I decided to run inside on the treadmill Sunday afternoon, because it was crazy hot outside and I had no desire to run in the heat. So I headed to the gym to punch out my four miles. Sure, had I been smarter, I would have gotten up early in the morning to run before church. But how much smarter would that have been, really? Who wants to get up at 6:00 in the morning on a weekend? No one! So at about 4:00 in the afternoon I headed over to the gym.
Fortunately no one was on any of the treadmills, so I got to pick the best treadmill , the second to the farthest right one. This treadmill is by far superior to all of the identical-looking treadmills around it for two reasons: first, it is only 6 feet away from the giant fan that blows on all of the cardio machines, so pretty much any way the fan is tilted, whoever is on the last two treadmills is going to get some airflow. Crucial in a gym that seems to hate paying its air conditioning bills. Second, the next to the last treadmill is better than the others because it is one of the few that has a working TV. All of the treadmills have a small TV attached to them, but most of them don't work. Only 2 or 3 at any given time will give you a picture and sound. But that treadmill has always been faithful.
So I jumped on my favorite treadmill, punched in my running time, and found the Fox Family Channel, which happened to be playing 2 Weeks Notice. Cute movie! I wanted a TV for my run, because I get bored easily when I run, and when I get bored I usually want to quit running because I focus too much on being tired. Movies or TV shows are a good way to distract me. So off I went, running at a leisurely 12-minute pace. I'm not a big speed demon. I don't have an incessant need to go faster and faster. I just want to finish without stopping or walking. The first 2 miles went spectacular. I had my iPod in one ear playing my workout mix, but I didn't have to listen to it too closely, because Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock were grabbing my attention.
Then the treadmill line began to fill up. And two dear sweet ladies decided to take the two treadmills next to me (the third and fourth from the right). The lady next to me I decided to call Miss I'll Walk at A Snail's Pace for Twenty Minutes to Make Up for the Three Chocolate Donuts I Inhaled This Morning. Let's just call her Dunkin for short.
Well, Dunkin jumped on the treadmill and decided that she wanted to watch a little TV too, to help distract her from the discomfort of her walk (although she had a friend right next to her she could talk to). Well wouldn't you know it, Dunkin turned her TV on and mine went to a blue screen! Dang it! Apparently there was some connection between Dunkin's TV and mine where only one of our TV's could function at a time. But instead of realizing this and turning hers off so the girl covered in sweat and gasping for breath could have her chick flick back, Dunkin left her TV on a blue screen too! What the what?? So there she was, happily walking away, watching her blue screen, not even breaking a sweat. And I was dying because now that I couldn't roll my eyes at Hugh Grant's smarminess, I was getting tired of running and I was only half way through my run! Finally, I violently pushed the power button on my TV and wouldn't you know, Dunkin's TV gets a picture! But instead of realizing what an insensitive person she had been to steal a distraction from someone who really needed it, she just found a channel and let the TV play without really paying attention to what was on it. I was furious.
Finally, with about half a mile to go, Dunkin and her friend left (without wiping down their treadmills, I might add!). But no sooner did they take off than someone jumped onto the treadmill on the other side of me (the farthest to the right one). I dubbed him Mr. Way Too Much Cologne, but we'll just call him Axe. Axe's problem should be obvious to you. His noxious fumes quickly made their way into my nostrils and almost made me gag as I tried to gut out the last part of my run. Fortunately (and this is where I felt really bad), Axe sped his treadmill up to a 7 or so and within 5 seconds it stopped on him, almost bucking him off. I was ashamed of myself for being happy, but the treadmill scare moved Axe to another treadmill and cleared the air just a tad (although remnants of his odor lingered on even after he had left).
So I realized during my run yesterday just how selfish I can be. I want things done my way to suit me in my timing. And Dunkin and Axe showed me that I need to learn to be more considerate of others, even when I'm struggling. Tough lesson to learn, but valuable. You don't get to put kindness on the back burner just because you're having a tough time.
Oh, I'm running a 5k on Saturday for these guys. Should be fun! I just hope to beat my time from the last one. I'm relatively confident I can do it, although it will be harder to run without Joy. Sad face.
1 comment:
But wait...so their selfishness is more okay than yours? Cause they were certainly being selfish by not paying attention to how they were adversely affecting the people around them. I'm not really seeing you being in the wrong at all here.
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