I began the month of March saying that this month would be a month where I step out of my comfort zone with exercising and do something different. After starting Power Zone training in December I got stronger with every ride. I completed my second FTP test not long ago and saw a 20% gain in fitness. With yoga, I have also grown. I can follow sun salutations easily and hold poses longer. So this month was supposed to be the month I step out and venture into things I don't normally do. I started a mantra: Great things never came from comfort zones.
So began my quest to get out of a comfortable area. I began strength training, then sort of over did it I thought because I was sore. Well, I guess you do get sore for weights and turns out I was using muscles I hadn’t typically used like my back muscles. I’m learning to hang on to proper form and never sacrifice that no matter what. I also learned that I need to stretch more and that my discomfort also came from tight muscles. So I am not "injured" like I thought.
Then Saturday I did something I never would’ve THUNK I could do: completed 14 (that's right---fourteen, 1-4) ten minute rides back to back with a 15 minute halftime break. Wow! I am just shocked with myself. These rides are called "Death by Tens" and are created by the Black Peloton Riders Facebook Group. This particular series was created by a group member Yaasmen, who also happens to be my soror!
I went in thinking I would just do half of it, but by halftime was feeling so good (in other words, I couldn't believe I was actually doing it) I kept going. The start was a slow simmer, with a warm up by Tunde to start the flame, out the gate I hit my 200th ride with Robin, accomplishing a PR on a 10 minute Tabata ride. Got an output of 60, and feeling good about that. Definitely made me curious about doing more of these type of rides (intervals). Smooth recovery with Denis, followed by a strategic climb with Ben. I’ve found I like his climb rides and know I can learn a lot from him. So I'm going to check him out later.
Baby Hair Hannah’s voice is so soothing and I loved the Low Impact recovery ride. By the time Jess King's climb ride was over I was hotter from looking at all that hair on her shoulders than from actually riding! I wanted to say "put your hair up, you gotta be HOT!!" Then along came Cliff cooling us down. Don’t understand a word he says (he's black and speaks German), but the sound of his voice is great and his playlist was FIRE!!
At the half I was looking good and feeling good. Warming up with Robin should’ve given me a clue that the second half was going to be spicy!! Per usual, Alex don’t play and by the time I descended from that climb I knew the rest of the event was going to be an uphill battle. Robin’s “Low Impact” was anything but that and then Fierce Tunde showed up. Ally, do I have to say anything else? Oh yeah, The Boss showed up, telling us a story about putting frogs in a pot of water and slowly turning up the heat to the boiling point. WE are those frogs!! Cause I was DEAD by the time the second Robin Tabata hit!! I had no gas left, but was running on Jesus as I closed out with the cool down with Cody. Since I knew my legs would thank me later, I made sure to squeeze in a long stretch with Cliff.
Another body thank you came in the form of an epsom salt and lavender soak! Ahhhh, while physically drained, I am not sore and I’m feeling so relaxed. The verdict?? I would definitely do this again in the distant future. I’m sure by then I would be even stronger on these type of rides. One thing I know for sure...I am going to do the Tabata Program and get stronger...these stats are just a baseline (60 cadence, 60 resistance is NOT it for me just yet).
My quads gonna be smoking by summer. What do they say, "I'm gonna be a summer snack!" Strength training, Tabata, climbs, and HIIT rides are all out of my comfort zone and together will produce some amazing results. Day by day, step by step. Gonna make it happen!