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The weather, I've decided, is not a good enough excuse to slack off on the half-marathon training. I've been keeping up pretty well so far, but it came to a point where I either needed to suck it up and train in the heat or join a gym.

I joined a gym.

It's a small neighborhood gym, and it wasn't very busy the day I went to sign up. The first day I worked out there, though, I was reminded of the types of people who make up gym culture.

There's Guy Who Shows Off His Guns by Wearing Muscle Shirts. He can be found in the free-weight area, near the bench press. If he's not lifting, he's scrutinizing the other Muscle Shirt Men who are. Then, after they're done, they walk around aimlessly. (What they're actually doing is displaying their muscles to the rest of us. The rock music we can hear from their ear buds is that loud on purpose so we'll pay attention).

Then there's Guy/Girl Who Chooses Machines Where He/She Can Watch Him/Herself. Look for these people positioned in front of a space that offers a reflection. I have a hard time figuring these folks out.

My intimidator: Older Lady in Much Better Shape Whom I Avoid Working Out Next To. She's just there minding her own business. I'm panting on the elliptical while she moves fluidly. I'm sweating on the treadmill; she doesn't have (or need) a towel. I go to the water fountain when I'm finished; she does something awesome — like regular push-ups (not even the girly kind!) — before finishing up. Lady, you rock, but please work out far away from me. Thanks.

My amusement: College Chick Who is Clearly Just There to Flirt With the Trainers. You've seen her. She's modeling some Spandex getup and chatting with the dudes in the staff T-shirts. She does a lot of stretching and maybe some squats against the wall with that big exercise ball.

She'll get on a machine every so often but stops as soon as she feels a sweat coming on. She gives out hugs to all the trainers before she leaves.

I don't fall into any of these categories. I'm just one of the Regular People. Some of us will graduate into a category one day and some of us won't. For now, you can find us doing the best we can.