My eyes narrowed, my breath came in ragged gasps. It turns out it’s harder to run on a treadmill than it looks.
My new year’s resolution this year was to do some running. But it’s been too cold. Under ninety degrees is not something I like to run in. Brrr! So my dad took me to a gym. See? I have a great dad.
So it looked easy enough. I hopped on the treadmill and started to run. I proceeded to crash into the handlebars and equipment. Dad was laughing his head off.
“You have to turn it on!” He howled.
So I did! I turned it on. I still ran into the equipment.
Dad helped me turn the speed up. Then I was really running! The artificial wind from the fan blowing through my hair. The pound pound pound of my feet hitting the treadmill. It was good. It was too slow.
I clicked the green up arrow a couple times until I was sprinting! Now we were getting somewhere!
Not literally. I was staying in the same spot the whole time, which kinda defeats the purpose of running. Dad always tells me to challenge myself, so I hit the big red button that said “Top Speed.”
Turns out, that speed is only manufactured with the hope a cheetah will buy a treadmill.
I ran as fast as I could! But I slowly moved backwards on the treadmill, I suddenly wondered what would happen if…
I jumped up, and when I landed, I planted my feet. I went flying through the air, my feet leading the way. And the rest of me trailing behind them. Remember when I got chased by that dog a while ago? I’m clearing my vocal chords again.
I crashed into some mats that were stacked up.
Which was good because right behind that was a pile of large metal weights.
Ouch!
My dad quickly grabbed me and mumbled that I would just have to get cold.
Anyways, it turns out that the guy moving the mats had stopped for a drink of water at the water station. If he hadn’t, I would have crashed into the weights! It reminds me about how Jesus said that He is the water of life in John 4:10-14.
He said that whoever drinks the water of life will never thirst again.
But I’m glad it doesn’t mean literally never thirst, or I would be toast!
Rose S., 15, Minnesota
