On the stair master ...

So I'm a gym rat .. or gym freak. Whatever you want to call me. But it takes a lot for me to try new things. I had to get a personal trainer just to get comfortable lifting weights.

I am also a creature of habit. You can find me at the gym at the same time every day. You will also find my car parked in the same parking spot every day. I also have to run on the same treadmill every time I go.

But the other day as I walk down the stairs to go onto the floor I couldn't believe my eyes. My treadmill was taken. Can you believe that? The nerve. Didn't they know it was reserved for ... ME??

So this completely threw me off. I almost walked out. I mean .. what else was I supposed to do?Mind you .. there were probably 20 other (not the same kind though) treadmills available.

Directly behind "my" treadmill that was being occupied (wrongly) were the stair masters. Never done these before. Never even gave them a second look. But I had to do something so I jumped on the one that was DIRECTLY behind "my" treadmill. I also like "my" treadmill because it's under the tv that always has Sports Center on. I like my highlights. So at least on this stair climber I was still in front of "my" tv.

I get on this beast and immediately like it. I felt like a giant. I could see EVERYTHING in the gym. Cool.

But then I pushed start. And started to climb. And started to get nervous. Cause it was hard. I looked around and there were a few other people on these things and they didn't seem like they were struggling. But I won't lie... I was.

After about 10 minutes of heavy breathing wondering if I could continue .. a girl gets on one right beside me. Then about 2 minutes later another one on the other side of me. Normally .. this wouldn't be a problem. But at that moment it was a HUGE problem. That being there was NO way I could get off that machine until BOTH of them did.

I'm not competitive or anything. No way. Nope.

So .. I had to pretend that doing those stairs was a breeze. No biggie. I do it everyday. Got my music on... just climbing. BUT WAS DYING INSIDE. I seriously did think I was going to have a heart attack. But I was gonna be DAMNED if I were getting off BEFORE they did.

Every minute I was silently sending death rays to both of them. Wishing .. pleading ... silent begging them .. to STOP.

They did after about 30 minutes each. Which required ME to go for about 45. I even had to suffer through the both of them being ms. clean and wiping their machines down.

45 minutes. Of hell. That equaled 200 flights of stairs. TWO FREAKING HUNDRED FLIGHTS!

But I "beat" them .. and really that's all that mattered.

Word of warning .. do NOT take my treadmill. Next time there will be some hair pulling involved.