The Four Crankiest Miles I Ever Ran

I planned all freakin' week to run outside today, since I took the day off work, and then I woke up this morning and it was snowing! So, I am thinking I'll just wait it out, but I check the weather forecast and it is supposed to keep up like this all day. And I would have just gone outside and suffered anyway, but the snow that was falling was hard and pebbly, and it was hailing last night, so I was worried that this snow could easily turn to hail, and the last thing I need is to be two miles from home getting hailed on with the dog and no hope of rescue. So, I resigned myself to the gym, but resolved to do four miles instead of my usual three. After all, I have all the time in the world today. But man, I sure was cranky about it! I did the first three miles at 1 percent incline, total time was 53:00.

Things at the gym that made me cranky:

- The little towels they give out are insufficient to cover the digital read-out on the treadmill, and it kept slipping.

- Having dressed for outside, and not bothered to change before going to the gym, I was much more overheated than I would have otherwise been, causing me to have to take three thirty second walk breaks to drink water.

- Realizing that both the sweats I am wearing and the underwear I am wearing are really too big, making me worry periodically throughout my run that I was showing crack to the bike riders behind me. I could have just pulled the string tighter, but I was already going at that point.

- Stupid bartender guy (I am assuming he is a bartender, who else could be at the gym at this time of day?) who stood with his towel and keys for an hour, but didn't do any exercise, Rather, he spent his time lounging on the weight machines, talking up every stupid skinny girl with a pony tail in the gym.

- Stupid pony tail women who spent their time also lounging on the weight machines, pretending to work out, while really chatting up stupid bartender guy.

- Sign at the gym right in front of my treadmill that read "Did you know that 1 in 5 adults in America is obese? Give the gift of fitness! Purchase your friends/family members guest passes today!"

Things that made me happy at the gym:

- Making up dialogue in my head between stupid bartender guy and stupid pony tail girl (I couldn't hear them since my ipod was cranked to, like, 80)

SBG: "So, uh, yeah....... I try to get here at least six times a week, you know?

SPTG: "Oh, yeah, me too, I mean, 1 in 5 adults in American are obese! I need to keep myself up, you know?"

SBG: "Yeah, well, if you want I could show you how to use the rest of these machines."

SPTG: "Wow, that would be great! I don't actually know how to use any of them, since I usually just sit on them waiting for guys to chat me up at the gym."

- "Harlem River Blues" by Justin Townes Earle, my latest favorite cool down song.

- These should be my last miles in these shoes, since my new ones are due to arrive today!

And now, I am going to shower and then take myself off to the bead store, where I shall spend some time ensconced therein, letting my creative juices flow and making myself a new necklace.