A Robot in the Gym

Why was it burning so much?

Why?

Wasn’t the pain supposed to lessen in time?

Why did it feel like my legs were about to break off—oh wait, smile, the guy next to you looks concerned. It’s probably because of my deep breathing. And my ultra red face. It always turns red when I’m working out.

It was day 3 in the gym.

It was day 3 in the gym and I couldn’t help but marvel at this other girl who had already done 30 minutes on the bike (I peeked at the screen when I walked by) and had moved onto the elliptical. How could she stand both? Didn’t she want to die?

I guess not because she easily moved to the elliptical, punched in her workout and started to move. Without even taking a drink of her water.

I slurped on my own water. At least I remembered to bring it this time. And I remembered to bring music. But the water wasn’t helping. The music wasn’t helping. The Beach Boys trilled a song about the beach from my iPod and I wanted to slap them. This was no time to be singing about the beach! I was dying! I wanted a pina colada!

I kept moving. I only had ten minutes to go. I could do ten minutes. I just wouldn’t focus on the pain.

That didn’t work well. I reached for my water, tilted it back, and realized it was empty.

EMPTY!

I had filled that thing up to the brim. I suppose I could get more water from the fountain—but then I’d have to pause my workout and if I left the elliptical, I wasn’t sure if I’d go back.

I managed to get through the work out. When the machine beeped that I was done, my legs felt like jelly. I wobbled over to grab a cloth to clean the machine and as I was wiping it down I saw Workout Chick move from the elliptical to the treadmill.

Was she working out on every last thing in the gym? Was she a robot?

Her face wasn’t bright red. She barely even paused before climbing onto the treadmill.

As I finished wiping down my elliptical, I noticed it said SUMMIT on the side. What? Summit? What did that—

--and then it occurred to me that I had used the HARDER elliptical. The others were just basic ones. I had gone on one that resembled a tiny mountain.

Oh.

That explains the intense pain.

Note to self: stay away from the ultra evil elliptical for awhile.

(And as I discovered this, Workout Chick happily jogged on her treadmill, ponytail swishing back and forth behind her.)