Weird People Are Motivating

Going to our local rec center five times a week to jog on their small track has been really good for me. I like being able to see others who are exercising to improve their health and their lives. Even though I prefer to be alone on the track so I can focus, I often feel a sense of camaraderie and unity of purpose with other exercisers. 

There are also weird people.

One old guy, who always wears a baseball cap and a black mask, likes to encourage me. He says things like, "You're doing great!," "Way to go!," and often gives me a cheerful, "Good morning!" with a thumbs up. Sometimes he'll just put out his hand toward me and wave as I run past him. It looks like he could reach out and grab me. I'm sure he wouldn't do that. He's probably just really friendly. Sad but true, it makes me feel very uncomfortable. I call him Weird Guy. The rec center feels like a safe place, but I started going to the track earlier to avoid him.

One day, I was a little later than usual and saw Weird Guy through the windows that are between the track room and the hallway that leads toward the door to the  track's entrance. As soon as I saw him, I grabbed my coat that was hanging on a hook by the door and darted out, straight into a perpendicular hallway, before he could reach the track's door.

"Hey!" he yelled at me, though he was not close. It was almost as if he wanted me to stop and talk with him. No thanks.

I just said, "Howdy!" and practically ran away. 

There are other people I regularly encounter. One skinny lady doesn't like to run the direction we're supposed to go. The way alternates each day. There's a sign posted right by the entrance that has arrows that show the direction for the day. This lady will often go against the arrow when she's there alone until some comes onto the track. Sometimes she temporarily reverses course if I'm on the opposite side of the room. Even though it's a little odd that she does this, she doesn't bother me at all. Maybe it's because I identify with her. She's female, probably a little older than me, and likes to do arm lifts, knee lifts, and stretches on the track like I do. 

One day, the track door was locked. She was already running, but stopped to try to open the door for me, but it wouldn't open. Through the window, she motioned toward the stairs that lead to another way to access the area. I knew what she meant. It's possible to go down some stairs that lead to the basketball court and then up an inside staircase to the track which is above the court. When I made it up to the track, she smiled and said, "Now you know the secret entrance."

Then there's the old guy who bothers me only a little just because he walks faster than I can jog. He never acknowledges my presence and I'm totally fine with that. He seems a little odd too. He always wears a maroon, long-sleeved dress shirt and loose blue track pants. Is he trying to sweat? He also wears black gloves, which I find almost disturbing. Why does he wear gloves? Is it also for warmth, or are they weighted? Not knowing bothers me, only a little. He always carries a bandana in his left hand, probably to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Then there's the middle-aged-looking bald guy who always wears street clothes, a back pack, and what looks like hiking boots. I've decided he's trying to break in his boots. Maybe he's climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer? Why else wear all that stuff? It's weird, but he doesn't bother me much. I call him Hiker Guy.

Hiker Guy unintentionally helped me finally achieve my goal of jogging a mile without stopping. Last week, I was only planning on running 16 of the 17.5 laps (1 mile) around the track, but just as I reached the 16th lap, Hiker Guy came onto the track to walk. He walks slowly and so do I after I'm done jogging around for a long time. I didn't want to stop jogging and walk with him, so I kept going another lap and a half to put some distance between us. That's how I made that first whole mile around the track without stopping. Thank you, Hiker Guy. 

Since I knew I could do it, I did it again yesterday. I wasn't going to go back to sixteen laps. But yesterday, I did the mile a couple of minutes faster. Why? 

On Saturdays, the rec center opens an hour later than usual. Weird Guy came in when I was on the twelfth lap around. I knew he'd say something or reach out his hand like he often does, so I sped up so I could pass him fast. When he put out his hand, I ignored him and ran faster. I jog slowly and he walks fast, so after that I was able to keep an even distance away from him, finish the mile, and leave before he was by the exit. Whew! But thanks to him, I ended up finishing a minute or two sooner than the first time I jogged the mile. 

My new goal is to slowly increase my speed. It's nice to use the rec center track to know my distance and timing. We only have one more month on our membership. I'm not renewing the pass. In a month or less, I'll start running outside. Meanwhile, I'll keep going to the rec center as early as I can. I really do prefer to have the track all to myself.