3 at the Woodbury Equinox to take 8:30 AM spin with Tripp. The first class was solid. There was no place I would rather have been that sweating it out in the front row, listening to Tripp share stories about my fellow spinners and learning more about Cycle for Survival. I am now fully on board for the 50 mile Rock the Ridge Endurance Challenge.

One of the things I love the most about Tripp is how he remembers the songs each person likes and plays them for that person. My song is "Starships" by Nicki Minaj, which is kind of weird because I normally do not like her music. This song just gets me so psyched to spin and I push myself past any wall my legs think they're going to slam against. I love that the breakaways build up, i.e. "Let's do this one last time, can't stop" and then bust out with, "We're higher than a motherfucker," and that throughout the song, the breakaways get closer together. I also love that I can scream motherfucker with little judgement (it's in the song!) because I swear all the time while working out.

With 30 minutes left to class, Tripp advised us to hop off our bikes to sign up for the next class if we were interested in a double. I showed off my running skills on my way to the front desk and was back on my bike in the same song.

What I look like after the 1st class. I forgot to take a post 2nd class photo.

After the first class, I switched to bike 10 and wiped it down with disinfectant wipes. If you're going to double and you have to switch bikes, chances are the cleaning crew isn't coming in so you should clean your own bike. For that matter, if classes are close together, chances are the cleaning crew didn't come in so you should clean your own bike. I also switched into a dry tank top.

The second class didn't have the same "We're all obsessed with Tripp" energy as the first, but I think it was a better class. The music was more to my liking and I warmed up and ready to rock. When Tripp played "Starships" for me during the second class, I felt like I actually brought my A game. I was a little self-conscious the first time because I wasn't attacking the song as strongly as I often do. Part of the reason is that I tend to go into my own world when the song is on - I think I look awesome and can do anything - so having Tripp call attention to me is neat but also a little daunting. I also wear these ridiculously short spandex shorts that ride up my ass and it occurred to me that people's attention had just been drawn to my massive wedgie. So that was kind of a blow to the whole "I look awesome" mindset.

I'm rocking out to "Starships" right now and all I want to do is get back on the bike. A lady in the locker room asked me about Tripp's classes this morning and said she heard he's a talker. After I told her that Tripp's talking inspired me to run 50Ks and now a 50 miler, she was all about taking his Friday class. Tripp is living proof that what you put out to the world impacts others. I don't want to equate his classes to religious experiences, but the things he says reminds me of some of the more poignant sermons I've listened to over the years. I genuinely want to be a better person when I'm in there. This Christmas, I let go off some major resentment and mended relationships with the family members I disowned. The main reason I chose to do this was because of the messages I've heard in Tripp's classes.

Sometimes I look like a crazy bag lady when I leave the gym.

I took a shower and got changed into clean workout clothes. I drove back to my parents' house to eat a quick lunch. I had leftover almond-encrusted tilapia and some dried apricots with a glass of milk. I try not to drink milk anymore but I wanted some quick calories.

I love that bumper sticker.

My sister was back from her NYE party in Westchester, so I invited her to join me at Yves and Coco's #$%@# Loco x2 class. Ninety minutes of Zumba, kickboxing, lifting, and dance. These classes are my absolute favorite.

We left a little early so I could spend some Christmas money at lululemon. I bought two Run: Back on Track tanks and wore one to class. How I lived without this top is beyond me. It is so incredibly flattering.

My sister. She told me I had to write about how cold it was in the studio when we arrived.

The workout was great. Unlike the Thanksgiving class, I hit my hinge kicks and felt like the athlete I used to be. And by some miracle, apparently I can now dance. Kind of. I think it was the top to be honest.

We had to show up early to stake out our spots.

My friend Christine called me right after I took that photo to say that she was on her way. I was so happy to see her! Christine, you better call me to play more often! I just bought 10 classes at MC Dance & Fitness, so let's plan some days when I can use them.

(If you're special, maybe I'll write you direct messages within blog posts too.)

The new top.

Even though the top is soaking wet, I think I still look pretty cute. I also went with my girly ponytail today. You can watch the video on how to create this high-intensity hairstyle here. It's basically a high pony with long bangs pulled to the side. In order to get it to stay, you'll need two bobby pins and two contour clips.

I was starving when we got home and quickly volunteered to go to the grocery store with my dad. I hadn't showered but at least I had changed into a sweatshirt and out of that sweaty top. This is me being freezing cold in the supermarket and looking nuts.

I look like a giant stuffed animal. I am okay with this.

Sleep Deprivation

I don't really sleep and it doesn't seem to affect me. Twenty hour days are awesome because I can do everything I want to do - or so I thought. Last night I got into bed before 11 PM but I didn't fall asleep until 2:30 AM. My parents' stupid ass new neighbors installed backyard lighting that makes it look like my bedroom window overlooks the Vegas strip. I was not pleased.

After tossing, turning, trying to read, and cursing the neighbors back to their old neighborhood, I finally fell asleep. Although I woke up before 9, I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. It's a good thing I was signed up for Carolyn Mellace's 10:15 class and not the earlier one.

I felt sluggish and achy, but Carolyn's sick playlist (think AC/DC, Aerosmith, and disco) and her Energizer Bunny energy kicked my ass into gear. It wasn't the best ride of my life, but I got a solid workout in and I'm glad I went.

I bought Robb Wolf's, author of The Paleo Solution, ebundle last night and was reading that sleep is more important than diet and exercise. Say what? That completely blows my lifestyle out of the water. Robb says that you need to sleep in a completely dark room, use blackout shades, and cover up all LED lights. I sleep with a sleep mask and I usually have a pillow blocking the time on the TV, but completely dark? I was recently complaining that the lack of natural sunlight in my apartment has made it harder for me to wake up.

Once I get back to work, I am going to try for a regular bedtime and 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night. I've never needed this much sleep before, but it's possible that I haven't tapped into my true potential because I sleep so little (and tend to go out and drink until the wee hours of the morning.)

The Class So Nice, I Took It Twice

Tripp Doherty teaches four classes on Long Island on Friday mornings - 2 at Woodbury and 2 at Roslyn. I signed up for the 8:30 AM class at Roslyn using the MYEQ app with the intent to sign up for the 9:45 AM Roslyn class in person. I get why you can only sign up for one class a day using MYEQ, but it drives me nuts. I really like double spin classes and I find it a little stressful when I know I need to get back down to the front desk to sign up for the second one. If I know I can get to the first one early, I will use MYEQ to sign up for the second class and sign up for the first one in person, but that can get iffy if you arrive and all the bikes are taken and then you have to figure out something else to do for an hour.

I love Tripp's classes, as anyone who reads this blog semi-regularly knows. He is truly inspirational. And his music is good. I feel like I get so much out of his classes because not only am I pushing myself to exercise harder than I thought possible, but the stories and advice he shares challenges my way of thinking and what I think is possible in my life.

Today I felt really special because Tripp asked what is the longest distance I have run - 34 miles - and my fellow spinners cheered. I don't think Equinox is known to be the friendliest gym, especially on Long Island, but everyone in Tripp's classes supports one another and the energy is extremely positive. Tripp then said I should run the Rock The Ridge 50 with him May 4. Tripp inspired me to run my first 50 kilometer race so it is fitting that I run my first 50 MILE race with him, so I am going to sign up. There is a $250 fundraising commitment and I hope that you will all help me reach that goal once I set up my page. I'll post about it after I register.

My friend Rose came to the second class and I am so happy that I got to see her. I met Rose in 2007 when I first started going to Bonne's classes. She's a teacher and helped me so much when I taught for the DOE providing advice and emotional support.

I might head up to Westchester in a little bit to play some paddle. I've never played before, but I am mildly decent at tennis and I took intro to squash in high school, so cross your fingers that I don't make an ass out of myself if I go.

Early Resolutions

Has anyone else noticed more people in the gym? I must not have been the only person who had a revelation that they needed to get their butt in gear before the holidays and not wait for New Years Resolutions. Speaking of butts - I caught sight of mine in the gym locker room mirror last night (fiiiine, I was checking myself out) and I thought, "My! Isn't that an attractive rear end?" It hasn't looked this good in a while, so I should keep up the good work.

I get super unhappy when the gym suddenly fills up in January. I promise to be nicer to people in 2013 as they invade my space to achieve their personal goals. I just hope the lazy ones give up quickly and return to their couches.

God bless Allie who writes Hyperbole and Half.
I don't know how she works with Paint and doesn't want to kill herself.

Last night I went to Jason's Powerflow Yoga class and I loved it as usual. We listened to some jazz music and worked on poses that should help build us up to crow pose. I'm still working on my warrior 1. I really like how Jason calls out the details because I want to learn how to practice yoga properly. I like flow but sometimes it feels rushed and I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing. At one point we did something that looked like an old-school push up with one leg over our shoulder. Or at least some people did that. I managed the leg part.

This morning I got up at 6 and made it to 6:30 AM SpinDurance with Harlan Matusow. It was a great way to start the day, but unfortunately it made my commute a pain in the ass. I didn't bring my work clothes with me because I don't like having to drag around dirty workout clothes and heavy spin shoes all day. The weather was also supposed to turn crappy, which it did, and I wanted to figure out what would be the best outfit for the weather. Everything was great until I left my apartment at 8:15 and didn't get to work until 9:20 because of packed buses and delayed subways. Note to self - inclement weather means everyone is taking public transportation. I like working out in the morning, but I'm going to have to accept that I won't be at work until 9:30 when I do.