1) Scope out what's behind the treadmill - Is it more treadmills? Stay away, those will likely fill up and possibly with people who know what they are doing. Elliptical? Bingo, people come and go and they usually are fake working out, either they don't know what they are doing so they aren't really judging me or they are there for the show and will done in a few minutes (if you go to the gym and use an elliptical I retract all previous statements, I am sure you are working hard).
2) Find something closer to an end but not the last one in a line - My observations have proven that people walk in and automatically scope out the middle of the pack, no reason to start their workout with a laugh. Also, the person at the end is usually observed for multiple minutes by anyone who is waiting for a treadmill to open up. You get that "I know someone is watching me feeling" and if you are like me you can't deal with the pressure and start looking all shifty eyed and probably run a little to far to the right a couple of times and step on the part of the treadmill that isn't actually moving...problems. If you aren't in the center and aren't the one on the end you just blend in...perfect.
3) Find the best t.v. - Sports are crucial for me. These people are most definitely working much harder than me for a substantially longer time period so I am motivated to be at least 1/100th the athlete they are. While I prefer basketball this is applicable with all sports, recently I have been watching the Winter X games an have been surprised by the motivation snow sleds and snowboarders bring.
In summary, Who is forced to look at your rear-end? Am I making it easy for someone to observe my workout? and What am I looking at?
These questions will not make you run faster or for longer but if thats what you are looking for you aren't reading the right running blog...see blog name.
