Will Run for Tasti D

On Wednesday nights from 8-9 PM, I go down to the gym and watch Crowned on the elliptical. Crowned is a really cheesy and embarrassing reality show on the WB, so my only justification for watching is if I do it on the elliptical. However, tonight when I went down, all the ellipticals were taken. And I’m way too embarrassed to head over to the treadmill area, where the TVs are communal, and ask everyone there if they mind if I put it on one of the three overhead TVs (the TVs on the ellipticals are those fancy ones that attach to the machine, so everyone gets their own). Instead, I went back up to my apartment, cooked and ate dinner while I watched, and planned to work out after. I was sitting on my couch after dinner, not really looking forward to working out, when I came up with an absolutely brilliant idea. I’m really not sure how I thought of it(perhaps Topher’s blog?), but let me tell you, it is absolute genius.

So – I wanted Tasti D Lite. But I hadn’t worked out. Also, I’ve been eating a few too many sweets for my own good lately. I called around to the Tasti D Lites nearest me to find out their flavors, and one had rice pudding. RICE PUDDING! The best Tasti D flavor of them all (or at least of the ones I’ve tried, which isn’t many because I tend to eat the same ones over and over). This Tasti D happens to be 0.7 miles from my apartment.

The solution? I threw on my workout gear, tucked a few dollars in my pocket, and ran. Oh, how I ran, all the while thinking about that dreamy white goodness that was awaiting me in 0.7 miles. But when I got to Tasti D, did I stop? Well, only long enough to gasp out “one small Rice Pudding flavor with a lid” and fork over a couple bucks. She gave me an inconspicuous little paper bag and I was on my way. (I just realized… something in the way I described that made it sound like a drug transaction. While my love for Tasti D Lite may border on obsession/addiction, a drug transaction it was not. Though maybe that’s how they got me so hooked on it…) Running, running, running home as fast as I could to savor the creamy deliciousness that I was carrying. All the while knowing I didn’t have to feel bad about treating myself: I had run (148 calories) more than I was about to eat (70 calories). Brilliant, I say. Someone should really start a franchise where you run on the treadmill and at set miles they bring you an amazing low-cal and delicious treat. I’m telling you, I could do this all day long and live a very happy life.

Now, if only I could find someone to sponsor my running at $2 per mile, this would truly be a guilt-free idea. Anyone?