Most teens, young adults, and even older individuals indulge themselves in a good workout a few times a week. They do workouts to clear their minds, distract themselves, get some fresh air, or simply get in shape in order to get that “rocking body” for whatever occasion they desire.
In summer, you see people out and about almost anywhere, at any time of the day. They jog, walk, and you occasionally get that one person who speed walks.
Speed walking is code for “I am too lazy to run or jog, but have too much pride to simply walk.”
Joggers are respected because they have goals set and are most likely moving for longer distances.
The runners are most respected of all. These are the people who speed by you on the side of the road while you’re on a bike, making you to do a ridiculous double take.
No matter how you exercise, it all gets messed up if you live in the mid-west in winter.
Once in a while, you see those crazy people who run outside, whether it’s 100 degrees outside, or 100 degrees below. Recently, I decided that I am going to become one of these rare individuals.
I am a regular runner, who participates in intense running sports. According to my coaches, it is critical that I stay in good condition. Going to the workout room here at West, as often as possible, or to the notorious Y.M.C.A has now become essential.
I could go around and point fingers at Wisconsin for making such an awful thing as winter occur in my life. Maybe if Wisconsin wasn’t so bipolar in its seasons, my workout could continue outdoors where it belongs.
But I won’t blame Wisconsin this time, because there other forces and individuals at fault for my issue.
I was at the Y.M.C.A tonight, and glanced around the place momentarily to see what was causing the smell that immediately overtakes you as soon you walk through those smooth, automatic sliding doors. The odor had an obviously culprit; the people who were packed in like sardines inside of the place. Because these people have all been sweating, will be sweating, or are currently sweating like pigs, the intensity of the odor is nearly unbearable.
The chemicals that are used to try and cover up the smell only worsen the odor.
To my short-lived relief, I discovered that there are, indeed, windows.
The catch is that none of them open.
Equally frustrating are the people who come to the workout facilities. If you want to work out, that’s perfectly fine with me. In fact, I encourage you to get out there and do something. But you get three kinds of people who are super distracting and obnoxious while you’re working out.
The first kind of person was brought up previously: the speed walkers. I will say it once and only once–if you are under 50 years old, you have no excuse to be caught doing such a ridiculous thing as speed walking. These people take up treadmills so that real runners have nowhere to run. To those people, I say take your pathetic speed walking to the track.
The next kind of person is the stop-and-stare type. These people, no matter what they have been focused on before they saw you, are inevitably drawn to point, whisper, giggle, raise their eyebrows, and worst of all, try to coordinate their workout to your own. I don’t know what their problem is and I don’t care; I just want them to leave me alone.
The workers are the worst type of annoying people. These workers feel that they are superior to you no matter who you are. They try to tell you that you aren’t using the equipment right or should slow down so that you don’t break the machine. They say that your workout isn’t right for you, and they try to bother you until you admit defeat. They only appear to be satisfied when you let them dictate your workout for you, even though you will never use it again after the first week. To these people, I ask only to be left alone to do what I want, so that I can quickly and efficiently complete my workout.
Knowing this, if you see me trudging along on the side of a road in the middle of winter, don’t stop and ask if I am crazy, delirious, or in need of a ride.
I just want to do my workout.
