Zumba Marathon

I meant to go to the arena early, but because my bus was late, I missed the second bus on my journey, so I got there 30 minutes later than I meant to..

I quickly changed in to my zumba wear including my shoes.. Then stepped into the arena that's normaly used for handball practice. I met the woman from my zumba class and we went to have a look at the zumba clothes that was represented at a booth. Unfortunately they didn't have the shirt I wanted to buy.. I guess I'll be buying it on-line some day instead.

At 5 PM a male instructor from Cuba kicked off the marathon by having us all do some Michael Jackoson moves and other moves. This was my first time to do zumba with the instructor being on a stage, and an instructor I never met.. So I did have some difficulties following his moves.. But who cares, that's what zumba is all about. You do what you can and have a party no matter what. Because we were 418 zumbanistas in the arena, it was very crowded and I didn't have enough space around me to give it my all. I also kicked 2 water bottles belonging to some people behind me. I knew that bringing water bottles on the floor would cause problems like this, which was why I brought my waist bag. Now the waist bag surved it's purpose, but it was a bit awkward. Next time I think I'll just be bringing my water bottle on a hook.

Unfortunately there were some major issues with the head sets and the music, so during the three scheduled zumba classes, there were some irritating breaks when there were no music.. However, we're all more or less professional and we were there for the purpose of having fun and that's what we had! We all took it with a smile.

During the break, they picked some lucky winners for some cool prizes.. Unfortunately I didn't win anything. Instead I made sure to fill up my water bottle and I also went to get the sandwhich we got. Because I ate a big lunch, I was not hungry at the time, so instead I put it in the goodie bag they gave us when we arived. In the goodie bag there was an apple, a banana, a bottle of water, an organic meal bar, a brick juice, 4 ice tea powders, a bag and a towel.

Next on schedule was 2 local, female instructors. They came on stage dressed with big afro wigs and sun glasses. They were showing off some 70s moves and other fun stuff. It was all new routines to me, but it was easy to see who were in their regular zumba classes, cause they all knew their routines.. I found it very anoying that the two women were doing 2 different things. When one was lifting the right hand, the other would lift the left hand. Now I'm used to watching my instructors back. That way I know exactly which leg or which arm to use. Again, I did what I could to keep up. for the last song, the instructors and a few helpers came down on the floor to the rest of us.. I knew what was going to happen, cause I had seen it on youtube before. We were going to battle! And it was the mc Creu battle. I love that song so I was all smiles.

Here's an example from another zumba workshop where the creu battle was done

I was so sweaty after this, so I made a fast change of clothes and it felt so nice. I just made it back in time for my instructor to go on. Me and the other 3 from his class moved closer to stage. He started off exactly how he starts off all his classes, by talking about the importance of wearing proper shoes. I noticed that he was wearing zumba shoes and not his regular shoes. The woman who has the shoe shop in town, was one of the founders of the marathon, so she gave him and the other instructors a pair of zumba shoes as a reward for the gesture. Then he did the body test to see if people could tell the difference between a hand and a arm and so on. The other people were making the usual mistakes, but because we have been doing this before, I think I got it somewhat right.

When he started off the routines, I felt so secure. He did the routines that we have been doing for the past month and a new one we just learned the other day. I was so happy cause now it was my time to show off on the floor. I did everything with a smile and an eye on the instructor´. Because I was doing everything right this time and the people around me didn't, I ended up bumping in to a couple of people on my way as I was doing the "single, single, double - back. and forward." Have in mind that my instructor is a profesional dancer and coreographer so he always invents new moves, but luckily he's good at explaining. They all loved him. No wonder. He's so talented, good at explaining, and he always does things with a big smile on his face. When the music accidently stopped during "La Bomba" he just did his poses and sang "sexy sexy" - yes the guy has a great sence of humor! I didn't go talk with him at all during the marathon. I felt like it might be awkward. Especialy since his girlfriend was there with him. She was recording him on stage. Anyway, once again I felt very honored. I love having him as my instructor.

When he was done, it was time to leave the areana. I had to change my sweaty clothes and when I went to pick up my jacket in the wardrobe, I was the last one to pick up the jacket. What does that say about me? That I wasn't ready to leave yet, right? Well, I did. On the way out, there were some other women talking about my instructor. They picked up a flyer from a new place that he will be teaching zumba at and said "He's the best zumba instructor in Denmark." That's what it said on the flyer, and it is true! I was talking with the woman from my zumba class about it. He's so popular that you can't help but worry that he might be too busy for our classes. So I always try to hide about his fame when people ask me, cause it's hard enough as it is to get in on one of his classes. But hey, I might be joining his classes if he has extra that fits my schedule, simply because he's so talented! But the way he asked in the zumba class, about how many were doing more than 3 zumba classes a week, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. So far I love how my body has changed. Everyone is complimenting me on my body size now. I'm starting to have the right porportions for a change. The woman from my zumba class was kind enough to give me a ride home. When I got home, my intention was to write about the marathon, but I was so exhausted that it had to wait till today.

Today I went to my friend's birthday party. Her mom was so surprised to see how much weight I had lost. She was sure that I lost more weight than the last time (after losing 30 kg.), but I haven't. But my body is completely different this time because of zumba! My butt, thigs, stomach and arms have all been slimmed down dramaticaly. When some of the guests had left, they thought that a boy had forgotten his jacket.. But nope, it was my jacket. Ha! That's just an example of how much my body has changed. I also wear tops and t-shirts in XS now. That's a dramatic change from someone who used to be an XL. Gotta love zumba!

Tomorrow is the start of a new zumba week. Every Sunday I wash my zumba clothes so it's ready for another week. I always end up running out of zumba clothes. I'm already thinking that the word Zumba will probably end up on my wish list for Christmas if people ask me. Well, the sun was shining bright all day, so I left my clothes to dry on the balcony while I was at the birthday party, and when I got home, a lot of it was dry already. I packed my bag for tomorrow. It needs to be ready because Monday is my most busy day, as I only have 45 minutes at home before leaving for zumba.

Before I leave, I found this video with pictures from yesterday's Zumba marathon. I believe they were done by Lino's (the first instructor)wife.