According to Kera

Got to the YMCA and the swimming lanes were busy so I took to the track, walked a mile then headed to the pool. This woman, Kera, came in and she asked this guy if she could share his lane. He was about to get out so I got in the lane with Kera, ha-ha.

Kera is 70-ish. She wanted me to try on her fins. She also wants me to participate in a sprint tri next month. You're young, she said. You need to push yourself. Being active will make such a difference when you're older. Kera also told me about the woman who started doing Ironmans in her 50's.

I need to start swimming a mile again, according to Kera, and I have a good swimming suit to, according to Kera -- so the mile shouldn't be a problem. Just think of it as three sets of 11 laps she said.

Kera got out of the pool after about an hour. Even though I was tired, I swam more laps but ran into Kera again after she came out of the sauna which she thought was a good idea for me too. It helps, supposedly, to deal with going down the cold tunnel to the locker room.

On the way to the lockers, Kera told me that she had done two triathlons over the weekend and had taken a spinning class. As such, her hip was bothering her and she's thinking about getting into yoga.

Kera was an interesting note to end my seven (eight really) day pass on. I did enjoy the Y more than I thought I would. Whoever designed this facility did a great job. It feels like such a light and open space.

Likes:

The Track

The B-ball Court

Windows Above Swimming Pool

I go gaga over windows since I work in a windowless building...

I lost my lap counter the other day but, lately, I've been feeling more intuitive about exercise so I might not replace it.

Current Situation

Went to Gloria's class last night. Population 50 + yogis with, mostly, everyone on time. I will say that the woman who came in 15 minutes after the hour was a bit of a surprise.

Headed to the YMCA after yoga. I have a seven day pass and wanted to hit the pool which was also quite populated so I hit the track and walked about a mile then headed to the locker room to switch gear.

As I walked out of the door at 9:45, the final call came over the public announcement system -- 15 minutes to closing.

I really liked the Y that I visited. It felt like a giant playground and I can see myself checking in at around, say, 6:30 and not leaving until the final call. On the other hand, the locker room is big enough to hold a significant amount of cots. A fitness hostel anyone?

Every so often, the Y pops into my mind but, budget-wise, it's not the friendliest and, now, I'd really miss the yoga teachers at my current situation.

I will crunch numbers but it seems that a membership at the Y is the price of current fitness facility + rocking climbing gym + pool that I go to. Although, the pool that I go to is about 20 minutes away and I could join the Y for a couple of months then suspend the membership...

Rode home with the windows down and, thankfully, did not have any post-swimming breathing problems. The chlorine seems to be more intense at the Y but maybe it has better ventilation. Who knows?

Taking the Sprint Out of Sprint Triathlon

To do the sprint triathlon or not to do the sprint triathlon? That was the question.

I did think the triathlon would be a good way to celebrate my increased comfort in the pool. More specifically, my increased comfort with front crawl breathing. Of course, the swimming portion of the program is also what made me the most nervous.


What finally got me to register was thinking about Patti's Bike is Good t-shirt. She's already signed up for Bike MS 2012 and is planning to ride 75 miles...

I had been pretty much relaxed about the triathlon until I got to the pool area and the countdown started. My breathing was completely raggedy. Once the other woman got out of the lane, I was able to calm myself down and finish before getting kicked out as we had 30 minutes to complete the swimming portion.

We did the bike portion on spinning bikes and, during the "run," I walked a lot. Those 3.1 miles on the treadmill felt like the longest three plus miles ever.

The distances for this tri: 500 yards of swimming, nine miles of bicycling and 3.1 miles of running or walking.

Calves, Measuring in at 16 Inches, Are Getting Out of Control

Here are my results:

Swim Split, 22:53
Swim Rank, 38 out of 40

Bike Split, 20:45
Bike Rank, 34

Run Split, 41:16
Run Rank, 37

I was slow but I endured.

You Are In Control Of Your Body

I went to a Step class again. I normally go rock climbing on Saturday but I'll climb the walls tomorrow.

Today's Step class was a great experience especially after Thursday's debacle. Catherine asked if there was anyone new then proceeded to let everyone know what to expect.

Follow my cues, Catherine said as in -- I'll lead you in the right direction.

Catherine was encouraging and upbeat the whole time. Even though I couldn't quite catch on to the Broadway, drunken pig (hunh?), revolving door and pivot moves, I never felt out of place since it was a very welcoming environment. Plus, I found comfort in those old stand-bys: hamstring curls, the grapevine, traveling knees and the V-step. ;)

Once we pulled out the weights, Catherine took a survey of the room and walked around. She talked a significant amount of time about keeping your body in alignment, especially the knees.

You are in control of your body. Then, keep your mind on your muscles -- as we were doing tricep dips.

As class was winding down, Catherine gave a short promo about other classes that she teaches. Without stuttering, pausing or arrogance, she said I'm very good. And she is good but I don't know if she's good enough for me to get up for a 6:00 a.m. Step class. Know what I mean?

My bad experience with Thursday's Step class got me to thinking about Tracy otherwise fondly known as Crazy Tracy. I've been intending to write a letter to the YMCA since Jan. 1st because I think that Tracy is such a great ambassador for them.

There have been many times when I have written a letter regarding dissatisfactory service but I wanted to do the opposite and pay homage to satisfaction. The letter, in part:

I attended the Grand Opening of the Rec Plex and attended several of Tracy’s classes, including Boot Camp, Step, and Turbo Kick. I’m sure that someone has mentioned this before but Tracy is a superb instructor. I don’t think that I’ve ever enjoyed getting fit so much. Tracy just struck all the right chords.

As I continue to figure out what is the best facility for my regimen and budget, I just have to say that Tracy, almost single-handedly, makes me want to join the Y.

Regards...

Ha, not the Broadway that we did today.

The Sins of The Fitness Instructor

To attend the YMCA'S Open House or not?

Even though I woke up early, I still had a hard time getting in gear. Plus, there was the possibility of rock climbing later in the day. A class and rock climbing? Hmmm...

Even though my own gym is open and has a few classes scheduled for today, I have some sentimental feelings toward the Y.

I checked the schedule and decided on Y-Step.

Free Adult Fitness Classes include:
Y - Step I at 10:00 a.m.
Turbo Kickbox at 11:00 a.m.
Family Variety at Noon
Family Zumba at 1:00 p.m.

Come join us for the fun. Let us help you find the solution to your New Year's resolution!
The open house is FREE and open to the public, so bring a friend. Non-members are encouraged to bring a photo I.D.

Y-Step started at 10 -- the same time the Y was slated to open. There were so many people at the door that it looked like a starting line.

When I stepped into the class, I was thrilled to see Crazy Tracy and I knew that I had made the right choice.

Tracy, single-handedly, makes me want to join the YMCA.

Also, I like the YMCA's Y-Step. My gym has step classes but the step is not relied on a great deal. The Y's step classes tend to be all step all the time.

Tracy went to the Cheesecake Factory last night and we paid for it. There was even one point when she told us that she was going to take us into oblivion and I had the sweat to prove it.

Tracy is also a proponent of the plank and we, of course, got a chance to do some. We also did some rowing moves for our abs. Tracy told us to move as if we were between two planes of glass, an image that worked for me. When the class ended, Tracy went around and hi-fived everyone. Y-Step was truly a great way to christen New Year's Day and Tracy is a great instructor -- greeting people, checking people's equipment, form and reminding us to take it at our own pace. It's your workout, she blared.

And my goal for 2010? It's to lose more weight by eating sensibly, exercise as much as possible and remember that I didn't gain weight overnight.

Today's also my blogiversary. When I started this blog, I had lost 44 pounds and I'm now down 16 more. My weight loss percentage is at 26% now. I'll be more than happy if I can say that I've lost more weight in a year's time.

When You Are The Motor

You need something with a motor a man commented as I loaded my bike. I told him that my legs are the motor and when you are the motor, you certainly think about mileage differently. I bicycled for about 16.5 miles. I wanted to go for longer but the to-do list awaits.

I had more stamina than last week. Brandi, a former trainer at the YMCA, said as much one day when the weights that I was trying to lift seemed so much heavier than the last time I was in class. She said that your body is capable of different things on different days. Of course, that makes perfect sense but...

I maintained a steady pace although I got passed up by the serious bikers with their padded biking shorts and jerseys but slow and steady works for me.

It does irk me when I have to get off the bike to walk up hills or if I lose my grip when I rock climb or come up short while doing the front crawl. In due time... I was actually able to make it up one hill that I had to walk the bike up before.

Here are a few of my favorite things from today's stint on the STL Riverfront Trail.



On a side note, I took some Propel in addition to water. Propel is made by Gatorade and doesn't have high fructose corn syrup. What it does have is sucrose syrup and sucralose which made for a super sweet drink. I only drank about a fourth of it and couldn't stomach the rest.

Fitness Club Anniversary

I signed on the dotted line exactly one year ago for my first ever gym membership.

I tried out several gyms, including St. Louis Workout and Bally, before I decided on a chain that's open 24 hours and costs $21.95 a month plus the initial processing fee and an inexplicable year-end maintenance fee.

From May 3, 2008 to May 3, 2009, I lost 19 pounds; although, the weight loss was not strictly due to my activity at the fitness club. I continued to tweak my diet and I also participated in other activities outside of the gym, including rock climbing (Upper Limits), three swimming classes (YMCA), a rock climbing class (Center of Clayton), a stair climbing competition and a Women on Weights class (YMCA).

I still swim (at least two days) at a facility other than my fitness club which does not have a pool. While I was working on the swimming, I also got to check out The Heights and Riverchase which have very nice facilities but cost more for non-residents.

I plan to check out some other fitness centers, including 24 Hr Fitness which has a swimming pool, to see if I might be more at home elsewhere. Otherwise, I'm contract-free and paying on a month-to-month basis.

Loughborough Ave.

As I was heading down 55 South, I passed the Loughborough Ave. exit and whenever I pass this exit, I can't help but think about when I was exiting to go to my swimming class at the YMCA. I can still hear my swimming teacher Jim say I want you to strive to get to the end of the pool.

Later on, Jim basically threw down the gauntlet and told me that I was not to stop and I was thinking that there was no way that I would make 25 yards doing the front crawl and I didn't make it that time but I didn't put my feet down either; when I felt like I could no longer breathe, I simply starting doing a breaststroke-like action. I'm quite fond of combo styles. If I get tired of doing the breaststroke, I'm liable to resort to the sidestroke about 12.5 yards into the effort.

I was traveling down 55 South because I was headed to the Mehlville pool which also made me remember how Jim and Shannon used to jump right into the water and I'm beginning to think that they had the right idea. Just jump in. Adjusting to the water is worse when you try to, no pun intended, wade in the water. Mehlville tends to keep their water quite chilly and I was staring to ponder the benefits of a wetsuit. Well, today, the water was just right. While the water was right, I wasn't. I struggled to swim 16 laps in one hour.

I had the pool to myself until two girls got in. One girl was about eight or nine years old but rocking the butterfly and back crawl. She rocked about everything as a matter of fact. In fact, she looked like a future Olympian.

I love to watch people swim the butterfly. It's poetry in motion.