Gym Dress Code: Not Business Casual!

Everything has a purpose. A cup is to be used as a tool to drink something. Bedrooms are meant to be slept in. Pencils enable their users to write. Unfortunately, however, there are many who don't seem to grasp that gyms are meant to be used as places of exercise and fitness. Never has this been more evident than it was yesterday when I headed for my building's gym to get in a good workout. As many of you know, I have my fair share of problems with this gym and its users, but generally speaking, these problems don't amount to much of an impediment to my running but rather their presence serves more as an annoyance than anything else. Not so yesterday, when, upon entering the gym, I saw that both of the treadmills were occupied. In-and-of itself, there would have been nothing wrong with this as I don't presume to have any ownership interest in either of the treadmills. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that, while the first treadmill was being used by a fairly fast-paced runner, the second treadmill was being used by some girl who not only was walking on the treadmill, but was doing so in her SLIPPERS!!! In past posts, I have made mention of my strong dislike for these Treadmill Walkers (as I shall refer to them) and I continue to stare in disbelief whenever I encounter one of them no matter where I am. Besides depriving someone who actually wants to run from using the treadmill in question, these damn Treadmill Walkers always have this smug yet serious look on their faces as if they are in the middle of an extreme workout and cannot spare the few seconds it takes to acknowledge anybody else in the gym. Not only do they generally stay on the treadmills longer since they never get tired, it is shocking to me that they really think they are getting a good workout in the first place. Dear readers, I hate to sound so mean spirited, but I really cannot stand Treadmill Walkers (especially in a setting like my building's gym where there are only 2 treadmills).

Yesterday, however, I sensed in my anger towards this girl a fury which I don't normally feel whenever I see a run (pun both intended and desired as an irony in the context of the subject matter) of the mill Treadmill Walker. Being the introspective man that I am, I took stock of my feelings and surroundings in order to find the root cause of this increased sense of anger. What I soon came to realize was that it was the slippers that were causing my face to turn a red normally reserved for a tomato or a fire engine truck. I couldn't believe that I, or any runner for that matter who is desiring to use the treadmill for its actual purpose, should be forced to take a backseat to not only a Treadmill Walker, but to a Treadmill Walker wearing bedroom slippers!! However, because the gym's by-laws do not prohibit a person from walking on a treadmill wearing slippers, I had to grin and bear it. The girl ended up walking for another 23 minutes at which point, not needing to wipe the treadmill down as not a drop of sweat had fallen on it, she left without even giving me a passing glance. After finishing my workout, I was still in such a state of anger and grumpiness that I thought it best to take the rest of the day off from work.

It is my sincere belief that all gyms should have a universal rule giving priority to those who actually intend to run on a treadmill. Should some Treadmill Walker complain about this type of rule, the gym can provide a satisfactory alternative for them and allow them to walk in circles (or around the square perimeter which is usually the case) in the yoga studio (if they don't have a yoga studio, I don't see why walking around the bathroom would be a problem).

Have you or anyone you know been forced to wait for an open treadmill because a Treadmill Walker was taking up the available treadmills? How did you handle the situation? I would appreciate any feedback as it is my intention to have a running (pun intended) dialogue about the problems caused by Treadmill Walkers.