Can't you see I'm running???

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Emv79
Emv79 Posts: 245 Member
in Chit-Chat
I was at the gym today and after my fitness assessment, I did some cardio on the treadmill. I was doing intervals where I'd run at 6mph for 5min and rest at 4.2mph for 2min.

My gym is pretty quiet on Sunday afternoons and I was the only one in a row of 8 treadmills. While in the middle of my workout, a guy goes to the treadmill beside me. My thought: "he could have picked another one to use, but ok.". But then he leans over and points to my headphones indicating he wants to talk to me. I'm about 15sec into a "rest" section, so OK, I may have dropped something and he wants to tell me, so I take the earbud out but keep going. But no...the guy starts going on about how he gets bored just running on a treadmill and details about his workouts, and since he's seen me a few times, he'd like to know what I do to keep motivated with my runs. REALLY??? I'm in the middle of a workout and this is the time you pick to ask??? So at this point, seeing that I had about 10sec left before I had to up my speed again, I politely told him I could not talk right now because I was not done with my run, put my earbud back in and continued with my workout. He looked pissed and left.

Is common sense just not that common anymore???
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Replies

  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
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    "After intervals, I'll explain. Cheers."
    -wtk
  • Emv79
    Emv79 Posts: 245 Member
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    "After intervals, I'll explain. Cheers."
    -wtk

    You made me laugh...thank you. :)
  • scott1080
    scott1080 Posts: 109 Member
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    wow some people dont think...lol
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    Or he could have really admired your workout and dedication and wanted some pointers on how to get over a slump he was having.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    Or he could have really admired your workout and dedication and wanted some pointers on how to get over a slump he was having.
    How does that make it ok?
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    Or he could have really admired your workout and dedication and wanted some pointers on how to get over a slump he was having.
    How does that make it ok?

    To ask a question and try to get some tips? Really? Are we seriously so into working out that we can't take 5-10 minutes out of our workout on one single instance to try to be helpful to someone else? If so, that's really sad in my opinion.
  • katoato
    katoato Posts: 26 Member
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    He probably thought you were cute ;-)

    This is also the reason that I run outside!!!
  • Justjoshin
    Justjoshin Posts: 999 Member
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    To ask a question and try to get some tips? Really? Are we seriously so into working out that we can't take 5-10 minutes out of our workout on one single instance to try to be helpful to someone else? If so, that's really sad in my opinion.

    Apparently you train differently than some of us do if breaking your concentration, ruining your pump, dropping your heart rate, etc etc, seems like it's ok. I have to agree, explain after the workout.
  • Emv79
    Emv79 Posts: 245 Member
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    Or he could have really admired your workout and dedication and wanted some pointers on how to get over a slump he was having.
    How does that make it ok?

    To ask a question and try to get some tips? Really? Are we seriously so into working out that we can't take 5-10 minutes out of our workout on one single instance to try to be helpful to someone else? If so, that's really sad in my opinion.

    I'm happy to give some tips on what works for me, but my point was if he made a small judgment call, he could have instead said: "hey, sorry, if you have time when you're done, I'd like to ask you about your running routine." to this, my answer would have been "I'll be done in 20min, meet me here and I'll be happy to.". Obviously, this would only be OK if I was in the rest portion of the interval, which I was.
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 379 Member
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    "Is common sense just not that common anymore??? "

    Common sense went out the door about 10 years ago. As a 55 year old teacher, I have seen it all. As the years have gone by, common sense has gone bye-bye.

    We should throw it a bon voyage party.
  • sathor
    sathor Posts: 202 Member
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    If you have a question, you ask someone who knows. Perhaps he tried to catch you after an earlier workout, and kept missing you. Maybe it took him a week to work up the courage to talk to you. When riding, cyclist talk to each other. (Maybe it's because that 12 mile loop gets boring fast, or we like to show off our rides, who knows)
  • jreed1920
    jreed1920 Posts: 123
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    I probably would have said something along the lines of "I have X minutes to go and can talk about it then if you like" but yeah it would have irritated me too especially since I am clumsy enough on the treadmill on my own without being distracted haha
  • sherrirb
    sherrirb Posts: 1,714 Member
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    Or he could have really admired your workout and dedication and wanted some pointers on how to get over a slump he was having.
    How does that make it ok?

    To ask a question and try to get some tips? Really? Are we seriously so into working out that we can't take 5-10 minutes out of our workout on one single instance to try to be helpful to someone else? If so, that's really sad in my opinion.

    I would have to agree with others on this one. If he really wanted info and/or pointers, I think it would have been polite of him to wait until she was done working out, especially if he'd taken even a few minutes to notice she was doing intervals. That would be like walking up to some guy on the bench press and start talking to him in the middle of his presses to ask for tips on how lift more weights.
    He could have waited until she was transitioning during her workout; getting off the treadmill to do something else. But in the middle of a specific part of the workout.. it can wait. Who says his time is any more precious than hers? If you want something from someone, its polite to wait on them rather than be selfish enough to interrupt whatever it is they are doing just to get what you want.
    ... my two cents.
  • mrsnathanandrew
    mrsnathanandrew Posts: 631 Member
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    Im one of those people that lacks common sense, but even I know not to interupt someone in the middle of their groove.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    I'd probably have briefly told him that I do intervals to keep from getting bored, and ... oh, look this walk period is over.
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
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    Really? This guy has a LOT of nerve. I don't think he had to "build up the courage for a week to ask". Guys (people) like this are really quite rude. Does he think he is so special that somebody would just LOVE to be interupted by HIM? wow. no thanks.

    I would never, ever interupt somebody to ask how they kept their motivation going. I would at least wait till they were done with their work out thing. And it's not that I think working out is just so so important, but because it is just common curtesty not to interupt!!
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
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    Or he could have really admired your workout and dedication and wanted some pointers on how to get over a slump he was having.
    How does that make it ok?

    To ask a question and try to get some tips? Really? Are we seriously so into working out that we can't take 5-10 minutes out of our workout on one single instance to try to be helpful to someone else? If so, that's really sad in my opinion.

    During my workouts, I don't do anything. I don't answer the phone or the door because I don't want my heart rate to drop since I use a HRM to track my calories. It can totally mess it up if you stop to explain things to someone... I feel he was rude wanting her to stop what she was doing and talk to him. It would be one thing if she was in between apparatus when he approached her, but she was clearly in the middle of her intervals.
  • ChrisStoney
    ChrisStoney Posts: 479 Member
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    This is strange, why is he asking a female tips about working out? Women exercise a little different than men do, I would ask a female about her workout in conversation to be nice, but at the gym I go to no one interupts people in the middle of a set, or when they are on cardio... I would never bother a female on a treadmill to ask her a question... plenty of guys to get advise from.... where you the only two people there? that might be a little different.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    In my opinion headphones are the universal symbol for "I don't want to talk to you." I have no idea how anyone would not understand that.

    I had a really similar experience once. It annoyed the *kitten* out of me, because it's not fair for someone to make YOU feel rude for being the one to adhere to social norms!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    This is strange, why is he asking a female tips about working out? Women exercise a little different than men do, I would ask a female about her workout in conversation to be nice

    I find this a bit insulting. I realize you're not trying to be insulting, but it is a little bit anyway.

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