Remember this next time you can't get off the couch (and spin playlist for the week)

I got home from a long-ish day at work, took Lizzie on her regular walk around the block and then we both plopped ourselves down on the couch. I put my feet up on the coffee table, and still wearing my work clothes I spent the next 20 minutes not-quite-getting Jon Stewart's jokes about the Easter and Passover coverage.

I SO wanted to stay there for the next few hours, see what Colbert had to say, see if Stewie has attempted to kill Lois lately (I'm a few episodes behind) or laugh at whatever personas Roger whips out next. An ideal Tuesday evening, really. Laundry can wait. Dishes can wait. Someone bring me a pizza? Yep, a whole one.

But no, I have to get up, bleck! 

I'd love to say that I had the drive and motivation to go to the Y. But today I didn't. I'm off my training plan again, sidelined for a couple more days due to recurring calf pain. No, the only thing getting me off my lazy butt this evening was the fact that somebody had to open her big mouth when they needed someone to fill the time slot for cycling.

Why, why, why did I do that?

I slug upstairs, groan slightly as I put on my tights and a wrinkly top, again curse the fact that I cut my hair just too short to fit in a ponytail, pull my baseball cap down low, toss a cookie to Miss Lizzie (lucky brat gets to stay on the couch AND eat a bacon flavored treat, so jealous) and head out the door.

At least I can take it easy, maybe teach off the bike if I start to get really tired. 

Five minutes before class starts and there's just one person sitting there pedaling. Seriously? I got off the couch for this? I'm back and forth about which playlist to use. Then four more people filter in including a buddy I haven't seen in awhile. Still a small class, but at least I feel like it's worth my time now. 

On impulse, I picked the same playlist I built for yesterday's class. It's a tough one so I gave the one new person in the room the speech about taking it easy and skipping jumps and sprints.

Kenny Loggins: Danger Zone -- Warmup time! Slow, nice and easy, get revved up. I'm telling the class to slowly increase but I'm keeping the resistance off. My legs feel like lead blocks. 

White Stripes: Hotel Yorba -- This is an endurance class with some long climbs. Heading up the first hill I can feel my muscles loosening a bit so I put on some resistance. Easy at first since this song is upbeat.

Young the Giant: Cough Syrup -- Now it's time for this hill to get steep. Pack on the resistance for three minutes, then take a minute to recover. I'm surprising myself, I'm actually able to take this one pretty steep. Ok, maybe I can do this.

Black Eyed Peas: I Gotta Feeling -- I love seeing people's faces when I play this one. They light up as the pedals start moving a little faster. I mean, the only people who don't like this song are the pretentious "I hate it because it's popular" crowd. (Unfortunately, I'll never be able to listen to it again without going 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 over and over in my head) It's fun. And also a great torture mechanism because of the varying tempo. We climb for a bit, then quick, rapid jumps on a flat, then a short steep climb, then more jumps, then another climb. "Wooo-hooo." I kill it on this song, along with the rest of the class. "Awesome awesome job everyone!" They're all out of breath but smiling. We're moving now. And I'm feeling better.

Billy Joel: The Longest Time -- Phew. So much for taking it easy. I took that last one so hard that I have trouble teaching for a sec. Time for a little break. Recovery, then slowly add the resistance back on.

The Doors: Hello, I Love You -- We're climbing again. Two minutes, in standing 3. Get comfortable.

Matt & Kim: Don't Slow Down -- I've professed my love for Matt & Kim on this blog before but it's worth reiterating -- I LOVE Matt & Kim. We take a little recovery and do some slow jumps. 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Heads Will Roll -- A fun song to climb to, mostly standing.

Lady Gaga: Bad Romance -- Time for some sprints (or, "How to make 30 seconds seem like an eternity")

Glee Cast: Halo/Walking on Sunshine -- Yay to Glee for making fun two minute songs that I can insert to fill out the class. Easy, low grade hill. One minute in Standing 2 to ease the pressure on the fanny. 

My Chemical Romance: Welcome to the Black Parade -- This is another rough one. We start off on a really steep two minute hill, "as steep as you can take for two minutes", then all of a sudden all the resistance comes off and the pace picks up substantially. Just as you think the song is ending, you turn a corner to see a steep, baby little foothill. 30 seconds, push! Now you're going downhill pickup that pace. Guess what!! Another foothill, 30 more seconds then you're done! I'm really surprising myself, packing on the resistance. (Wowzas, the video is slightly morbid... yet the song is strangely uplifting... great for beating out any remaining stress of the day)

Arcade Fire: Keep the Car Running -- Ok, all of us can relax now. 

What a difference 45 minutes, a room full of positive people and some good, upbeat music can make! Suddenly I'm full of energy. The stresses of the day are gone, and I have enough energy to do my stretches and make myself dinner. So, next time I'm wanting to stay home... hopefully I'll have a bit more motivation beyond "Ugh, I have to go teach". 

Now the turkey burger and veggies are in my belly, and the dishwasher and washing machine are going. (Did I really just kill an hour writing this blog?) I'm going to see what Stewie is up to, but I will let Lizzie hog the couch while I use my foam roller.

All I have to do is reread this next time I have some trouble moving my lazy butt, right :)