I'm Secretly Competitive

I have limited time at the gym today and have to decide between Cardio or Pull Day. Either is fine with me, except I'm tired. Or maybe it's that I'm just not "feeling it" today. I've been lucky this week. I get to the gym late morning and can access the one cross-trainer that allows me to go to a zero resistance setting. It's also the one cross-trainer that has a low screen monitor so I can actually see over the machine while I'm pedaling. Of course, it's my favorite cross-trainer.

I didn't have time to stretch after my workout yesterday, and today I'm a bit sore. In weird places. Like my quads, and chest. I haven't really varied my workouts much, so this is surprising. Stretching makes all the difference! Having sore quads makes me think I'm not going to make my mileage quota today. But I'm wrong. Yes, I'm competitive. With myself. But secretly, I'm competitive with other women as well. Maybe it's not really a secret, but just the way we humans are? Women always compare themselves with other women. I assume men do the same.

While I'm on the Mat doing core stuff, I happen to look up and see a small, athletic blonde young woman doing pull ups. She's dragged a box platform to the center between the cable stations where there's an actual pull up station. She's short, but taller than I am. I know this because if I were to stand atop the platform, I still wouldn't be able to reach the bars. I only count 5 reps but I don't know how many she'd already done before I looked up. It's still more than I've seen any other woman here do.

There's a big guy on the Smith, and a different guy at the CF station so today's a Cardio Day. I'm fine with that. While I'm pedaling the elliptical, I see the short blonde at one of the Cybex machines. She has great triceps. People with nice arms have noticeable shape even with their arms dropped and relaxed. I suspect she's with her boyfriend, but I have trouble locating someone who would qualify. After the elliptical, when I know I've accumulated over 7 miles in cardio, I'm feeling pretty happy and do another stretch. Then another set of hammer grip pull ups. And instead of 26, I get to 31 reps. I don't feel my elbow or shoulder this time either. I'm pretty sure it's because there's another gal here who has muscles. Like a primal response to defending territory? Does it matter what the reasons are? 

There's two pairs of DBs at the edge of the big Mat. I drop my stuff at the other end, next to the wall. There's a large woman stretching on one of the side mats. I start my stretch routine. I don't want to be sore tomorrow when I whack the Nexersys. The blonde walks over to the DBs, lays down and does a set of DB skull crushers. Then she leaves, and a big muscle head drops onto the mat and picks up the bigger DBs and does a set. That's her boyfriend! He's a whole head taller than her, and twice as wide. I'm not quite sure, though, why she's the one dragging the giant back pack from station to station. It apparently has her and her boyfriend's stuff in it. Some things never change...

Thursday
Cardio Day 
7.21 miles

30 xtrainer + 5cd
Calories 163
Miles 4.27
Average Heart Rate 148

HGPU 26
Push Ups 60
Scissors 50
Bicycle 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Superman 2 x 30s

30 elliptical + 5cd
Program 3
Calories 331
Miles 2.94
Average Heart Rate

HGPU 31