As is true for many great things in my life, this ride was born on accident and took on a life of its own.  It started out neatly structured, well-planned and thought-out:  a circuit ride combined with a time ladder for increasing sustainability and challenging our abilities to work hard without blowing up…

But then I blew up. 

Between leaving work late, almost forgetting my music, picking up a filthy child from school who had to be washed before we could leave the house again, having to make a special trip to get the battery in my heart rate monitor changed, losing my stop watch, and fighting through one of the worst cases of muscle soreness I’ve experienced lately, I’m surprised I even made it to class.  It’s just a long list of random occurences that singularly are no big deal, and even collectively are completely survivable and hardly worth mentioning.  Except I mention them because they threw me into a complete state of mental chaos.  I just wanted to give up.

But that is how life is — a swirly mass of demands to be met and obstacles to be overcome and you never know what life is going to throw at you.  And in a metaphorical sense, it is how workouts can be too.  So instead of fighting it, I rode it and I asked my riders to ride it to. 

Explanation

The instructions were simple:  no matter what comes your way, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the cue seems, accept it, integrate it, ride it and DONT BLOW UP! 

I started the music and we were on our way.  I made up the terrain as we went along, based loosely on my profile, and in response to what I saw in my riders.   We never attempted anything contraindicated, but I definitely got whackier than my usual by-the-book Spinning Rides.   However, the wacky terrain supported the purpose, which I constantly reminded them was to stick to your guns; learn to overcome obstacles by anchoring on to something positive, something strong that exists inside of you.  I also pointed out that from the moment we arrived on the bike, there was a conflict between what was going on in our minds and what was going on with our bodies.  We have to quiet the mind and focus on the moment if we want to arrive at our destination….

They had no idea how long each movement would last or when recovery would come or what would be next.  I usually overcue what to expect in the ride and how long it will be and how to save up for what’s coming…  Not today.  The not knowing how long was probably the toughest part for them and for me.  After sustaining for a bit, my incredibly sore legs would cry out for a break, and I’d be tempted to switch to a new movement, but that would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?  To overcome this, I did a lot of coaching off the bike and I kranked for a bit.   And so, the ride was created by observing them.  I encourage you, if you consider using the ride this way that I am describing it, to watch your students and let the terrain unfold organically based on what you see.  For instance, we did a set of jumps that lasted for an entire song.  I almost NEVER do more than 10 or 15 jumps at a time in a class because usually the riders fall apart before then.  But they were so focused, so intent on their purpose, that their jumps kept getting better and better.  Instead of sloughing off, they were going harder and getting to a smoother, more rhythmic place.  And I wasn’t about to let them miss out on this great opportunity!!   And so, they jumped for nearly 3 minutes.  Some took breaks, some slowed down, but they were being smart about it, and it was great.  Watch your students and adapt the terrain to them.

The next night, I subbed a class and did the ride exactly as it was planned.  And it went well too.  This group doesn’t usually get into my rides because I am quite different from their instructor.  However, this ride seemed to win them over and it sounded like they were challenged.  I got good comments after and some said they’d be coming to my class.  We’ll see…. 

The Profile

The real profile is a circuit combined with a time ladder.  Props to the folks at Pedal-On for once again providing the concept and structure for my class! (I’m pretty sure Monica and Patrick S are my main sources on this one.) The circuit consists of 7 moves:

• Seated Flat – moderate resistance and cadence (doubles for recovery if needed)
• Seated Flat – increase resistance and cadence
• Standing Flat/Run with Resistance
• Seated Climb
• Jumps on a Hill
• Standing Climb
• Seated Climb

Then, for the time ladder, repeat each loop with movements lasting:

1. :30
2. :60
3. :90
4. :60
5. :30

In the first class, I ditched the time ladder portion instantly.  The second night it provided the structure for a great workout!  For the chaos ride though, anything goes.  I did the movements out of order, for as long as necessary, threw in jumps on a flat road, and a big sprint at the end.  I put them on a hill and did some seriously heavy loading.  Whatever the moment called for.  And it was fun!  At least for me…  And a couple of folks who said they loved it as they left. 

The Music

I was a little apathetic about the music as I put it together.  In addition to the chaos of the day yesterday, the days preceeding it were jam packed, and so I wound up at the last minute just tossing a bunch of songs I’ve acquired recently into Mix Meister and had a playlist.   Oddly enough, they worked.  Or, as the moment unfolded, the song was taken into account for the choice of movement, and that worked.  Either way, I realized that some of these are real gems that I will use again.  It is incredibly eclectic, or chaotic if you will… 

View as an iMix in iTunes

That’s it! Have a great ride!

Overview

This profile is an All-Terrain ride with an emphasis on steadily increasing and maintaining control over the effort. We sustain the work for the first 20 minutes, recover, then work steadily for another 20 minutes. Technically, it could be considered an interval ride, but there are only two long intervals. The terrain from home to beach is: flat road, bumpy road, hilly road, long slope up to the shoreline, and a steep descent down to the water. Turning around to come back, you have a steep climb, a long, gentle descent, a hilly road and then the final flat. The ride home gets cut a bit short due to time constraints, but I don’t believe anyone noticed.

Profile

You can download the pdf file here. I’ve found that it is just to messy to try to post the rides in the blog, so you’ll have to save this link:
Spinning Profile: Out and Back to the Beach

As you are reading the song times, please note that I have used DJ editing software to cut the length of each song to match my required effort.

Playlist

Songs not on iTunes:
Omni Vista – These are the Moments Available at ccMixter.org

The Profile

Giro Stage 10 Excel Spreadsheet

Giro Stage 10 PDF File

The Music

Here are the complete playlists, minus the songs that aren’t available from either vendor:

These aren’t on iTunes:

• 2. United State of Pop 2008* (click me)
• 9. DJ Earworm – Funky Goes to Hollywood (click me)

*: I had originally used a mashup that I can no longer locate! I have replaced it with a fun mix by DJ Earworm.

Music, Maestro:

Listen to these tracks on Napster: Play All

“Right Now (Remastered Album Version)” by Van Halen “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam “Man In The Box” by Alice in Chains “Vertigo” by U2 “Shadowplay” by The Killers “Strict Machine” by Goldfrapp “You Give Love A Bad Name” by Bon Jovi “Here Comes The Rain Again [Remastered Version]” by Eurythmics “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead or Alive “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” by Belinda Carlisle “Heart Of Glass” by Blondie “Riding The Waves (Album)” by Afro Celt Sound System “When You’re Falling (Album)” by Afro Celt Sound System “Time And Tide” by Basia

I used Acid Music Pro to get each song to three minutes each, with the exception of the wam up and cool down songs.  Here is the profile:

1.  Right Now (5:00 ) Today’s ride is going to require self-discipline and determination.  Settle in and set your sights on having strong work intervals and energizing recovery efforts.

2.  Even Flow (3:00) Run with Resistance.   This first interval helps us get things started, without having to leap into the heart rate stratosphere.  Increase resistance and cadence to bring heart rates up to 80-85% and commit to it.  Each interval will require you to sustain the high effort throughout the 3 minutes. Focus on perfecting the form and improving your standing pedal stroke.

 3.  Man in the Box (3:00) Flat Road.  This is not a kick back and relax recovery.  None of them are.  Lighten up to a flatter road, but increase the tempo and keep it up so that you are riding at 75% effort. 

4.  Vertigo (3:00) Jumps.  We take our perfect standing pedal stroke and take smooth and even jumps for 3 minutes.  You’ll have to determine the right tempo and frequency from the beginning to sustain your 80-85% effort for the full three minutes.

5.  Shadowplay (3:00) Flat Road.  Again, return to 75% and sustain it.  You can be seated or stand up, but keep the heart rate even.

6. Strict Machine (3:00) Seated Climb.  Turn up the resistance and turn a big big gear with all of your energy.  Focus on consistency.  Let your pedal strokes be never-ending and balanced and your heart get back up to 80-85%.

7.  You Give Love a Bad Name (3:00) Flat Road.  Here we grow again.  Resist the temptation to unload completely.  Come right back to your 75% range and stay with it.  Here is where discipline is key.

8.  Here Comes the Rain Again (3:00) Standing Climb.  Turn it up again, and come out of the saddle.  Don’t let your standing position relieve you of your workload.  Find the heaviest hill you can take and climb it like you are serious about getting to the top in a hurry.  80-85% again.

9.  You Spin Me (3:00)  75%.  Whatever it takes to get there and stay there — riders choice.

10.  Heaven is a place on earth (3:00).  Jumps on a hill to get back up to 85%.  Hang in there!

11.  Heart of Glass (3:00) 75%.  You have one more effort.  Get ready to get it done.

12.  Riding the Waves (3:00) 85% – With whatever you have left in your legs, take a seated flat with moderate resistance and a quick cadence: 95-100, maybe as high as 110 if you can sustain it with control for 3 minutes.  The resistance will be key here – so root yourself to your saddle and get the last little bit from those legs.  It is not sprints — it is a full 3 minutes outside of your comfort zone almost like a time trial.

13.  When You’re Falling (4:00) Cool Down!  Release the effort and enjoy your successes — give yourself several well-deserved compliments!

14.  Time and Tide (4:00) Stretch and delight in how great you feel after working so hard.

Enjoy!

 First, the basis for the ride, which is amazingly simple, and quite like the ride before it:

 1.  Warm Up

2.  2:00 Intense Work

3.  1:00 Recovery

4.  Repeat Steps 2 &3 until class is almost over

5.  Cool Down

This Ride has a more structured profile attached, because I used this ride for my participation in a CD Tree, so it’s all laid out for you in the attachment:   2-1 Interval Progression Profile.

 And here is the music!
Listen to the whole playlist on Napster:

Note:  You’ll notice that Funky Cold Medina needs to be 5:00 long and faster than what is available on either Napster or iTunes. You can either speed up the original and play it twice or choose another groovy 5:00 min tune in its place. Sorry ’bout that!

Have fun!

This profile is easy.  I even re-used the playlist from the Pace-Line Ride so preparation was minimal.  The formula is:

1.  Warm Up

2.  One minute of intense work

3.  One minute recovery

4.  Repeat Steps 2 & 3 until class is almost over

5.  Cool down.

Step Number 2 is where all of the fun comes in.  You have to encourage your students to work themselves up to an 85% heart rate in a very short time, so I focused on coaching the attack.  Don’t let them wait to get started on the effort, because it will be over before they get there.  Instead, Attack it, Sustain it, then come down gracefully.  We carried the idea of “Attack and Sustain” through to the next ride, the 2-1 Intervals. 

Here is the list of moves we used for Step Number 2 in this ride:

• Running with Resistance x2
• Seated Climb with big gear and aggressive cadence x2
• Jumps x2
• “Breakaways” or Standing Climbs to overcome a big gear then pushing in the saddle x2
• Standing Climb slow and steep x1
• Standing Climb quicker, less steep x1
• Jumps on a Hill x1
• Standing Climb slow and steep x1
• Standing Climb quicker, less steep x1
• Jumps on a Hill x1
• Sprints (only 30 seconds, not a full minute)
• Sprints

Here is the playlist.  I hope you have some fun with this one.  We did!
Listen to the whole playlist on Napster: