Can prudishness be a hindrance?

Met my friend TurtleBoy at his gym today. We had made a deal. I would run on Mr. TM beside him and he would visit Mr. Pool with me. First glitch, after TB's wake-up call, I fell back asleep, so that by the time I arrived at his gym, he was just finishing up his 18k run while I was just starting my ditsy little 5k. No matter, TB was patient and did stretches to keep me company.

I still can't get used to how boring and unnatural running on the treadmill is. I never feel like I own it, but rather it owns me. It's not at all like running outside, where I am my own master and free to go where I want and run however fast I want.

We went for a dip in the pool afterwards. Since this gym has been around a while, the pool felt like a throwback to the 40's ... very interesting, even had starting blocks off which racers would dive ... Swam for 45 min. at a pretty leisurely pace because I had had a hard swim workout the night before. Worked on my glide, which is finally coming along, I think. The ends of the pool came quickly though as the length is only 25yds., about 18m.

In the changeroom, I noticed a woman putting on mascara. She had been in the pool and was still in her bathing suit with a towel wrapped around her middle. I wondered if she had even taken a shower ... she probably had but just kept on her bathing suit.

Her locker was right by mine and we ended up getting dressed at the same time. It's interesting how different everyone's comfort level with nudity is. For example, there I am with everything hanging out ... what, so I've got just a few minutes of complete nudity - who cares! And there she is, her bathing suit half off, her towel still wrapped around her, her sweater already over her head and her shoulders and she's trying to put on her bra, but unsucessfully as it is twisted in the back. How cumbersome! All this because she's afraid to show even a smidgen of her naked bust. I wanted to offer to help untwist her bra and reclasp it, but was afraid she would be offended that I had even noticed her half-naked back.

She ducked into an empty part of the locker room and rearranged herself.

My question: How do people who are this uncomfortable about revealing their naked bodies deal with physical intimacy? I'm not knocking it, I just don't understand it at all ...

Alright, here's another observation. I just can't imagine the need to wear make-up when working out. There were several women who were wearing or putting on make-up in the locker room. This particularly poshe gym even has a room filled with vanity counters and mirrors. Maybe I'm just too much of a hard-core jockette. Or maybe I just don't have enough "pride" about my appearance ... Hmm ...

TB stuffed me full of great Chinese food after our workout. I knew I was satiated when I went to the Chinese bakery afterwards and stocked up on all sorts of desserts instead of the usual meat buns I like to get. And instead of being a good girl and making it to my spinning class, I headed home with the intention to cycle outdoors.

Got home, looked at my couch, and said, alright, just a little nap ... zzzz ... zzzz ... zzzz ... zzzz. Yup, four hours. Guess all that training I've been doing is catching up with me ...

Now my guilty conscience is thinking, should I go for a midnight tryst with Mr. SB? Stay tuned tomorrow for the update ...