Last night I went with Lauren to the 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. CycelBar class. These 45-minute rides are intense. Well, at least they are for me. I personally think some of the Peloton 45-minute rides are easier. Perhaps that is because I am pushing harder when I am in a group setting, music blaring, heart about to burst out of my chest.
This was also my second night in a row, with the ride on Wednesday being 30 minutes. Still, back-to-back rides doesn’t seem like too much but given everything happening overall (work, family, etc.) it tends to add up. I still have butterflies in my stomach when getting ready to go ride. I made sure to get a little extra sleep in (power naps for the win) and we had a good dinner before class, so I felt fueled and more rested. That being said, the 45-minute classes are never easy. My goal is to ride one gear heavier than what is called out by the instructor, especially when out of the saddle.
I shouldn’t care about the leaderboard, but I do. I would be lying if I said I didn’t. I was riding on bike 3 which is up against the wall to the right of the instructor. Lauren was to my right, which is not my favorite place to ride. I call that seat the fish bowl bike because to me it feels as if everyone is staring at you. They aren’t. Just feels that way, so I avoid it whenever I can. The bad thing about where I was riding last night was that when the leaderboard poppped up, I saw my name at the top but my old eyes were so bad that I couldn’t see how far off second place was. I assumed that they were closer than they were so I figured I couldn’t let up off the gas. From then on, whenever I was out of the saddle, I tried to stay two gears heavier than what was called out. I guess it paid off because I was able to hold on to first place by 72 power points. Reflecting on why this has been such a focus for me lately I have come to the conclusion that it surprises me. I have very rarely been on the top of the leaderboard, much less anything cardio related. I believe that is why this has been on my mind so much.
At the end of the day, who really cares, right?
The power points and leaderboard mean absolutely zero in the big picture. The only way they should ever play a role is how it impacts your ride. For me, it makes me push harder than I probably would have. Being first isn’t the primary goal when I walk in. I enjoy being there with Lauren and have met some amazing people in the process of supporting her fitness journey. The instructor last night is big on not showing metrics for the rides. I love that. It shifts the focus. At one point we all closed our eyes and just rode. It was so therapeutic for me.
Plus, we get to take selfies like this when we are done:
When I got in the car, I finally felt really good about the training mix I have going on right now. Sure, I would love to be pushing the heavier weights like I used to, but if that meant giving up the bike and being as active as I am with Lauren, then I would pick what I am doing now over the heavy weights any day. This has proven to be far more fun.
