Should Be Ringing in My Ears

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So I'm on the elliptical trainer at the gym this afternoon. I work out at the Miramar Air Station and thus am typically surrounded by active duty Marines and veterans. I'm sometimes self-conscious of my roundness because everyone there has a hard body. They're fit...semper fit. But today, I'm feelin' alright. I'm coming off a productive weekend. A 7-miler on Saturday morning, followed by an hour of Pilates. On Sunday, infused with an extra hour of sleep, I managed two hours of steady running around the Ranch with no problem (and no Gatorade...but that's for another entry).

So there I am with my MP3 player blasting Public Enemy through tiny ear plugs and me pumping my arms faster than my legs when I start to notice the other guys in the gym notice me. I play it cool and look away like I'm working hard, just totally into my workout. I may have even closed my eyes for effect. Occasionally one of them looks at me as I turn over my legs to the beat, trying to privately outpace the guy next to me. He looks like he can benchpress 300 pounds and wears a T-shirt that says, "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body." That's a popular slogan around this place.

I finish my maximum 30 minutes, feel a little lightheaded and decide to head home instead of doing another 30 minutes on the stationary bike or rowing machine. On my way out, I pull my cell phone out of my shorts pocket and notice I missed a call.

That's when it dawned on me. Those guys must have heard my Modest Mouse ringtone (on Level 4 loudness, no less!) coming from my thigh. And there was me, not only oblivious but doing my best tough impression. Needless to say, I felt my face heat up and began to sweat all over again.

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