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Thursday, November 15, 2007

In Training?

A few months ago, I stumbled into a spinning class kind of by accident; the pilates class I wanted to take was full and an instructor from beginner spinning came to recruit people from the gym where I was working out. I thought I would check it out since I had heard good things from my friend Betty. OK really she told me that at one point she thought she was going to be sick, but other than that it was really good. With praise like that, how could I possibly turn it down? Of course, I carefully scanned the room and identified the location of every garbage can just in case. Fortunately, I haven't needed it yet.

Usually I attend class at an insane time in the morning when even the roosters are still sleeping, although I have gone during the regular morning class, otherwise known as post-rooster time (at least to me), on a few occasions. I always found those classes to be easier. I thought it was because I was half asleep during the pre-rooster classes. I also could have sworn that I heard pre-rooster spinners talk about the triathlons they had done and the ones that they were planning on doing. I didn't pay too much attention because I needed to focus on staying awake and not falling off the bike since I am by no means a morning person. In fact if I had to really think about it, I could believe that I had dreamed up those overheard conversations.

After warming up, I really enjoy the workout. I did notice that when I do these pre-rooster workouts I sweat like a man. Like I said, I found the classes to be a lot harder and again I thought it was because my muscles (as well as my brain) weren't as awake.

In turns out that the pre-rooster classes do something called periodization. I'm sure any of you who are into biking already know the official definition. For those like me who would otherwise have to look it up, here is the definition of periodization from Wikipedia. It turns out that in fact I actually am being trained to do a triathlon. I burst out laughing when I first found this out. I mean seriously, I don't even own a bike. I think that last time I was on a bike was when I was in college, more specifically a sophomore in college. The instructor seemed surprised that I was so amused, and seemed more surprised that I don't own a bike, and yet more surprised still that I wasn't planning on doing a triathlon. I was surprised that she would expect someone who doesn't own a bike to plan on doing a triathlon.

The more I think about it, the more I am surprised that I don't own a bike. (Surprised, as in I should have one. I don't wake up every morning expecting one to magically appear.) Even the Big Giraffe owns one. I could at least clip one of those baby seats onto a bike. Don't all parents have such contraptions? See what I mean about missing the motherhood gene?

Now the post-rooster classes are also doing periodization. It's taking over! A friend of mine asked me what I thought of doing a triathlon. At first I didn't take it seriously at all, but the more I let the wheels (in my head not on the bike) spin, the more I began to think it wasn't so out there for me after all. I mean I was a competitive swimmer throughout high school and college, and I still do swim. Even though I may not have a bike, we have two exercycles in our basement (don't ask!) and I no longer have an alternative to periodization in my spinning classes. Anyhow, I don't know exactly when I'm going to do this triathlon, but my friend has already started researching ones on line for next summer. Now I just have to figure out how to do the whole running thing!

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: You don't have to be chicken to exercise before the roosters are awake.

Labels: ,

posted by Alex Elliot @ 10:27 PM   12 comments
12 Comments:

  • At 11/15/2007 11:49 PM, Blogger super des said…

    Your lessons always crack me up.

     

  • At 11/16/2007 1:47 AM, Blogger Suzanne said…

    This post was some funny punning. Good stuff.

     

  • At 11/16/2007 7:31 AM, Blogger Heather said…

    Even better that you didn't know you were doing it!

     

  • At 11/16/2007 9:09 AM, Blogger Jodi said…

    I spin religously, al least I did before I broke my tailbone, and I don't even know how to ride a bike.

     

  • At 11/16/2007 2:14 PM, Blogger Mayberry said…

    You will so be my hero if you do a triathlon! Wow!

     

  • At 11/16/2007 2:52 PM, Anonymous skiplovey said…

    Wow that is inspiring. ok I'm joining a gym on monday!

     

  • At 11/16/2007 3:02 PM, Blogger Kami said…

    I was just contemplating trying a spin class. One of the women in my pilates class teaches them (the woman is 58 and looks like a 20 year old, scratch that, better than many 20 year olds).

    I don't know now, I have no endurance for swimming or running so if it involves a trialthon I am out

    Yay for you though!

     

  • At 11/16/2007 9:44 PM, Anonymous Amy said…

    Go get yourself a bike! But go to a good place and have them help you find the right bike. No Walmart bikes!

    Oh, and don't get a baby seat! Those are dangerous. If you fall, baby falls. Get a trailer. You can fall and the trailer stays upright. (Don't ask me how I know.)

     

  • At 11/16/2007 10:23 PM, Blogger Trenches of Mommyhood said…

    Danskin always sponsors a women's triathlon in Webster, MA in the summer (July). I have a friend who has done it 3 years in a row. I'm thinking of joining her in '08!

     

  • At 11/17/2007 12:12 AM, Blogger Nora Bee said…

    That must feel great! Good for you. And stay with the indoor bikes, you are taking your life into your hands biking out in the streets (I am a wimp).

     

  • At 11/17/2007 10:24 AM, Blogger soccer mom in denial said…

    My brother is training for a mini-triatholon (which still sounds like an oxymoron to me) and it takes over your life!!

    And the bike seat on the back? If you mean the seat you pull behind the bike, we rent one of those in the summer and they freak me out. I feel like the kids are just hanging out there.

    But good for you for trying a new class! It mush feel great.

     

  • At 11/17/2007 11:27 AM, Blogger VDog said…

    Wow! You are amazing! I could never do a triathlon. Too much...exercise. LOL

    Good luck!

     
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Name:Alex Elliot
Home:MA, United States
About Me:Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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For those of us who didn't get an instruction manual with our babies and for whom parenting hasn't always gone as planned. On a more serious note this blog is about supporting a woman's ability to make her own choices about parenting including the choice, for whatever reason, to bottle feed her babies formula.

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