Last night we decided to hit the gym. We turned up at 5:30 (yes, yes, a really crap time) and I heard the receptionist say to her lacky (about the couple in front of us) "Is it ok to have 11 in the gym?" Now, let me describe this gym. It's tiny! There's barely room to walk between the cardio machines - you have to be seriously careful. If you're using the total hip machine no one can open the door. There is about enough space for one or two adults to lie down on the floor in the middle of the machines - but people would have to step over you as there'd be no room to walk round. Oh, and there are no windows.
TheO nipped along the corridor - declared the gym "packed" - so we left to go and get the shopping done. We returned at 6:30 to be told by a dead pan receptionist that: "the gym is ALWAYS closed on a Tuesday night from 6:15 - 7pm". Now, this may be the case but why we should know their feckin' timetable is beyond me. Why she couldn't phrase it something like: "Unfortunately the gym won't be open again until 7pm due to a regular class, but we do have a cafe area where you'd be welcome to wait if you wish," is my question? I get seriously cheesed off with bad service but why do all our council gyms seem to hire po faced auld hags with a serious case of authorit-itis? Everywhere we go - no matter how polite we are, it's the same crap.
So I had 30min in which to calm my rage. This passed painfully slowly in the warm and child infested 'cafe' (vending machine hell) area; we then raced to the gym door and queued for entry. Damn glad we did as apparently everyone in a 20mile radius turns up at 7pm on the dot. Having secured a running machine (I'd happily have scythed people down by this point) I decided to see what I could do. Maybe, just maybe, a sub25min 5k was possible.
1st mile in 8.10 @ 1.5% (for fun)
2nd mile in 8.00 @ 1.5%
0.1 of a mile still at 1.5%
Last mile at 1% (because I'm weak) - and I did have to slow for 0.1 of a mile to 8.20 pace instead of 8.
5K total time 24.55
A new best. A best I'm really pleased with. A best that hurt like hell. 12min faster than my first ever 5k. My only other thought - well, that's this weeks speed session take care of!
TheO nipped along the corridor - declared the gym "packed" - so we left to go and get the shopping done. We returned at 6:30 to be told by a dead pan receptionist that: "the gym is ALWAYS closed on a Tuesday night from 6:15 - 7pm". Now, this may be the case but why we should know their feckin' timetable is beyond me. Why she couldn't phrase it something like: "Unfortunately the gym won't be open again until 7pm due to a regular class, but we do have a cafe area where you'd be welcome to wait if you wish," is my question? I get seriously cheesed off with bad service but why do all our council gyms seem to hire po faced auld hags with a serious case of authorit-itis? Everywhere we go - no matter how polite we are, it's the same crap.
So I had 30min in which to calm my rage. This passed painfully slowly in the warm and child infested 'cafe' (vending machine hell) area; we then raced to the gym door and queued for entry. Damn glad we did as apparently everyone in a 20mile radius turns up at 7pm on the dot. Having secured a running machine (I'd happily have scythed people down by this point) I decided to see what I could do. Maybe, just maybe, a sub25min 5k was possible.
1st mile in 8.10 @ 1.5% (for fun)
2nd mile in 8.00 @ 1.5%
0.1 of a mile still at 1.5%
Last mile at 1% (because I'm weak) - and I did have to slow for 0.1 of a mile to 8.20 pace instead of 8.
5K total time 24.55
A new best. A best I'm really pleased with. A best that hurt like hell. 12min faster than my first ever 5k. My only other thought - well, that's this weeks speed session take care of!
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