So last night I had an experience that is brand new to me, but that I have heard about. I ran on a treadmill while other random strangers were on treadmills around me. Normally I run on my treadmill in the basement and before that I would run on the single treadmill that our complex's fitness center has, but due to the unique circumstances that are going on right now (which I won't give details about right now), I did my running on a treadmill that was in a line with two others.
When I got there, someone was already on the middle treadmill, so I had to pick one next to her. It looked like she had just started since she was walking and still messing with the machine. I hopped on my machine and started it. It took a minute for me to get everything all set, but soon I was running. About that time I realized that I hadn't brought my iPod with me, so I was going to have to do this without my music. I got into a groove and, while I missed my music, I decided I could get through this. About 10 minutes after I started, another lady came in and got on the third machine. (I thought it was interesting that it was only girls around. It wasn't a gender specific place.)
Since I was without my music, I probably paid more attention to the others in there than I normally would have. I got the impression that the lady who was there before me either was just starting to run or doesn't do this very often (either way, yay for her for being there!) She would run for a couple of minutes and then slow it down to a walk and then repeat. There is nothing wrong with that, it is how I started, it is just what made me think she was a beginner. The second lady was definitely a regular runner, but I guessed she would come in, run for about 30 minutes and then leave.
The first lady only stayed for about 15 minutes after I got there, so for most of my run (25 minutes) it was me and the second lady, separated by an empty machine. I would get bored, so occasionally I would mess with my speed, up a little or down a little, and after a while, I noticed that every time I changed my speed, the other lady changed hers as well. At first I wondered if it was coincidence, so I intentionally waited longer than normal to change my speed, and she definitely changed her speed right after I changed mine. I couldn't decide if she was trying to psych me out or if she didn't want me to show her up. It was rather funny because I didn't care at all about what she was doing. It was rather funny when I upped my speed for the sprint I do at the end of most runs, she looked like she was going as fast as she possible could (she was definitely faster than me from the get go). When I slowed down and stopped, she immediately took her pace back to a respectable jog. I don't know for sure but I would guess that she got off her machine as soon as I left.
I have heard of things like this, or at least seen it in commercials, but didn't think anyone actually did it in real life. I am decently competitive (my husband can attest to that) but not when I am working out. In a race, sure, I will do everything I can, especially at the end, to not be beaten by someone, but in training its about me, not them. Have you ever seen something like this, or would that person have been you? I could only see myself doing something like that if I was desperate for some motivation, but I think I would have tried to be more discreet about it or told the other person what I was doing so I wouldn't creep them out.
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