Since Rodney or "Star Man" has not been coming to the pump class at the gym anymore, things have been fairly boring. Not that going to the gym at the early squirly hour of 5:30 in the morning is exciting, but sometimes it's fun to have someone to watch...there's always some idiot trying to show off. Gym Weirdos.
Case in point - since I broke my toe OVER 3 WEEKS AGO, (grrrr!) I have been banned to the elliptical machine only. I've been setting a goal to stay on the machine until I reach 1000 calories burned. So last week, at about 700 calories in, I watched a girl walk in. Super short shorts over white tights (gag me with a spoon!) and she was working that gym floor! With every step she took she would drop and sway her hips to the point that she was making a fool of herself! She was acting like she was on the cat walk or something! Not even 10 minutes later, out she walks, obviously in the same un-sweaty condition as when she walked in and she just kept on walking and swinging her hips all the way out the door. Maybe she didn't like the movie in the cinema theater or something, but who gets up early to go to the gym and only stays 10 minutes? Like I said...gym weirdos.
Enter "Mr. Googly Eyes"!!! Latest gym weirdo!
My sister Jill, who runs about 8 miles before the 1 1/2 hour class everyday (seriously, she does) was on a treadmill last Friday running like normal. I was on the back row...elliptical machine...going for my 1000 calories when a friend who I do KYT with on Wednesdays (kick your trash) was on the stair climber machine and turned around to ask me who the man was that was talking to Jill and did Jill know him. I had a big column blocking my view of Jill, so I couldn't see what was going on. Apparently, as Jill was running as usual, listening to the news/music, an older man - for sure in his 60's - decided to use the bar of her treadmill to hold on to while he stretched, putting his face about a foot away from her. And he stayed there and continued to stretch for more than 5 minutes. Jill was speechless and didn't know what to do so she kept on running and he kept on stretching...and looking.
Jill is beautiful. Let's just say, that Mr. Googly Eyes is not the first person at the gym that I have seen watch her.
So I decided to try to intervene and I thought that by me walking up to her treadmill that he would move away and go somewhere else to do his endless stretching! I couldn't get past him so I waited until he noticed I was there, but instead of stepping away from the machine to let me pass, he stepped TOWARD her machine and continued to hold on. As I walked past he said to me, "That will be $10 to pass." I told him that I don't carry money with me at the gym and he said, "Well, now it will be $20!" I ignored that comment and said that I just needed to talk to her, motioning to Jill and stepped close to her machine thinking he would finally move...still HE HELD ON, and as Jill and I came up with an impromptu conversation about Costco and family - with winking and eyebrow raising in between - he listened to every word and stretched.
Endless stretching this man needed, apparently!
Jill said she was almost to 6 miles and was just going to go into class, and we kind of ended our conversation - it was at least 3 minutes...us talking, him stretching - as I walked away, he stepped to the side and said (very heebie-jeebie-ish) "Can I pay you $10 to continue stretching here?" to which I replied, I don't think that's a good idea and Jill replied, I think you've stretched enough.
Still, he continued to stretch...and look...for a few more minutes until Jill got off her treadmill and he decided to actually exercise.
I couldn't believe it! Sometimes you have to give a person the benefit of the doubt and think that they don't mean any harm, but what this man was doing was NOT normal and even Jill said that after a minute, she started feeling really uneasy - that something was really wrong, but she didn't know what to do and wasn't about to be pushed off her treadmill. It was a total invasion of personal space. Very creepy.
So all this past weekend, this has been a major topic of conversation in our family. When I called Will and told him about it on the way home from the gym, he was so upset! We were kind of laughing, because we couldn't believe what had happened and that someone could be so brazen to do something like that. But Will and Steven were really upset. Will was saying that what this man was doing was sexual harassment! I felt really bad that I didn't stay by Jill and wait until he left or tell the creep to move! I have a hard time with confrontations, even when I'm being wronged.
So as we've talked this past weekend, we all decided that this man was in for major trouble if he tried something like this again - to ANYONE. We formed a task force that was ready to attack! Well, this morning, Mr. Googly Eyes was back and Jill decided to go in for the attack! All alone! I can't remember what she said to him, but she told him that he better watch out because we're on to him. She told him what he had done was wrong and, get this, the only thing he had to say for himself was, "I always ask permission." Like that makes what he did okay!
These are Jill's words to him on Monday:What I actually said to him was "Howard, I'm going to teach you some gym etiquette so you don't look like a pervert. See this wall here? That is where you should stretch out, NOT holding onto to someone's treadmill." This is where he tells me that he always asks permission first. I then told him, "permission doesn't count when you are taking advantage of somebody." "Howard, we are onto you, and we're watching you like a hawk." Then I just walked away. This was on Monday, and he hasn't been back since. Guess I scared him away;)...Really? permission to stretch means he can put his face 3 inches away from me while I run? I don't think so. Never again! He messed with the wrong woman!Jill has his name and has probably already checked him out on the sexual predator list. He's also been reported to the management of the gym. Apparently, the girl at the front desk noticed what was going on too, and remembered who he was and wrote his name down and reported him. Way to go!!!
Unfortunately, Will is worried about me going to the gym where, honestly, I feel very safe. He says that he knows how men think and thinks that I'm too naive. I told him that I'm not the kind of girl that stuff like this happens to. I'm the girl that is blocking the guys view of the girl who is getting looked at! I know that if something were to happen to me, or any other girl at the gym, that there are people there to help. Us regulars watch out for each other!! Sadly, there ARE people who come to the gym for other reasons than to exercise. I'm glad I've got my sisters and numerous friends there to watch out for me too.
And I can throw a mean punch if needed!