Don't Watch Me Sweat!

After eating several servings of vegan Camembert per day for several days, I decided it was probably time to take my calorie-burning exercise up a notch.  Plus it was beautiful weather Thursday evening, everything just came together to make it perfect for a jog along Sligo Creek.  

 

I'm not a great runner.  I get out of breath easily, I always cop out of running up long hills, and my knees aren't so great so I can never go more than a few miles anyway.  But I still recognize that it's one of the best calorie burners around, so I'm always forcing myself to get out and just do it, regardless of how miserable it makes me.  The only thing that makes it bearable is getting to enjoy some nice scenery along the way. 

 

Unfortunately, quite a lot of other people feel the same way about the Sligo Creek Trail.  Hundreds of people use it for walking, jogging, biking, picnicing, lounging, and everything in between.  Which means you're passing someone every few seconds.  While I was jogging Thursday I'm pretty sure I even saw someone I know, but my recognition processors didn't kick in until the person had already gone, so I couldn't do a double take.  But that's all the better, because I certainly don't feel like running into anyone I know when I'm working out. 

Let's face it: I look crappy when I exercise.  I get all lobster-faced and I swear I sweat way more than the average person.  I would much rather not see anyone at all when I'm sweating, let alone someone I know.  Part of my attraction to the gym is the comfort of knowing that everyone there is staring at a TV or magazine rather than looking at me.  How vain is that?  I know, I know.  But I'm always secretly a bit irritated if I walk into the gym in my building and there's even a single other person there.  Sweating and huffing and puffing is really something that no one else needs to see (get your minds out of the gutter!).  Unfortunately, I'm not (and don't expect to ever be) rich enough to have my own home gym.  So left with the choice between my embarassment of being seen at not my loveliest and not exercising at all, I'll still choose the exercise.  I guess that's just another form of vanity, isn't it?