The Gym

A few weeks ago I came to terms with the fact that if I was going to keep this running thing going, I was going to have to join the gym.  Why?  Because of darkness!  A few months ago I thought I could solve this problem by simply wearing a headlamp and carry on as usual.  But darkness brings more than the absence of light.  It brings out people who don't want to be seen in daylight.  I'm at a certain age and I simply don't want to deal with things that can be potentially dangerous like falling down or being hurt in some way. So the headlamp has moved out of my running gear and gone into the camping supplies.  And I am making regular trips to Club One.  The first trip was one of the most painful things I have done in quite a while.  Running on a treadmill is just boring compared to being outside in the fresh air.  But I wasn't ready for the heat.  I did a 6 mile run and walked out of that place soaked.  Since then, I had to recover from the Healdsburg Half Marathon so it meant I wasn't doing that much running.  The good news is that I have been able to rebuild my distance again on the treadmill.  I am learning what to "watch" while I run.  One of the most enjoyable runs I've had so far was watching the final presidential debate.  That would have been painful no matter what I was doing, so why not get a run in while you're at it.

The next step of my gym journey was to meet with a trainer.  I wasn't looking forward to this but I also knew I needed to balance my running with some strength training.  All I wanted was for him/her to just hand me a program and let me go on my merry way.  But that was not to be.  Oh no.  They want to get to know you and weasel you into a training program.  So along the way they did some evaluation - weight, blood pressure, measurement of different parts of the body, bicep strength, squats, and pushups.  I knew that I was in better shape than I have ever been before but I had no idea how that would play out in a numbers game.  My numbers kept coming up in the physically fit category and bordering on an athlete.  I have never thought of myself as an athlete so the term just made me giggle.  But when the measurement of my body fat came out at 19% I stood up and took notice.  And for my final smile of the night, the trainer informed me that my athletic age is not my chronological 58 but rather 54.  How about that?  A few months of run/walking and I just gained 4 years.  Awesome!