Treadmill Sandwich

Now that I've been going to the gym for a couple of weeks and seem to have lost most of that newbie shine, I've taken to some serious people watching - which has always been a favorite pastime of mine. This morning's fare was particularly interesting as I was the meat (probably bologna) in a treadmill sandwich.

To the right of me was the bare-bones runner. All she brought was herself and the zone she'd be traveling in for the next 45 minutes. Her form is what caught my eye as I noticed that even though she was running at a pretty good clip, she was not moving her arms. They just hung at her side a la Raggedy Ann. Flashback to the Seinfeld episode of Elaine's taking huge exception to a co-worker who walks without ever moving her arms. She quite possibly would be thrown into the pits of insanity by being her treadmill buddy.

To my left was a runner who was in every way just the opposite. This gal was positively high maintenance as she brought provisions for what appeared to be a long seige. She had the water bottle, the iPod, the towel and the backpack with what I suppose was the rest of her survival gear (GPS to guide her back to the locker room and car, kindling, matches and of course Spam). I fully expected her to hire out a contractor and build an addition onto the treadmill. This one was digging in.

With baseball cap firmly in place (it's been raining for a full week and a half here - no need to try covering up a bad hair day anymore) she began her workout. Her running style was in sharp contrast from the runner to my right as her arms were pumping so fast and furious that her fists were coming right up to her forehead. Then at one point, with the treadmill still going at full tilt, she placed one foot on one side of the track and raised the other leg up over the opposite side bar for a mid-run stretch, straddling the 5 mph belt beneath her. This had to be the fitness world's equivalent of unsafe sex. This girl could get hurt but even worse, take me down with her. Where's a park ranger when you need one?

I guess my style was somewhere inbetween my two neighbors. I had my iPod and bad hair and my arms swung to keep pace with my two left feet. It doesn't matter how you get it done as long as you do it. But the people-watching sure helps kill the monotony of taking hundreds of steps in the same place.

What do you do to help entertain yourself at the gym - or is my approach completely wrong in that my workout should be enough to keep my tiny mind occupied?