Training Log Archive: Fat Rat

SRM. Dialed to do 8x3min @300W w 2min @100W but only managed 6.

On the recommendation of Hilary.

So when you get home from yoga, are you supposed to feel like you need to stretch?

A colleague at work mentioned I should go to a class, and when Hilary talked about it in Newcastle I thought I should give it a crack, so today was the day. I feel like I've now been exposed to a cult, I'm waiting on a phone call to be called up to some higher duty, but it hasn't come yet.

I had a little idea what it would be like, but I still wasn't really ready for the psychological experience it was. It started just entering the hot room, the wave of heat hits you as you peer into the darkened room which reveals dozens in a large room, dressed only barely. Kate and I picked our way through until we found some floor space not much bigger than the size of our collective mats. It's hot, which is bikram, but it's really hot, I don't understand why it's this hot. It's oppressive. I'm rationalizing some physiological reason why it's this hot... Can't come up with anything, must be expensive though. This will serve as a useful acclimation process for Samoa next week though, score.

The room is silent and everyone is lying the same way, in a meditative state. Its a weird mix, but heavily female dominated. Definitely cultish, waiting for their leader... And I'm a willing participant. Lying there I can't help but smile, I'm amused, but perhaps a little anxious. The leader comes in and welcomes us, I get called by name as she walks across the room. Crap, I was trying to hide. Every newbie gets a mention, 2 Bens. We start with some movements, the teacher (cult leader?) is talking, the instructions come fast, I barely new it was possible to talk that fast let alone instruct in that manner. It takes concentration just to understand, but I get the idea, I have done yoga before, and move into positions aimed at warming us up and get joints moving. Someone takes a sip... Gets told off... You can't drink in the warmup, that's the rule. Haha, I had been warned and didn't make the mistake. The class goes on, I'm getting tired, the positions are hard to hold, it's a strength like we often don't think about strength, but it's a lot of work all the same. Sweat is getting in my eyes and stinging. During one of the relaxation parts she tells someone off for whipeing their eyes of sweat, "no movement during relaxation, corpse pose".

Getting tired. "end of warmup" wtf, we've been going for ages. So far I'm able to do everything, perhaps not as far as some others, but I'm chuffed I'm doing well. Others have been resting at points. Class goes on and it gets harder, my hip flexors keep almost cramping, that's my bad spot but there is no real work for it, oh hangon, here we go.... Ah, I can't really get into the positions because my ankle is so stiff, 3 operations tend to do that. I work away and by the end I feel like I've made some ankle progress, but my hip flexors yell out for attention. Females have an advantage on many of the early moves with their greater Q angle but now there are some strength elements coming in. My tight spots are exposed, across the back and shoulders, hamstrings and ankles. But hips remain fairly unexposed.
Into the last part, regular rest intervals now, much appreciated. But it gets tiring just moving into the corpse pose. Class finally ends with a another meditative state. The leader is talking less, but only just, though there is now silence for the very end as she leaves the room. Everyone lies but I'm one of the first up, have to get out of this room, it's so hot I just want to get out. It's 90min in that room, it's hard. Hips are tight but otherwise, once the cold hits me, I feel great. Nice and limber, and I don't recall having to sign my mortgage over. I'm tired, more than tired, really quite drained, but I'm relieved to be out.

I found it a bizarre experience. I had to focus on relaxing and not objecting to the occasional, but completely incorrect statement the leader makes about how the body work, read a friggin basic text book for a start. It has a real cult feel to it, not that I've been in a cult, but what I imagine it's like based on some lifelike Hollywood examples I've been exposed to. But it has been a good workout. I'm disappointed with the hip bit, but otherwise it's been really good. I'll go again.

Now to stretch the tight bits that I went there to address...

C • Haha 12

Lab SRM, sitting on 200W

Absolutely painful miserable start as the cold was agonizing on the descents, but after the first hour it got better and was a nice ride by the end. Met Seb after climbing out of Coppins then across Uriarra and up to Condor creek and back via Cotter and Seb and Beth's nice new place.

Sacral-iliac joint left side super sore, think its quite inflammed which is perhaps what's making that side so bad at the moment.

How good is the Casati... better than the Suunto who's battery went flat after charging it yesterday, I think cos it presses it's own buttons whilst in my bag, draining itself. Stupid thing.

Been a bit of a horrendous week.

Bum and leg is in agony after running on Saturday. Seems like there is nothing left to do except stop running all together.

Dentist on Monday took a tooth out, and that meant the rest of the week I was on pain killers, which helped the bum, but didn't do a hell of a lot for the tooth as had headaches and a really grumpy demeanour all week.

It was nice this morning to be feeling good enough to do some exercise. Too cold to be outside tho so used the SRM at work for a spin, sitting on 200W which felt though, but the Tour of California TT on the iPad was a good distraction.

C • Hot yoga? 1