People Watching

Let me preface this story by saying I know we all have to start somewhere and I hope these two continue, but it still didn't stop me from being amused.


When I go to the park with the four little people JoJo and I get a chance to people watch while they play.

Yesterday people watching was good for a laugh.
Two 20-something slightly pudgy gentlemen entered the park dressed to workout carrying water bottles, jump ropes, face towels, iPods, with determined but pleasant looks on their faces.

I thought to myself  "Guess we will finally see the workout stations around the track being used"

The serious boys stretched, jogged in place, stretched some more, put their earbuds in place and started their run around the track

I was directly across from where they started, when they passed JoJo and I saying they were winded is putting it mildly! They were working hard (at a pace not much above a power walk)

They got back to their start point and looked like they were about to die! Flopped down on the bench, leaned forward, elbows on knees, breathing like they had just finished a marathon...instead of 1/10 of a mile, that's right the track is one tenth of a mile long.  After several minutes of recovery time it was time to jump rope.

They grabbed their ropes like they were going to sure enough show anyone watching just how jumping rope should be done!  Ten jumps later they were back on the bench...dying.  Recovery time for jumping rope is several minutes longer then recovery time for running around the track.

Fully recovered it's time to run again, but first we stretch riiiiiight leg, leeeeeft leg, jog in place for 1,2,3,4,5 and start. This lap was not going to go well for the boys, breathing was labored a quarter of the way into their lap.  Legs quickly turning to jello as they passed JoJo and I.  

One of them fell back, being able to continue quickly became an issue...could he push thru the pain...did he have the will to complete the lap?  He did! (I high fived him in my mind)  Again it was time to collapse on the bench gasping for breath.  Do they have enough left in em to jump rope again? I wondered to myself.  They did!  They grabbed their ropes, dragged them to their 'jumping spots' and attempted to start jumping.  Guy A - 1, 2, tangled up...straighten the rope out with a look on his face that let you know he blamed the rope for the mess up 3, 4, 5, 6. tangled, ropes fault, 7, 8, 9, 10 threw the misbehaving rope to the ground and returned to the bench.  Meanwhile Guy B wasn't doing much better - apparently the last lap he ran (and nearly didn't finish) took a whole lot out of him - he was having trouble getting the rope over his head! 1, back of the head, straighten rope out, 2, 3, back of the head, fix the rope, foouu, nope back of the head - look at rope as if wondering how it stopped working since it's last use, try again, 4, 5, 6, back of the head...throws rope down, returns to bench looking as if tears were going to burst forth at any moment

The boys remained on the bench, breathing returned to normal, and smiles even crept onto their faces.  They sat and talked for a while.  When they felt they had enough energy they gathered their items, high fived each other and walked to the car.

2/10 of a mile, 20 jumps (well for one of them at least), and 40 minutes later - workout complete.