The Best of the Barre Crawl!

I had a post full of deep thoughts ready to go, but then I decided since it's St. Patrick's Day I'd write about my barre crawl and Irish people. Somehow it seemed more festive. And it goes better with beer.

So I got up bright and early on Saturday (3.30am, to be precise.) I had a wicked head cold and I couldn't breathe. I tried to fall back to sleep. I couldn't. Not an auspicious way to start a barre crawl, but what can you do? It was too late to turn back. So I got on the bus.

First stop: West 73rd St, Mat class with Neil. High on coffee and Dayquil. This is Neil:

Oh my, Neil is *SO* funny. He had us all laughing while inflicting a fair degree of pain. The nice thing about Mat, though, is you get to lie down some. While doing hard things, but at least you get to be on the floor. Mat is a good class to take when you've been up since 3.30. FYI.

Thoroughly enjoyed the class, left with lalalas and headed off through Central Park to 57th Street for a Mixed level with Sarah. 

Did she mean it to be wicked hard? I mean, like way harder than most mixed-level classes? Or was it the head cold? Or the 3.30am? Or the fact that we had just done Mat? Because it was wicked hard. Wicked. Hard. I was almost a little delirious when it was over. But I still managed to smile for a picture with Sarah: 

One thing that got me through the class was the very fun playlist of Irish music. Irish people are good at music. Whoever said music gets you through hard stuff is right. Maybe James Joyce said that? No. Can't be him otherwise it would have been a much longer run-on sentence you know we're having lasagne for dinner tonight not very festive but we're not Irish.

Anyway, by this point I was completely spent, so thankfully the next class was a stretch. By that, I mean a Stretch Class with Holly at Spring St. During which we stretched to more Irish music. This is Holly:

Isn't she cute?

The stretching was nice, but I was cold by the time I got there and a little cranky. I blame it on 3.30. But I did win a raffle prize! So that was fun. And they gave us green juice. And Kind granola bars along the way, which were super yummy... and I think there were oats in them, which is kind of Irish-y, no? I'd post a picture but I ate them. (The Kind bars... not the picture.)

Then I skulked down to the Darling Cousin's place and collapsed on her couch, thus. We ordered Indian take-away and I vegged in my new, hard earned t-shirt. I thought vegging kept with the theme because most vegetables are green.

I normally don't do a whole lot for St. Patrick's Day since, as previously noted, I don't really self-identify as Irish. Though practically everyone is a little bit Irish. My Chinese Darling Husband thinks he's probably the exception to the rule, but I don't know... that would explain why we have a blue-eyed son.

So yes, I survived my first barre crawl. And I actually felt pretty good yesterday--just pleasantly sore, which is better than I expected. A friend said she wanted to come with me next time, so I told her to start training! Because the next time it's offered, I'm crawling back for more.