Treadmills and Tetris

Laurie over at Quilting Rush posted about her new iPod and a run in she had with a treadmill while using her new iPod...which reminded me about the run in I had with my treadmill...

...let me back up a few years...

I am not a fan of exercising...in any way, shape or form. Hate it, don't have time for it, but I do it...ugh...just because I know I should, double ugh.

Now, because of my great distaste for this awful necessity of life I will go to great lengths to make it a bit more appealing to me....Walk with a friend (can't walk and talk!). Walk with the dog (he marked the whole town while I stood and waited on him). Swim laps (ugh, our town only has an outdoor pool and lap swimming is ONLY at 5 a.m.!!!). Go to CURVES (I loved it, the Dr said NO WAY!!). Use an exercise bike (oh my aching bottom!). Sweatin' to the Oldies (Richard and I parted company because he kept yelling!!! I don't need anyone to yell at me. And besides I don't think I could have done one more workout while seeing him in those red and white shorts GROSS!!!).

My friend had an awesome, and I do mean awesome, treadmill that she was no longer able to use (CHF). It has every bell and every whistle a treadmill could possibly want....inclines up to 20 different positions, safety clip to turn off in case of emergency, lap counter with little lights that light up as you walk your way around the track, speed control, heart beat monitor, counter to count your burned calories, blah, blah, blah....so we traded a day bed I had for her treadmill, we both came away thinking we had each gotten the better deal and I had totally found my exercise calling! I love my dream machine treadmill and it is the only thing I can honestly say I have stuck with all these years later, no I don't use it every dayn but I do get on there several times a week. It is set up in our guest room with the TV right in front of it. Oprah and I have a date several times a week and while she enlightens the world on various topics (did you see her show on poop? do you now wear the correct bra size?) I walk and walk and walk.

Every now and then Oprah has the nerve to broadcast a re-run or a topic that just isn't to my liking! So, instead of skipping the treadmill (which is my first inclination!!!) I dig out the Nintendo Tetris game...OH I LOVE TETRIS...I could play it for hours and hours and hours.

Nine or ten years ago I was playing Tetris while on the treadmill but the game was going faster than my walking and coordination was becoming a problem so I gave the speed button on the treadmill a couple of taps to get me walking a bit faster...I won that level on Tetris and was moved to a higer level and I was watching my lines disappear and my score go higher and higher...tapped the speed button to keep everything insinc, everything going smoothly...both my feet with the treadmill AND my mind and hands with the game.

New level...blocks dropping faster and faster, music playing faster and faster....the game was going better than any I had played in ages....keeping up with the treadmill...things are going good!

New level...oh my...things are speeding up...the music...the falling blocks...my feet and my mind...and now the controller in my hands is flipping here and there as I try to keep the game going .... oh gosh...I wish I could stop the treadmill so I could finish the game....faster ~ faster ~ faster...

All of the sudden my feet went out from under me...the treadmill is still going at a pretty good clip and I have just fallen on my knees...the back of the treadmill is up against the wall and my feet are caught between the end of the treadmill and the wall so I can't get off...the dang thing is moving fast...how in the world could I have walked that fast I will never know!

Here is the hilarious thing...the game is still going and I knew it was going to be my bestest of all bestest scores so I just kept on playing...I couldn't give up!!!!!....I just couldn't!!! So I continued to play with the skin being torn off my knees, elbows and just about everywhere else where there was exposed skin...

Ryan happened to be in the house at the time, heard me hollering and came to my rescue. I will never forget his young (16 yrs??) wisdom...."Mom, that is why they put this emergency shut off clip on there, so you can attach it to your clothing and if you should stumble and fall it shuts the rollers off."

For the longest time I wore my skinned knees with pride, after all I HAD beaten my best Tetris score ever!!