Originally posted by Terry
Also, I need some advice from those of you who attemd/teach spin regularly. I feel "out of place" in spin class...

So, my shoes are banged up from riding and I wear gloves because there are no grips, plus, I'm use my "Terry Thumb"
... who on earth rides with a towel and stops to use kleenex? Occasionally, I like to ride out of my range to challenge myself, but the guy 3 bikes over got mad at me because my heart moniter beeped when I went over my target for my "age"...he got all prissy. Hell, the reason I go to class is to get the heart rate up, and, to get out of my rut so I can build a stronger heart muscle. (As a fitness instructor, I know what it means to have the class take a pulse and encourage them to stay within proper ranges).

If I can't get in a "wild betty" on the trails, then, spin class is my alternative. I do not "do my thing" in class because that's a "dis" on the instructor (I hate when people come into my classes and do their thing instead of following instructions). Any suggestions, fellow instructors? I'm just beginning spin, so if my behavior is offensive or I'm not up on spin ettiquette, I'd sure like to know...
Terry
Heh, heh, I'm with ya on this one. Sometimes there's chunks of mud that fall off my cleats under my bike. The time that I go is filled with latte crazed super moms who have just dropped the kidlets off at the grade school, most of who never have been on a real bike outside. ( and lest anyone think I'm dissing on moms, my teens play soccer ) I wear my mt-bike club head band and what ever biking t-shirt I can find.

I've chatted up all the instructors about my goals and my "real' riding. I've let them know that I know what I am doing if I'm not following the class exactly. They have all been enthusiastic and supportive once they know I'm not another sheep in an exercise class. If a particular instrcutor is giving you problems, I'd talk to the person in charge of classes. As for Mr "you beeped at me"... tell him to get a life. I'm surprised he could hear it through thte music anyway.

I don' t necessarily do my own thing, except when it's the stand and gtind gal who I do ignore.

Another thing that I do is I use visualisation a lot in classes.
I've got some memorable rides I did last year and I try to visualize either keep up with the guys or keeping ahead of the guys. I also watch videos from this site

single track video

and keep those in my head too.

It pays to communicate... I just got invited into the upcoming endurance class becuase they know my penchant for long rides....

Irulan