Geriatric Gym

He likes the warm feeling but he's tired of all the dehydration
-The Hold Steady

We're talking about running, right?  As much as I enjoy the warm feeling of running outside, it's just too damn warm.  And so I joined a gym.  But I don't really want to go to the gym, I really want to run outside.  So instead of joining the nameless fitness center (that is open all day, all 24 hours in the day - by the way) that I visited last week, I decided to go a different route.  I joined a city rec center.  One year costs as much as a month at the other place.  They have treadmills - I'll be fine.

So I go today.  One of the things I don't like about going to the "real" gym in the middle of the day is that there are so many people there who prioritizie the gym over work (and not in the good way, like "I have a job, but they are pissing me off so I'm going to the gym" more in the "me lift weights, me no work" type of way).  Anyway - that wasn't the crowd I encountered at the rec center.  I walk in and there is a woman wearing jeans on the treadmill and she is holding court - asking everyone in the room if they watch some show.  I realize my trusty, fully-charged iPod is going to be my best friend today.  Except it isn't fully charged.  And it lasts about 10 minutes.  And so I heard lots of what she had to say - including how one of her friends really likes the man she is dating because he has a disabled placard and can park close to things.  Luckily, she eventually put on her sweater and left.  Which makes sense, since it was only 95 degrees out.  (Did I mention the crowd was a bit on the older side?)

Oh yeah, I ran on the treadmill.  I did incline intervals.  I ran at the same speed, but for 1/2 of each mile I ran at incline.  It was pretty good and fairly difficult.  4 miles.  Then I left - no sweater needed.