Anaerobic Sapphire

I was a touch curious what two days of not spinning would do to my stamina, and as I suspected the rest did me good. A Sunday Blue Sapphire gave me a double shot of the diminutive wonder this week. She had the usual full house and Carolyn is never routine, predictable or boring. She changes the music, cadence and her repertoire is unfailingly dynamic in its’ scope and thoughtfulness to detail. For instance when she adds: “Take it up, take it down” it not only requires concentration but adds endurance to the rigorous pedal stroke as well. 

Toward the fourth quarter of our hour I got into oxygen deficit, more commonly known as  the anaerobic zone. After nearly 7 months of devoted spinning, the intervals of going anaerobic are fewer and fewer, signaling to me that I am improving.  But today watching the Mellace perpetual motion machine, I fell off the diving board into deep blue water. I felt like I was going down for the third time only to be bailed out by the end of the hour.  

Scanning the room I found a few scattered KSC riders and I was especially glad to see my lithesome friend Debbie who for some reason reminds me of Lady Penelope a character from the 1968 television show, The Thunderbirds. The blonde dulcet, looking even more fit than I can remember, always has a smile and a kind word whenever I see her in the CS. It also made me sad, as the summer has disappeared yet again in two shakes of a lambs tail.  

I See Two Stars on Thursday Night

I discovered an idea that can help my recovery between sessions without missing a day in between. On Wednesday I took the Mike Borska 830 AM class and then The Blue Sapphire, Carolyn Mellace on Thursday night at 6 PM.  The 32 hours in between seemed to work and gave me the rest my body was clamoring for. In a previous class Mike said I looked a little tired and for me because I get wrapped in taking classes and then writing about them, I lose sight of the fact that each class is an all out effort for me.  It also feeds into my addictive personality which I have to be on guard for.  

Carolyn keeps us on our toes. She is always about having fun but she doesn’t “fool around” She has a singular devotion and it’s not just for the money. She’s shares the passion as we do to keep our bodies “in the pink.” An old expression dating back to Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet in 1597. A little history lesson but one that always reminds me that the peak condition is something that the athlete in all of us drive for. 

I love Thursdays with Carolyn, primarily because it sets up the weekend and always seems to propel me towards a sharper state of mind as the week winds down.  She is always sharing her unique personality when she twinkles one of her blue stars at you. I am so fond of her and happy she leads me twice a week. 

Have you been aware of the changes in the club?  When I went for the shower I saw that half of them were sheet rocked up and just four were working. Not a problem for the evening but what about during the morning rush when the club is burgeoning with people.  I suspect that much less women shower at Equinox so it probably is not a real issue on their side of the continental divide. However, all in all I think the construction is going on well without nary an interruption for us members. The management must be nervous as I know Peter feels like this is his home away from home.  

Just a word about the new membership counselor Louis. He is a ubiquitous fellow isn’t he? I see him all over the club, not just in his glass cubicle behind his computer and phone. He is enthusiastic and takes his vocation way beyond anyone that I have seen before in that position which unfortunately has a huge turnover. He seems to be taking in the pulse of the club and I wish him well and I hope he remains a long time. I recommended a new member and he treated her with deep concern and continues to do so long after the sale.  

Okay, so the question is will I be able to make the Saturday edition of KSC? For those of you who read me I am a little under the weather with my atrial fibrillation today and I so wanted to be with you this morning. Hello Evil Woman. Do you miss me, just a little?

All Lambs Go to Heaven

Even ones that take us to Hell and back.  

Let me tell you that our trip to hell and back was in it’s way, pure torture. However, being led down the path to Hades by the Blue Sapphire was like enjoying fire and brimstone.

 While I am always quite absorbed in the adroit call of this talented instructor, I am also taken by the visual Sapphire.  It is true that her lithesome physiology has been acquired part by genes but mostly (I suspect) by a dedication and work ethic that are beyond my comprehension. This coming from a man who for several years ran a hundred miles a week, so the admiration does not come without some allusion to how much dedication to hard work it takes.  

There is an ethereal part of Carolyn, a sense of delicacy despite the ferociousness of her spirt that one can almost see in the shadows that live just outside her furious athleticism. Almost beyond description, this jewel shines with a flawlessness that is even beyond viewing to the naked eye. 

This Sunday session I had resolved myself to take it just a little easier after spinning with the Evil Woman on Saturday and a planned session with the Corso Zone on Monday. The thought was only a fleeting one because as usual I got taken in by the two blue stars and a comet.  There was a moment when those two blue stars blinked only to be followed by the white comet of her smile. And just like the other 39 I left nothing in the studio except for the salty pool beneath my bike.  

I hope my spin mates that I have not waxed too poetic about all the instructors I write about, but they are all  so very talented and each singular in their talented natures.  This week between Kristen, Carolyn, Cathy and Mike I had the most fun and I thank them all.  

45 Minute Sapphire

The abbreviated version of Hello Sunday,  was hardly discernible from the full version. The Blue Sapphire was splendorific this morning.  Those two blue stars had a deeper brilliance this early morning. As if a star can have it’s own exclamation point. 

Spinning as I have recounted has taken on a larger than life aspect to my own.  I never in a million summers would have guessed that I would rediscover the passion I used to claim when I ran long distance.  Those days however, were fraught with a distinct lack of symmetry and were abundant in an egocentric lifestyle that left wreckage at every turn. Those days are long gone but having entered back into the fray of extreme effort as spinning demands of me, I have a deeper appreciation of the lives I touch and a commitment to myself to keep my head right size, while I pare my body down to the athlete that lies within. I had let complacency overrun my existence but no longer.  I have found that working to correct character defects was important but I needed to focus on my shortcomings as well. 

 I owe much to the instructors at Equinox who have helped point my compass back to magnetic north. My life had so much deviation, and I filled it with variation hoping that I would resemble the man I was created to be, whomever he was. I am still not sure what path I am on, but one foot in front of the other along with my daily pedal stroke is all I need be concerned with in the present moment. 

What was that all about Jack?  Just that stream of consciousness that seems to take over my fingers as I pound out these daily stories. 

The Blue Sapphire has made Sunday much more meaningful in that I am motivated afterward to read and write with a deeper clarity due to the energy exchange I receive each time I get a strong dose of her infectious kineticism that seems to be more abundant than the stars I can count.  As I took my after spin stroll I saw moving like a perpetual motion machine the Blue Sapphire leading her cardio group session. Someone asked me if I was going to do a double. AYKM? Well, maybe someday, just not today.  

More Powerful Than a Locomotive

It’s 925 on a Sunday and I wait on the TMW* for the Blue Sapphire’s edition of Hello Sunday.  As I love to write about it, and this gemstone in particular, it never seems a bother to sit and wait for the 30 minute sign in. 

The Blue Sapphire is beyond superlatives, but I will do my level best. Some have accused me of having a “thing” for the Blue Sapphire the way I wax poetic about her. I am not sure where that comes from but she is a fantastic motivator and I just flat out admire her. 

Another packed house, and Hello Sunday is fast becoming one of my favorite classes here at Equinox. One of the ingredients that make Carolyn so unique is her gesticulations. I really took the time today to watch her hands and arm movements. Like coupling rods to locomotive wheels, she moves piston like as she directs us toward speed and effort. It is a pure art form in itself.  When the Blue Sapphire beckons we all follow in UNISON. The appeal she exudes is irresistible. Whether it’s her smile, voice or just innate talent, I can’t miss Sundays with Carolyn Mellace. 

That was the week that was wherein I found myself spinning 7 days in a row. Just two months ago I would have cringed at that prospect. I made a concerned effort to sample more of the instructor base than ever before and the talent is very deep at Equinox, very deep. 

Louis, a  recent addition as membership advisor, refers to this club as our “Third Space.” Home then work and then Equinox. An interesting premise that is literally very true because we don’t arrive, workout, shower and leave.It is this sense of belonging and having virtually every staff member knowing your name that makes entering and leaving like a second home.  I have belonged to so many clubs in the past including Bally’s where my deepest concern was spending only the briefest intervals and always being concerned about locking my belongings,  and just how sanitary the environs were. Never have I been concerned about  cleanliness or  possessions here, and when I leave something here like shoes, they appear on my very next visit.  Equinox has this  three pronged approach of Greet, Train and Maintain which is why it will remain the premier club at least in my mind. 

Gee I sound like a P.R. man. Only speaking what my heart tells my mouth what to say. 

*TMW Ten Most Wanted 

The Blue Ferrari With Lavender Interior

That was the image that descended on me as I started my climb with the Blue Sapphire.      

The sports car to end all sports cars is Carolyn . She’s sleek, compact, powerful and with the design right out of the  Fountain Head.  Fine architecture is what God had in mind when he designed this woman’s physiology. A work of art. 

Never one to quibble as to  what we are in her class to do, she  had us  negotiating  the steepest of mountain climbs today. And for minutes at a time I might add.  A full house which tells me the phenomenon of Mellace increases by the week. We have our own little cult with the Blue Sapphire. It’s an exclusive club too because she’s only here two days a week. So there is a limited amount of tickets available to this inspirational hour complete with smiles and torture.  

This blue Ferrari has two pistons that almost whirr when you watch them fly through the pedal stroke.  Just a marvel of biometrics and  when you watch her move, she leaves her DNA all over you.  I couldn’t help but notice how her tendrils became her windshield wipers and helped her keep a clear view of each and every one of us and our efforts. We put out for the Blue Sapphire and the boys are included.