Putting the "Extra" in Extraordinary

A deep feeling of accomplishment and pride overflowed from my Lulu-clad body last Monday. For the first time in my life, I was experiencing acknowledgement of my success as an instructor from one of my bosses. Sure, I've had several bosses tell me, "People seem to really enjoy your classes" or "You're doing a great job. I hear you've added some core work into the class", etc., etc.; however, last Monday, Marcus made me feel like a shining star.

"Ashlee," his voicemail began. "It's Marcus. I am going to have our new instructors come take your class because I want them to see how a cycle class should be taught. I think you are invaluable as an instructor and I think they can learn a lot from you. I will be there as well. Great! See you Monday!"

Monday is supposed to be my recovery day, but I still have to teach my two morning cycle classes. In my first class, we have monitors that tell us our power output (measured in Watts), so we did an hour of aerobic endurance work. For my Fit Buddha class, we are on Schwinn bikes with no monitors, so everything is measured by perceived exertion. I never like to plan those types of classes; I would rather see who comes to the class and base the workouts on what I think they can handle that day. Without a plan in mind, I walked into the cycle studio. Aaron, Chelsea and Marcus were setting up their bikes. I had met Chelsea and Marcus before, but I introduced myself to Aaron and we chatted about bike set-up and the basics.

Marcus made an announcement: "I have asked Ashlee to lead a class for us today in order to teach us how to be a better instructor. She has a world of knowledge and can help us learn how to set-up and conduct a class. She will be watching your form and being brutally honest with you. Please feel free to make comments, Ashlee. Ask her questions at the end of class." He continued to make remarks about my abilities and my experience and I felt like I had been teaching my entire life, like I was one of the greatest instructors of all times and he was stoked to have me in there. I know I have a lot to learn and I've only been teaching for a little over a year, but to finally be recognized by an employer for my accomplishments made me want to be a better instructor! He has now participated in two of my classes, so I know he is speaking from his heart, not just based on what others tell him. Thank you, Marcus, for believing in me.

Halfway through the class, I decide to whip out a joke (as usual). "What type of room has no walls and no ceiling?" The room is silent except for the sound of my music through my headphones. "A mushroom!"

Marcus shakes his head. "Did you ever work at Disneyland," he asks.

I should work at Disneyland! I don't know why this thought has not occurred to me! I would be the perfect little corny joke teller! Send me an application, Disney! I'm your girl!

On Tuesday, I ate lots of yummy food: Crepes and coffee with Matt and Panino with Connor. It was fun to get to know a new friend and catch up with an old friend. Both restaurants were in the same area of town, which is a beautiful, Parisian looking corner with bakeries and blossoming trees. It helped me realize how much I love the town I live in. It is always warm and serene. I can run almost every day of the year without worrying about rain or sleet or snow. For the past five years, I have been so anxious to move on to the next great adventure, but I have finally reached a place in my life where I am completely happy. I live in a beautiful city, my jobs allow me to be active and involved with helping other people live a healthy lifestyle, rarely do I have to struggle to pay for food or necessities, I live within walking/biking distances of all of my jobs, etc. There really is no reason for me to be unhappy. I am so grateful for what I have and who I have become.

After lunch, I swam and ran. No biggie. I won't even bore you with the details.

On Tuesday evening at the track, Richard and I worked on sprints and muscular endurance. We did 10 twenty second sprints with 2:00 walking recoveries. During our 9th recovery, a woman sprinted past us; "You have inspired me," she yelled, pumping her fists into the air. It was funny at the time, but it's actually really cool to see how one person's desire to be active and challenge themselves can set off a domino effect, inspiring other people to push their limits. I hope she keeps it up!

My Wednesday morning cycle class was rough. We did twenty minutes of speed skills to warm up, but after warming up, we got into force drills, which are never that fun. We did three minutes of zone 5 climbs. That is 110% effort. Yuck. Then we did a 2:00 recovery and repeated five times before finishing off with ten minutes in zone 2. I didn't even have any jokes to tell the class to lighten the mood; it was all work, no play.

The retirement home I work at has been attacked by a virus, so my class was cancelled, which allowed me to go on a run with Renee. She was in town visiting, so I took her up to the bluffs overlooking the ocean and we ran five miles, enjoying the sunshine and the warmth of the morning.

I got stuck in traffic on my way to meet Sophia for lunch. They decided to do construction next to my house and once I got into the thick of it, there was no way out. Okay, put me in a car, forcing me to face my biggest fear (driving) then shoving me in stop-and-wait traffic while my stomach is empty right after a run?!? Universe, what were you thinking?! I'm just glad I didn't leave my car on the side of the road and run the rest of the way... oh... I should have done that. Goodnight nurse.

That evening, I taught my cardio core classes, then headed in to teach Pure Awesomeness. Twenty-two people were sitting eagerly waiting for me to push their limits. "Uhmmm... Uhh... I guess I should have prepared for this... Grab a partner! Wheelbarrow races!" So it wasn't the Hunger Games boot camp I had anticipated, but it still kicked butt. I think I will save my Hunger Games awesomeness for when Weston comes to visit. I want to make my class remember my name. Okay, so they already do, but still, I want them to leave the room crawling. Oh no... am I mean? I have already had three people tell me how sore their shoulders are from that class. Suckers! I should be grateful that I don't get sore.

This morning, I've been teaching since 5:30AM. Best class of the day? Well, of course it would have to be my 12:15 cycle class! Don't get me wrong, I love teaching the other cycle and cardio burn classes, but being able to do the class with my participants really picks me up. I feel like I am a better instructor when I participate because I can feel their pain. We did a lot of climbing today, mostly because I'm getting really nervous about Wildflower. People keep telling me about how hard the hill is. I already have a really hard time with climbing. I don't think I know how to do it correctly. The bike portion of Wildflower starts on a hill... a big, big hill. I don't think I've ever completed a big hill; I usually turn around halfway. Do you think they will let me walk it up the hill? I want to cry because I'm so nervous that I won't be able to make it up this hill. You have no idea how much this hill is stressing me out. How do I get over this darn hill? What should I do to practice? How do I guarantee that I don't have to forfeit the race? What if I come in last place? What if I don't finish at all? Oh no... I  think I just pulled all of my hair out of my head. Eff. Time for a wig.

Anyway, we did hill work. Lots of zone 4's (95% effort) and zone 5's (110% effort). So fun... not, but my class loves me, so we did it anyway. After class, Mike came up to me. "Ash, I ran three miles this morning. I have to tell you, you are the only instructor who makes me question running. Usually, I can wake up in the morning and go on a 4 or 5 mile run with no problem before a cycle class; however, when I know you are teaching, I question whether it is a good idea to run beforehand."

"Awwww," I made that funny noise that signifies the act of one's heart being melted. "Thank you, Mike." I love getting compliments like that.

So there is this endurance race coming up where they don't tell you what the obstacles are, but it's 100 miles of things such as rock climbing, kayaking, finding your way through the wilderness with a compass, mountain biking, running, etc. Guys, I really want to do this race! How epic would it be? I must learn how to rock climb!... and read a compass. Ready? Time to train!

P.S. I am putting together a team for Tough Mudder this summer. If anyone is interested in competing, please let me know. I would love to have you on my team. OOOOOOOOO! We can even make team shirts! Ahhhhh! Let's do it! Who is in?