It’s been a while since I’ve worked out, so I sent Q a text asking if she want to do so today at her office gym. I prefer this location because the equipment is decent and we usually have it all to ourselves.
Upon arriving, I found they still had a locker designated for me – name and all.
“I forgot about that. It’s a nice touch. Makes me want to work out more often,” I told Q who had already started a brisk walk on the treadmill.
Not one to usually do the treadmill, I decided to join her. I hadn’t been on the treadmill for more than two minutes when one of her coworkers came in with a rather time-consuming question for me. After the coworker left I looked at the timer on the treadmill and then looked at Q in shock.
“I think this is the longest I’ve ever been on the treadmill. Fifteen minutes. Unbelievable,” I said, nearly out of breath.
Anxious to work on bone density and, more importantly, to be done with the treadmill, I hit the free weights and the weight machines.
“It has been so long since I’ve worked out here I can barely remember my routine or how to use the equipment. I’m so glad there are instructive pictures,” I told Q.
“I’m sure the pictures are very helpful,” she replied.
After several weight bearing exercises, we decided it was time for the cool down. I usually do the stationery bike, but opted to tread with Q.
She became interested in a public intoxication taking place across the street and got off of her treadmill to open the blinds and ‘observe.’ She opened one blind, went back to the treadmill, realized it was really the other blind that provided the best view, got off the treadmill again, closed that blind and opened the other.
“Crap. It looks like the best view is through both blinds,” she realized upon return to her treadmill.
“I’ll get it this time,” I told her.
I got off the treadmill, opened the blind she had first opened and walked back over. Unfortunately, I forgot to do one thing: remember that the treadmill was running.
I came at it from the side and as soon as I stood on the walking belt I was reminded of what I forgot. Try as I might, and holding on for dear life, I could not get my feet to move to the side. My feet, legs, arms – truly my entire body, was at the mercy of the treadmill. I did exactly what we have all seen on the youtube videos – I flew off the back of the treadmill.
As I sat in a contorted ball on the floor at the end of the treadmill, I was reminded of something else: Q and I were not alone in the office gym today. One of her coworkers was working out in the corner and, just seconds before my ‘incident,’ another coworker had walked in.
“What happened?” he asked. “When I first noticed what was going on I thought you were purposely doing some kind of crazy dance. Then I realized that wasn’t the case and I wondered why you weren’t pushing the ‘stop.’ Then I realized you couldn’t because you were on the floor. Are you OK?”
“This is pretty standard for her,” Q stated and added, “In fact, earlier she mentioned it had been so long since she worked out that she couldn’t remember how to operate the equipment. This is proof.”
I shared this story with Tree who advised me, “Sometimes you just need to let go.”