Lindsey Heim

The n+1...

I know that I haven't been posting much lately. My life has been boring enough that I really didn't want to bore anyone with the mundane... blah... went to work... came home... I did xx% FTP for XX min and XX recov and blah blah T pace, M pace, R pace, yadda yadda, ate this ate that nutrition this blah stuff. You know. It is simply what I do. I haven't even had too many random ruminations to write about.

One thing that has been outstanding is my spending more time at the gym running on the treadmill. I know I have babbled about my once ex, now lover- the treadmill and how i have warmed up to its perfection of training in all forms. My laboratory-grade perfect workout. :)

Now, I have gotten used to the crowd at the gym, and I like the crowd at the gym. You have your usual cast of characters, all whom I give credit and appreciate their being there: Cardiac rehab man (mid 50s male pushing 300, with 200 of that being stored as visceral fat- I just look around, make sure I know where the AED is, and continue on, just making sure he is still alive breathing and sweating profusely in while walking), chemo runner guy (this guy is of undetermined age, 6'1", 125ish lbs in sweaty clothing, shaved head, and is usually wearing the essential singlet and split shorts, he appears as though he is undergoing chemo, but I believe is actually just determined to stay at his ideal marathon race weight year round), the I really like wearing a bike chamois to work out in and never bike man (ewwww), incline treadmill girl (walks at 2 mph at max incline while reading us weekly), Big dude who can haul a$$ on the treadmill (enough said), and a mix of other folk. A rare, but interesting species is the n+1... I got the pleasure or running today next to the n+1...

The n+1 is a rare but proud species. He prowls the gym until he finds his prey and gets on the treadmill beside. The attire is usually a cotton Hanes that has likely been used before and taken out of the gym bag without laundering, and some basketbal shorts with equal sanitation. He will immediately look over, and based upon your speed, will automatically set his treadmill at your speed +1 (or I should say, .1, but you get my drift). The n+1 does not believe in a warmup or cool down, it is simply hop on and hop off the rails. His workout will likely start at a nice gait, but then he realizes the critical error in his original assumption. He grabs onto the heart rate rails, then hunches over, his gait then starts to resemble the floppy running style of a large bird. (This is the point where I like to start my intervals and crank up the speed another 2 mph) He then grabs onto the side hand rails, and proceeds to lock his elbows to hold his torso stable while the feet are pounding the deck. The last step of desperation is the bear hug of the display. At this point, he will step onto the rails, and 'take a drink' for a while, just to hop back on to start again. Each 'interval' is a few min long. I have not figured out the n+1, nor do I know his (ill) logic; however, I do appreciate his company and entertainment.