The gym. I have never wanted to join an indoor sweatbox of exercise more than I wanted to join a gym this winter. I had heard that an elliptical trainer might not hurt my foot and would imitate the benefits and form of running. It is no secret that a humongous part of the running bug for me lives in the emotional effects, the adrenaline rush and the joy in having a solid chunk of outdoor time to myself--even if it is frigid cold. It clears my head right out and lets me center. Well, since February, I have tried just about every form of exercise that won't kill my foot. Yoga and dance and weight lifting and running stairs and walking; none came close to the ease and efficiency of running. With a little begging, I finally scored a gym pass from work.
My first day at the gym, I was the girl who asked the person next-door, "How do you work this thing?" Now I am a gym person.
Well, sort of.
I still close my eyes when I run on the elliptical, and pretend I am somewhere with wind. I have been rowing lately, and that swoosh! really helps to remove me from the gym walls. I will definitely try the real deal once the weather warms. Recently, I have been caught slowly panning around from bikeriders to stair masters to weight lifters to treadmillers, just taking in all the faces as they too, exercise earnestly in place. Most of these people are at the gym every day with me; 6:00a, 6:30a. They are total troopers and some are downright badass. But in my head, I play a funny animation, where I try to free them all from their gerbil wheels. "Be free!" I say. "Run free! Run in the rain, in the snow, and let the wind blow you down the street at superman speed! Run past people and over puddles, climb real stairs and fly so fast that no one will see what you are wearing or care to even look. Own the streets in a blur of panting and passing noise. Go, be free..unless, of course you are injured, like me." And that's when I close my eyes and appreciate that I have a place to go early in the morning or late at night, with a machine committed to keeping my foot steady. Until I can break out into the breeze, thank you gym.
