Joy

This morning I was reminded why I do what I do and why I love it so much.

I taught Group Cycling.  It starts at 6:00 am, which means my alarm goes off at 4:45 am.  It's an early morning, and I'm always a bit nervous that something will go wrong.

I get into class and once we are started I go over our class plan.  The biggest part is our progression segment.  Starting the first Monday in January I wanted to take part of the class and extend the time we spend working in the Hard Zone.  We started with 10 minutes.  The next week was 17 minutes.  There was no class last week, so this week was 24 minutes.  24 minutes working in the uncomfortable, hard zone is challenging, but that is the entire point.  I want everyone to see what they are capable of accomplishing when they decide to go for the goal.  One caveat - I always, ALWAYS tell them they have permission to come down and recover during these long intervals.  It is THEIR ride and they need to listen to their bodies, but at the same time, I want them to push outside their comfort zone.

My class ATTACKED those 24 minutes and killed it.  Then, we finished the 55 minute class with a killer 6 minute climb.  Again, I was so proud of everyone in that room.  They locked it down and poured it on.  Of course, in the last 1:30, my mic died.  I had no breath left, but I found some reserves and shouted encouragement as we pushed all the way to the anaerobic/breathless edge.  It. Was. AWESOME!!!  Almost 2 hours later and I am still buzzing.

When we finished stretching, the class started clapping.  The smiles, the thanks from the members - THAT is why I do what I do.  I love teaching.  I love watching my members push themselves and then, I love it when they tell me they loved it, too.