New Year's Resolutions

My children, I've not written in a while--- apologies. With the craziness of the holiday season, I hope you managed to eek out an existence without me. :)

Let's be brief:

1. No more poultry. This includes chicken, turkey, and all other forms of foul. Poultry is the only major meat I have left. I already don't eat beef or pork, so now the only meatstuff I will eat will be fish and seafood (perhaps to be given up next year). I don't drink milk as it is, and I'm going to try to give up cheese. I just bought some soy cheese. We'll see.

2. No more chocolate; it's a true vice of mine, so I'm leaving it behind. It's a strong temptation, but I just don't need it.

3. Build on some awesome end-season training to peak for the Cardinal Harbour 1/2 Ironman in July. It'll be my first half-iron distance, but training is going so well (despite a marked holiday weight gain) that I don't see how it couldn't turn out well.

4. PR in the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon (half-marathon distance). I set a rousing PR of 1:59 last year (which was about 28 minutes faster than my last one!!!), and my goal this year is 1:53 or 1:54. We'll see. Running is going really well, so I'm positive.

5. Finish the season off right with my first marathon: Chicago. Sunday, October 12th. Be there or be square.

I think a lot of people feel compelled to make new year's resolutions, but they may be emphasizing the wrong thing. Sure, the acts themselves are great, but it's the impetus behind the act that is what REALLY matters. So instead of thinking so much about WHAT you're resolving to do, think about WHY you're resolving to do it!

Happy New Year. Here's to a new year, a new you.

In health,

Patrick

Spring 2009 Schedule

My children,

Here is my teaching schedule for this coming spring:

Mondays:
5:30pm: Spinning®
7pm: Pilates

Tuesday:
7pm: Spinning®

Wednesday:
7pm: YogaMuscle™

Thursday:
7pm: Spinning®

Friday:
5:30pm: YogaMuscle™

Sunday:
5:00-6:30: Spinning® Endurance Ride

In health,

Patrick

The Final Ride - In Retrospect

Yesterday was the long-awaited, semester-topping special ride, "The Final Ride." Spinning Master Instructor and friend Ralph Mlady kindly donated his weekend to come down and co-teach with me. And all I have to say is that I am not quite the same after it.

I love my students. I have a talented, passionate, driven team of devoted individuals that have a burning passion for the Spinning program. Ralph said yesterday, "the energy in that room was unbelievable." And it really, really was.

To be honest, I am really down in the dumps today. I feel much like I do when I leave Miami from WSSC; inundated with thought, energized but fatigued, discontent for that to be it, and absolutely clueless as to how to return to teaching normally.

As far as the ride goes, it was practically perfect. My constituency of regular students rode beautifully and precisely according to the Spinning program.Other than the occasional hot messness, the ride went off without a hitch. A touch of microphone feedback at the beginning of the ride, and about four skips from my cd about a minute from the end of the ride, right at the climax (figures!!!) were the only technical impedences. I had intended to videotape the ride, but we were running way behind and I didn't particularly want to postpone the ride any further by trying to set up the tripod and camcorder, so we ditched the idea.

We arrived at the gym at 1:20 (the ride was set to take off at 2), and a few students were aleady there, actually. Ralph and I went through our various processes of getting ready, checking music, changing clothes, and then once more people started arriving, we began the process of setting up bikes. I had informed Ralph that it would be my preference that we go around and set every rider up, no matter who they were. Even if they ended up riding on the exact same settings as they were before, I wanted to take full advantage of our knowledgable guest. Few students raised issue with setup (only those to whom I have never, or do not often teach, naturally; those that have their own fouled-up preconceived notions of good riding form, usually learned behavior from a poorly educated instructor)

I began the ride with a warm-up. The idea came from Master Instructor Angie Scott, who about 18 months led a four-hour ride I co-taught. Three of us taught, and since it was her usual audience, she wanted to lead them off and bring them home. The idea worked so well then that I wanted to do the same for my students. I led for 8 minutes and then handed the ride over to Ralph for his one hour, and then I completed the final 50 minutes (when in actuality stretched to about 65 minutes... ;P )

My first song I had found just earlier yesterday morning--- I was having real trouble finding warm-up and cool-down music that was both fresh, inspiring, and effective. But then I stumbled across the song, "Words of the Angel" by the Trio Mediaeval. As the song began, everyone stopped their pedals, listened and prepared mentally, and I said then the bike compelled them to pedal, they may begin. They rode in silence of my voice for a few minutes, until the 2.5 minute sample of the song I used ended and the warm-up music began.

The song for the actual warm-up was, "Kothbiro," from the soundtrack from the poignant film, "The Constant Gardener." If you've seen the movie, you will remember this song. It is haunting, and stirs my soul.

I handed the ride over to Ralph for his hour and was able to enjoy an hour to ride passionately on my own (a rare opportunity that I get to ride for myself!). Ralph's hour flew by; it was challenging, inspirational, and very special to me.

My hour was just as special for me. I must say that the most fun I had throughout the ride was when Ralph and I led dueling jumps on a flat (which happened to be the only part of the profile I had set in stone). However, that is not to say that it was my favorite moment- that moment went to my last two songs before the cool-down: "Dreamer," by Chris Brown, and "Proud (Josh Harris Pride Extended Mix)" by Heather Small, both of which brought me to tears as I taught. "Dreamer" by Chris Brown has ALWAYS been such a powerful song to me and causes my eyes to well even as I sit here writing.

"Proud" by Heather Small as well is just one of those songs. My tears during the ride weren't the kind that you feel coming; they actually hit me in an instant like a ton of bricks. I had to choke them back since I was the one on the microphone, although I would have much rather just let them flow.

Another awesome part of the ride was that Kristin Bednarski, recently cleared to ride an upright bike months after being hit by a car, joined us. Not via the Spinner, but we brought in a LifeCycle for her to ride and she made it both hours. It was beautiful seeing her passion to get back to her life and letting the Spinning program help her journey.

All in all the ride was just a really moving experience, and I cannot thank Ralph enough. My students had contributed all to buy Ralph a $100 e-gift card to Nashbar.com, but no amount of money could buy what I was given yesterday.

Right now I am trying to figure out what in the world I am going to do with my ride tonight--- I'm still to teach my usual sunday journey of 90 minutes, and I am at a loss. I am not quite ready to face the bike again--- I need some time to digest yesterday.

Full Playlist:
1. Trio Mediaeval- Words of the Angel
2. Ayub Ogada & London Session Orchestra- Kothbiro (Constant Gardener Soundtrack)
3. Kid Loco- Flyin' on 747 by Kid Loco (Transition to Ralph's Hour)
---Ralph's Hour---
1. Oscar G- Angel (Easy flats)
2. Black Hawk Down- Barra Barra (Hills)
3. JJ Flores & Steve Smooth- Discoteca (Remix) (Dueling jumps on a flat)
4. Seal- The Right Life (Tiesto Remix) (Seated Flat)
5. Kate Havnevik- New Day (Peaceful STC)
6. Aurora- Real Life (Aurora Club Mix) (Jumps on a Flat as a Team)
7. Madonna- Die Another Day (Thunderpuss Mix) (Dueling Jumps on a Hill)
8. Chris Brown- Dreamer (Seated Flat)
9. Heather Small- Proud (Josh Harris Pride Extended Mix) (Anything)
10. Cool-down- Mark Isham- Flames
11. Stretch- Vas- Refuge

My hope is to bring Ralph back next year around this time for "The Final Ride" again.

I love my team,

Patrick