That special girl at the gym...

.... was me tonight. Here is what happened.

I'm running a 10k in July. Shocker, I know. I don't run, and I don't pretend to know how. However, I have this crazy gene in me that says " Listen up, Loock. You can do hard things and show the world what you're made of! Now, rub some dirt in it!" Well, this little voice told me I could run a 10k. So, sure, why not.

I delved into the world of iPhone App's, only to come across one that would guarantee me going from couch to 10k in 14 weeks.. boom! Sold.

I am currently on week 4.

So, here I am, at the Rec Center, running my little heart out. I was killin' it tonight. Head phones were in, pink running shoes on, and nothing but the wide open... other people at the gym.... in front of me. Well, after a decent chunk of run, I slowed the belt to a steady 2.6, you know, to walk it out. I was sweating, man, was I sweating. I was breathing like a fat kid who'd never run a day before. I was pretty sure I was dying, but, alas, the work out was not over. Pausing to walk briefly proves helpful in allowing me to regain my strength for another bout of running, and i decided to make the most of it.

I began to focus on breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Smell the flowers, blow out the candles. Amidst my hypnotic state, I closed my eyes... just for a moment. Just enough time to rest enough and prepare for more torture, uh, I mean pure euphoria! This is where things got interesting. I'm not quite sure WHAT happened, or how, but what I gathered seems promising; I, Lauren Loock, focused too much on my breathing with my eyes closed, and not enough on the fact I was on a moving machine. Yes. It's true.

I flew off the back of the treadmill. Headphones still attached to my ears.

Man, it must have appeared that I'd passed out or died, because the concerned looks I got were plentiful. Naturally, I played it off as awkwardly as humanly possible. When people saw I, in fact, did NOT pass out, but rather, was simply an idiot, there concerned looks quickly morphed into something along the lines of, "oh, so they're just letting anyone in this place now? Moron!"

Lucky for me, I did not get hurt. My pride? It may tell you a different story. Turns out, however, that I really don't get that embarrassed. Sure, I may turn red for a moment, but all in all, I laughed it off, fixed my headphones, slapped around my dignity, and got back to work.

Made for a heck of a blog post, too.

Forget my effort in cleansing of the male population... just send them to run with me at the gym. I'll embarrass them away, instead.

Until next time, my loves!