Much Exercised

I made it to another arbitrary exercise goal today on the Nordic-like machine: at least 2 miles and at least 350 cal. in 30 minutes. (The precise balance depends on the difficulty level and course pattern. I've been hitting the 350 cal. mark for a couple of weeks now, but making the distance was harder.) I figure it may be a few weeks before I can hit that consistently -- then I'll pick a different course or up the difficulty level and figure out what the next target will be. Motivations and goals are odd things. I'm continually amused by how badly the gym owner misfires every time he tries to give me encouragement. He means well, but he just doesn't get me. His encouragement is predicated on one of two erroneous assumptions: 1) I am uncertain of my own abilities and limits (this is the "Come on, you can do it" approach); or 2) I am seeking to please others (this is the "People must be commenting on how great you look" approach). For my part, I just don't get the whole notion of personal training sessions. Sure, it's useful to have someone show you the equipment and exercises, but why in the world would you need to have someone standing over you coaxing you to do every little thing? If you want to do it, then just choose to do it. And yet, it must work for some people.