Lies....Lies.....Lies

On Tuesday I found out one of the biggest lies about Central Illinois. See, this week is posing to be very fast and completely full. Monday was a holiday for the kids - so needless to say we were busy, gym for me, gymnastics for Babers (at which Spidey & SuperStar dominated all the toddler gymnastic stuff - I suggested to them to think of themselves as role models and to only do things that toddlers could do so that they could try them too - I am pretty sure none of the 18mth olds were any where near being able to do the aerial flip off the mini tramp that Spidey did - ugh!!), after which nap time occured and then off to BigGuys work to beguile all his co-workers with our darlings sweeties. I can't even remember what we did after that (which means my mind has selectively chosen to omit that information for the safety of my children) and it has nothing to do with the lie anyway - so onward we go. I have been trying to get to the gym at least 4 days a week (successful to the point of it being 5 last week). Tuesday morning Babers and I were going to a M2M playdate and I wanted to start doing some bonding stuff with the members, spent time getting stamping stuff ready for a fun thing at the meeting the next day - Tuesday night I had a hair appointment (to get my hair cut a second time by the woman who almost cut it right the first time - she offered to fix it when I told her, for future reference, what I would like a bit different and that she gave me the best "almost what I wanted hair cut" ever) and dinner with a friend. Wed. morning was going to be M2M meeting followed by volunteering at the kids school from noon to end of the day - followed by being alone with the kids because BigGuy was in STL doing recruitment at Wash U. No workout that day. So that would be two days gone. We are getting close to the lie I discovered. Trying to figure out how to get a workout in and still do the other stuff I decided to bike from my house to the playdate across town. Googled it - only 9.2 miles - that meant 18.4 total, not bad, I could do that and feel good about not exercising on Wed. In STL my friend BL and I would do 10 miles (when I was working out really religiously) in 30 minutes. How hard could 9.2 miles be with Babers trailer hooked to the back. BigGuy suggested it would only take 20 minutes - now I knew that was a lie (but it isn't the one I am getting to) because Google said it would take me 20 minutes to do it in my car - so he suggested 30 minutes. Gotta love him, he certainly thinks a great deal of my abilities (keep in mind it has been a year since I have done any serious exercising). I suggested 40 (thinking I was probably wrong) and he said maybe, but he thought I would end up being early. So I budgeted for 40 minutes. I knew the roads, I drive them everyday, I wouldn't get lost. But there was the unknown lie. The "Central Il" is totally flat lie. That lie really hurt me. My legs, my butt, my lungs, my arms - every part of me. So - if you have been here just close your eyes (except that then you can't read this) and picture the roads. In a car they seem hilly in a soothing way. On a bike they simply suck (sorry can't think of a nice way to put it). They are all really long and slowly climbing hills. Then you get to the top and your downhill glory is sucked away by the tremendous wind beating against you that causes you to have to peddle to get down hill!! What is that about? So after I am too far from the house (and Babers has stopped crying - because I took his helmet off - yes, safety first, but we were going to be on the trail and the sidewalk the rest of the way and he was so pitiful and baby screams are not drowned out by anything and they make biking very difficult) I think - well, we are going right by BigGuys work I will just call him and have him trade me the bike for the car and then drive us home when the playdate is over. Only I can't. By the time I got off the winding roads and into the city I was already 5 miles in. My pride wouldn't let me stop, but I knew I had that out - and in the back of my head I planned to use it on the way home - because by the time I got back to his work I would have biked 13 miles and that is a good distance to be proud of. So we go the remaining 4 miles - It took me an HOUR to bike to the park!! I mentioned this to BigGuy later in the day and his response is a simple, "Gos, I was wrong about that." Yup! Anyway, I did impress the woman who are there - the playdate was nice and we head home. I get to BigGuys work - it is almost lunch time, he could easily use it to drive the bike, trailer and our lifeless bodies (because Babers is asleep and mine is close to collapse - I mean how is it that all the wind that I fought against is now in front of me again and instead of it helping me home it is pushing me back again - when does wind shift??). Only I can't call. Why? Because I made a comment about how it would be rewarding to actually have the hilly part back to my house be the part that I finish with. If I don't make it the whole way home BigGuy will be missed at lunch with his friend KD - whose wife is my friend and in my group and who will know that BigGuy bailed me out of my massive biking folly (not that she would laugh at me - she probably wouldn't have thought anything but, well she did ride 13 miles). So I kept going. And I did it. And my butt hurt really bad by the time I got to my house (padded bike seat for Christmas idea suggested here), but I did reach my house. Yea me!!!! So did you catch the lie? Central Illinois is NOT FLAT!! Don't be fooled - and if you are training for a bike ride - come here because the wind will kick your biking butt and really make you work - plus you can end at our house and we will give you a snack.