Mother’s Day at The Gym

My mother never claimed I was bright.
Ooops! Looks like I and the guy behind the desk are the only people in the gym today.
It is Mother’s Day.
I have just gotten back from Baltimore (seeing our daughter, son-in-law and especially our Granddaughter-who is truly a special lady) and I really need to get the travel cobwebs out so I do what always works, head for the gym.
I was sure it would be packed with the post-brunch Mother Day celebrators trying to get rid of the Eggs Benedict or the really rare beef and potatoes.
No such luck.
The place was empty.
The question, "Are we going to go out tonight" suddenly took on new meaning.
An alarm bell began sounding way back, deep in the recesses of my brain.
Maybe I shouldn’t be here but home celebrating with the mother of our children.
Maybe this is a bad idea.
But, what the heck, I am already here so quit worrying and get with the program.
The Stair-Master beacons.
I set the intensity higher than the usual, maybe I can get in a really strenuous climb in less time (to get home-that alarm is insistent)
It works, at fifteen minutes the sweat covers the machine and I am breathing very hard, at twenty minutes the legs are feeling rubbery, it is getting harder to stay with the pace.
My toe keeps catching on the next step.
At twenty-five minutes I shut it down.
It is not the 3.9 or 4 miles but a respectable 2.19 miles with 375 calories burned.
Wait a minute, breathe, head to the weights.
I want to do chest today (move fast because the alarm bell is getting distinctly louder) so I start heavy, 75-15 reps, pull downs 120-15 reps 70-15 reps, pull downs 110-13 reps, 65-struggle to get 13 reps, pull downs 100-mangae 11 reps.
Reclining flys, go heavy and follow up with heavy reclining dumbbell presses.
Same routine.
Move to the recline machine, 180 as many as possible times three sets, sweating heavier (that alarm is making me sweat) wiping hands frequently, next machine 210-15 reps times two then 190-11 reps times one.
Grab a mat, military sit-ups as many as possible, the alarm in my head has moved to the frontal lobes as is starting to sound like a tornado siren.
It is taking too much time.
Danger, danger, some invisible robot seems to be saying.
I am having trouble concentrating.
But I persist, lateral crunches, foot off the floor, then the other side, now 100 crunches, straight legged.
I am getting dizzy from the continuous roaring in my head; I get up, decide I am finished and head to the locker room.
I may not be smart but I am a quick study.
As we are a little later sitting in the restaurant and I pick up the glass of wine to toast this wonderful lady, the mother of our children;
It is finally all quiet on the Cerebral Front.