Our last spin class, Kevin almost got shanked by a female inmate. Today, was a little more under control.
In a stroke of miracle, I showed up with my video camera at 7:25 am today and Jim was digging hard in his new Crushing Iron shirt which will help us promote the documentary along the way. They turned out great and were designed and produced by my old business partner, Brian, at Creative Pig Minds Design, in Rockford, IL. He also owns a vegan brew pub (for which I made the video). 
The plan was to start at 7, ride an hour, then do the spin class. I started peddling at 7:30.
For the second week in a row we were joined by Allison, who has taken over the official “plus one” role if one of the Fab Five is missing. Today, she filled in for Mark and crushed two hours on the bike before joining us on the 20 minute run.
She really digs Florida and is training for the Gulf Coast Triathlon in May. I am still pondering this race, mainly do to the potentially harrowing swim in the gulf.
Daniel is nearly 100% after a mid-foot injury that sidelined him for a couple weeks. He’s also leading the Country Music Marathon training group for the East Nasties, so homey has a lot on his mind as can be seen in this revealing photo. 
If there were an award for most dedicated early season performer, it would likely go to Kevin. He has been steadfast on his workouts and is clearly determined to develop his bike skills. I spent half the spin class scoping out the instructor while Kevin hammered hard and focused with an intensely spiritual approach to his technique (notice the interlocking fingers). 
After the bike, we trekked out into one of Nashville’s most impressive wild-dog neighborhoods. Every damn house on the first block seemed to have big ass dogs chained by cruise ship docking chains laying around on the porch. But, they all seemed very nice.
The 20 minute run was nice and easy, I think around a 9:15 pace, and it was very clear to me that my leg strength has increased dramatically. Each step was a little heavy, but the typical aches and pains associated with weak knees, quads, and ankles seems to be going away. I guess sleeping in is working!
Daniel, Kevin, and Jim took their sweet time changing while Allison and I sat in the midst of a daycare rally for kids who drink a lot of coffee. The sweat dried on our crusty bodies and we critiqued people’s workouts. Eventually they walked down the hall looking like a GQ ad in motion and I thought to myself, these guys are prematurely celebrating their stardom from the soon-to-be-famous Crushing Iron documentary. The sea of children parted and 3 of the Fab 5 casually grabbed a bottled water and led us down the road to stuff our faces at the Pied Piper.
