The Hills Are Alive

I've been making a real effort to get to spin class at least once a week lately - and, patting myself of the back a little here, I'm proud to report that I've been six out of the past seven Tuesdays.

Not too bad at all, considering it's always a mad dash for me to make it to class by 5:30 p.m. I've often wondered whether the sprint I do from the parking garage to the gym, down the stairs to the locker room and back up three flights to the spin room could count as a warm-up.

If you've never been to a spin class, I totally recommend checking one out. The hour usually flies by - thanks to upbeat music, changes in positions and pace and lively motivation from an instructor and fellow classmates. It's nothing like riding a stationary bike.

Yesterday's class was particularly sweat-producing.

There were only a handful of us there, and our instructor decided that we were going to work off all of the holiday snacks and dinners that we might be facing in the next few days.

The workout included three hills - three very long, tough hills. Each hill lasted three songs. Do some math, yes, those are long hills!

Spinners can control the hills to account for their own ability or motivation by adjusting the tension lever on the bike. Yesterday, as I thought about the trays of cookies and sweets that I've been surrounded by lately, I cranked up the tension more than I normally would and set out for a "hilly" ride.

At points, my legs burned - the good kind of burn that I feel when I'm going up "real" hills - and I struggled to keep the pedals turning. Yep, the same way I do on a big hill outside. At times, I was tempted to adjust the tension lever down a bit - but I told myself that I couldn't do that on a real hill, so I wouldn't allow myself to do it there either. At least, on my stable inside bike, I didn't have the possibility of toppling over if the hill got too difficult.

It was a great workout, one that left my legs slightly shaky at the end - and just the kind that's needed the week of Christmas. Probably after Christmas, too.


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