Training Day! (Take Two)

Or should I say orientation day? Yesterday I finally went to instructor orientation for spinning! I tried posting this Sunday, but it was a no go.

Yesterday I hit the road to head to Simi Valley. I woke up hella early–the alarm was set for 430, but i was up at 3 am out of paranoia. The mountain pass was closed Friday because of snow with more rain on the way, so it was a little nerve-wracking coming up on the pass. No stopping, but snowy!

I also fought an extreme urge to flip off the gym only 20 min from my house that canceled the same training a month ago.

After 3.25 hours of driving, I got there 45 minutes early. Calling the parents this weekend–check!

It was a really great experience. There were 7 of us (a decent sized group–not too big to be impersonal, but not too small to be awkward.) I finally learned to properly set up a bike. All this time I’ve been setting the seat low to make my lady bits more comfy–but a higher seat night made a HUGE difference when riding.

The biggest thing I discovered–everything I’ve come to know and love about the classes I’ve gone to is wrong.

Switchbacks–wrong!!!!
4-2-1s–wrong!!!
Bobbing/no bobbing–wrong!!!!
Lots of things that make class fun–wrong!!!!

I also discovered that a lot of instructors who teach a straight up Spinning(R) classes (at least the ones i personally have taken) perhaps need to work on being more dynamic. The two rides we did were really engaging and time went quickly, not like the God-awful Enya filled hole I’ve found myself stuck in. I’m glad it changed my perspective classes that focus on simulated rides.

The instructor for this orientation was FABULOUS. Unbelievably positive, upbeat, encouraging, and really inspired the self-confidence I need to move forward. I can’t express what a positive experience it was, and exactly the push I needed.

And check out this sunset for the ride home!

One kick-ass Panda Bowl (yum….), many, many chapters of Mockingjay (not as engaging as the other two books, but a great way to pass the time), and small 15 min roadside nap later, I pulled into the driveway 16.5 hours after I had left.

Now if only the time change hadn’t kicked my butt today….I had zero motivation to do my planned six mile run.