Sprinting through the drizzle. The rush of wind wrapped around my face. 191 beats per minute. Crossing the finish line. Breathless. 27:20. Hands to the sky. Crying out for more. Recover. Breathe. Leaving all else behind. Life felt right. At least for a while.

Exhilaration is the breeze

That lifts us from the ground,

And leaves us in another place

Whose statement is not found;

Returns us not, but after time

We soberly descend

A little newer for the term

Upon enchanted ground.

                                          -Emily Dickinson

G

Time to plow the road.

G

Day Two. Problem: Even hungrier than the day before. Solution: Sakae Sushi, The Curve.

Mel showing her ocean catch. Notice the number of plates we walloped just for our entree.

My vision blurred from too much food. Yi Li attempting to feed me somemore.

Here comes my wasabi rush. Ready?

Set.

Awwwwwwww. (jomel, this one's for you)

I think I got back my fair share of carbs. Plus my nose was all cleared. And I can't believe I agreed to do a replacement for Pump the next day with my legs still shaking. Oh well, as Lance would say...

Live Strong.

G

RPM was the second group exercise training that I have undertaken in as many as 3 months. It was absolute hell. In a rather exhilarating way. I haven't rested my butt on a bike saddle for so long before. My balls were hurting and I thought the prospect of continuing the Chang family line was over. Thank God I purchased those cycling shorts strategically padded to protect those "delicate" areas. I heard a bit of vaseline helps as well. I didn't care whether those shorts were soaking wet with perspiration throughout the day. I told myself, "I'm staying in these shorts!" as if my life depended on it.

Indoor cycling or rather spinning defines pain. Not only does it forces those quads and hamstrings to pump so hard but it pushes you to levels of anaerobic thresholds that you have not known before. Much different from bodypump. The RPM challenge or metaphorically known as the "Race of Truth" had led me to discover what I'm TRULY capable of. Thrusting your pedal strokes at top speed with increasing levels of resistance brings new light into the phrase "It's all in the mind." With clenched teeth I held on till the end, staring down at my own pool of sweat surrounding my Johnny G spinner.

God, I never felt so hungry in my life.

Mel (my group ex coordinator) and I having our well-deserved dinner at Soulout. I found out that it was St Patrick's Day. Bring on the booze.

Josh, my spinning partner-in-crime with his cheeky grin.

My bodypump and rpm mate, Yi Li.

Burp.

G