Busted on The Bike!

Tuesday, I decided to try a cycling class. I had done one ALONG time ago and didn't really have that great of an experience. But since rejoining the health club, I thought I would give it a spin. Before I left for the 8:00 AM class, YES you heard right! 8:00 AM. For those of you who know me at all, you know that I would 'rather eat dirt, than exercise in the morning.'

O! I have tried the 5:30/6:00 AM deal! The ENTIRE time wondering if I was dreaming and would I EVER wake up? I would come back home at 7:30, lay towels down in the bed and slip easily back into lala land. An hour later I would wake-up thinking, wow that was a crazy dream. Then I would roll over onto my towels and realize that that dream WAS my reality.

Before leaving, I hug Madison good-bye and tell her I am off to a cycling class. She asks, 'But mom, you already know how to ride a bike?'

I arrive a few minutes early to check out the bike situation. It appears as if there will only be four of us, including the instructor. The instructor is very nice and quickly comes over asking if I am NEW. She checks my bike settings, makes sure my handle bars and seat are all at the appropriate height. Then her final words before moving to the front of the room are, 'Jill, you might want to take it easy.'

Easy! What do I look like I have NEVER worked out before?' I think to myself trying to reinflate my ego.

So we are off! She mentions something about, 'push point'. I figure that means crank it up and so I give it a good ole turn!

I quickly realize that 'push point' doesn't mean the the absolute hardest point of pedaling! So with every shout out from psycho instructor to crank it up, I start cranking DOWN! I pay close attention to the sound of the click wondering if the down click sounds different going DOWN than the up? AND can she tell the difference?

Thinking for sure that at least 40 minutes has past, sweat is now dripping profusely off every ounce of exposed skin. I make a mental note of the gentleman to my left, who at the beginning of class neatly laid a towel under HIS bike. My sweat beads are quickly forming a pond that will soon evolve into a lake.

I am sitting directly in front of the instructor, while my two class mates are to the far left and right of me. I wonder, where in the world is the clock? This torture HAS to be coming to an end. I look to the right, NO CLOCK! I look to the left, NO CLOCK! Great, It has to be behind me. So with a quick glance over my left shoulder I catch sight that it is ONLY 8:25. How long was this class?

Before my head can return to it's appropriate position I hear, 'Jill, NO LOOKING at the CLOCK!'

BUSTED!

'Lovely', I think. Not only do I have 35 minutes left of this torture mill, but psycho instructor here just busted me for looking at the clock!

And so I continue to pedal, up in the saddle, down in the saddle, crank it up, crank it down, crank it up!

At one moment I decide, there is no way, this psycho instructor is getting the best of ME! I recalled that when I glanced at the clock it was 8:25. I methodically calculate that if each song averages approximately 3 - 4 minutes, we would have exactly 9 - 10 more songs before I could safely be excused!

So with my strategic plan in place, I put the pedal to the metal and away I go. If this psycho instructor thinks she is going to pedal ME to the ground, she got another thing coming!

Song 1, then 2, 4 and 5. I pedal harder and faster. I raise up and down, leaning, and hovering over the bike handles. I cycle like I am Lance Armstrong on his last leg of the Tour d' France. Sweat beads grow larger and the pond beneath me quickly becomes a lake.

By song 6, noticing my new intensity, psycho instructor yells out, 'How are you doing, Jill?'

With not even a nod of the head, I yell back, 'GREAT!'

Song 8, then song 9, and I hear the words I have been longing for, 'Let's slow it down.' I smile knowing that my calculations were DEAD ON! Take that psycho instructor!

I cycle down, easing all the tension out of my bike. I reach my arms high over my head, stretch and think, ok....that wasn't so bad. I clean up my lake and wipe down my bike. I even consider bringing my cycling shoes next time.

I smile and say good-bye to my classmates. Psycho instructor asks if I brought my swim suit. She wanted to know if I was going to attend her 9:15 Aqua class. I smile and say, 'thanks for the offer, I will take a rain check.' making a mental note, to make sure next Tuesday I throw in my swimsuit!