Some years we don't get any real snow in Portland, so when we got this light dusting we did our best to play in it. There wasn't enough for real sledding, but when you have a big brother who will push you down the hill you don't really need snow!
Weird, right? That's ME up there. ME doing something that requires something akin to athletic ability. I find the whole thing quite odd, but it's working so I'm sticking with it. Last summer I decided that since Eliza was approaching 3 it might be time for me to get serious about losing the baby weight. Because really, if she's 3, then isn't it more like preschooler weight? In a moment of weakness I purchased a Living Social deal for a new gym in Portland. Not really a gym, actually, they didn't have a location yet they just hosted workouts in public parks. They do a combination of agility training (think boot camp) and strength training (think CrossFit and Olympic-style weightlifting). I liked the outside idea; it seemed like if I wanted to run away it would be easier to sneak off. A couple of months after buying the deal I thought it might work better if I actually redeemed the deal and started attending classes. So I checked the website for the park address, hauled myself out of bed at 5am one morning, and off I went. I got to the park a few minutes early and waited for people who looked like they might be there to work out. There was a man in a sleeping bag under a bench but I counted him out. Then there were two guys sitting at a table drinking coffee and I decided they were either waiting for a bus or waiting for a murder victim; not wanting to volunteer in case the latter was the case, I waited at the other end of the park.
I was very annoyed when class time came and the coaches still weren't there. I hate it when things don't start on time. Don't people respect other people's time anymore? Sheesh. But then the time got longer and longer and there was only one rational conclusion: somehow the coaches knew I wasn't going to be good enough for their class and so they were ditching me. Logical, right? So like a teenager being stood up for a date, I picked up my dignity and threw it in the back of the car and cried the whole way home. It took so much emotional energy to sign up and attend an exercise class and having it not happen was more than I was up for.
I got home and Jerel saw me crying and said "Why are you crying?" So I told the whole sad story. And then Jerel said, "Okay. But why are you crying?" It's funny now, but it wasn't really at the time. And he was serious. In his mind I hadn't even had to do the hard thing I was dreading, so it was more like a GOOD thing had happened. I tried to explain about how the hard part was the getting up and going for the first time, and now I'd have to do all of that over again. I don't think he got it.
Anyway, it was all a mix-up and the coaches had forgotten to update their website. It was totally their fault and they felt so terrible they gave me an extra free week of classes. (Really? I didn't even want to go once, nevermind a whole extra week!) But now I've been going for about 6 months, they have opened their indoor location, and against all odds I actually like it. Don't get me wrong, I hate it. I would rather sleep. Or crochet. Or go to the dentist. Etc. But for some reason it works for me. It's full of all these tough, strong, athletic people who do crazy things like cyclocross and 50-mile races and sports I haven't heard of. They use this gym to prepare them for those crazy things. I use the gym to prepare me to stay home all day. And even though I really shouldn't fit in at this place (there are also a lot of Portland-style diverse people, not so many Utah-style conservatives) I feel like I do so I keep going. I go in the morning 4 times a week; Jerel goes into work late on the days I go. It's a long drive--30 minutes each way--and I do realize there are gyms closer, but I figure if this one is working for me I'll stick with it.
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