Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Or Maybe Not

You may recall from a previous post of mine that the gym that I go to is fairly small and is mainly used by folks who are at least a generation older than me. Truth be told, I quite often find myself to be the only person in the place at all! So I was more than a little surprised when I walked in today to see a girl about my age just getting onto one of the treadmills. I chose the treadmill beside her, and I began my run.

Let me tell you something about myself... I have a very strong competitive streak in me. And let's face it, when it comes to running on a treadmill, there really isn't any competition other than with yourself. So I welcomed the chance today for the little healthy competition that was taking place in my head as I watched this girl set up her machine. She was pretty much the same size as me, and I was immediately telling myself that I was going to have no problem out running this chic as she was starting off at a much slower pace than me. She kept at that same pace for about 5 minutes.

Here's a sample of the pep talk I was giving myself in my head. "Push it, Tiff. You can take this girl. She's got nothing on you. She's a slow-paced wimpy thing."

Um. Or maybe not.

It was as if the girl could hear my thoughts, and she decided to show me just what she could do. She cranked the incline to 2.0 and kicked up her pace a full notch and half faster than me.

People, one of the main reasons that I love running on a treadmill is that I can 100% guarantee that my run will have zero hills in it. NONE! Not even the slightest slope or incline. So there was no way that I was going to try to keep up with the display that she was putting on. She continued like this for about 10 minutes, and then she did something I have never seen before. She slowed down her pace to 4.0, but she jacked up the incline to 4.5. And then...

She turned around. SHE. RAN. BACKWARDS. ON THE TREADMILL.

I was ready to pull the emergency stop on my machine and go hide in the locker room. I was utterly humiliated for thinking that I could take this girl. Instead, I told myself that quitters never win, and I kept running. It got worse.

After she ran backwards for about 5 minutes, she slowed down her pace just a little bit. She then started doing this sideways grapevine type running at the same 4.5 incline. She did approximately 3 minutes one way, then she turned and started facing the other side. I was ready to throw in the towel and start bowing down to this chic.

It was at this point that her foot slipped off of the revolving mat part of the treadmill and instead landed on the base. Her foot stopped, but the rest of her body kept moving. INTO A HEAP ON THE FLOOR BESIDE ME!

Me... I held my head a little higher and decided to run an extra half mile. For some reason, I had just found my second stride with a whole new pep in my step!

Serves her right for showing off!

PS. I did ask her if she was alright. She got back on her treadmill and ran like a normal person for the rest of the time!

22 comments:

Kathy B! said...

HA! Show-off :)

You just need her to do that every time so that you get that extra half mile in!

LeAnne said...

OMG!!! that is friggin' hilarious!!!! i needed that tonight:)

Ashley @ {Let Go, Laughing} said...

Oh my gosh I am laughing so hard right now! That is hilarious! There is something about picturing her trying to show off and then landing as a heap on the floor that has me laughing so hard right now!

Thank you for posting this - I love it!

Kameron said...

That is awesome. I am a firm believer in instant Karma. Sometimes you need a quick reminder that you aren't that awesome! ;o)

Beth said...

That is hilarious!!! Thank you so much this very needed humor!

Jenn said...

So stinkin hilarious! I can just picture it. :)

forever folding laundry said...

Well, that is pretty, um, bizarre?!? That's a new one! You know what's funny? She's probably blogging about it right now too...and dying of embarrassment!

~Keri

Brooke said...

What a funny story! I always eye-up people on the treadmills next to me - I think it's human nature.

Mrs. M said...

That is too funny! I hate treadmills, but I'd do the same thing (competitive wise, not backwards wise) if I was next to someone too! Can't believe she was running backwards!!!!!!

The Stiffs said...

That was awesome. Gotta love a little karma for a show off.

E @ Scottsville said...

AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!

Tiffany, this is my favorite post of all the ones I've blog-hopped and read today!

That ending was priceless! =0)

Mama said...

Running backwards? Who DOES that? Holy cow. That's a great post though!!

Loukia said...

OH MY GOD! That so can be in a TV show. How funny is that... you must have felt so good... heehee... sounds a bit like she was showing off, no? I've never seen anyone run backwards on a treadmill!

Grand Pooba said...

Ha! Yep, she totally had it coming! I love it! I would have had a hard time laughing out loud!

chloe's clan said...

That is HILLARIOUS!!!! I would have laughed harder if it wasn't painful. LOL I never wish ill on people in the sense that they could actually be hurt ( I only wish the cops would pull people over), but this girl kinda did deserve that sense it seemed like she was showing off. :)

Thanks for the pool advice. I will see if there is hotel near here and give it a shot!

Miller Racing Family said...

Now that is a hilarious story. Thanks for the laugh. I tell you those treadmills can be dangerous. Have a wonderful day and keep up the good work at the gym!

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

I loved it... all of it! I laughed so hard. I cannot run sideways on the treadmill, I'd never try, cuz going forward is hard enough!

AiringMyLaundry said...

LOL

I have never seen someone run backwards on a treadmill. That is just insane.

Mandi said...

Yeah, well just think of this... She has to do all that fancy stuff just to look as good as you look running like a normal person (sorry Tiff, but I really cant say that I find a person "wanting" to run "normal"), that makes you so much more awesome then Miss Showoff any day!

Momisodes said...

LOL! Oh that is too funny. I love how you came in and out of this scenario :)

Banteringblonde said...

lmao ... you crack me up! You'll have to practice that move and get her next time!

Kelly said...

I`ve never seen anyone run backwards or grapevine on a treadmill either. And I would know because I`m at the gym every day *cough.