How good things come out of being open to new possibilities - at the fitness centre.

The outdoors, my kind of "gym"...but wait, there may be other possibilities!

I will admit that I had a preconceived image of such places - from years ago. They were often tucked into a strip mall - with the pool hall, the fish 'n chip take-out, and the "smoke and gift" store. They seemed so claustrophobic and "indoors", so enclosed, so airless. I imagined that they were filled with sweaty, protein supplement-swigging posers, "pumping iron" in front of mirrors amidst a sea of fearsome looking equipment -  begging to be immersed in a tank of hand sterilizer! The "Fitness Centre".

And after all, I was different from them. I exercised outdoors. I breathed in deeply the fresh, chilled air of the mountain trails and the dense oxygenated air of the ocean. I rode on a real bike. My "quads" were nurtured on steep, rocky hills. My well-defined calves were honed on the forest trails, clambering over fallen trees and river rocks. My biceps...OK, so my biceps are nothing to write home about. But you get the point. I got my workout in the real world. Outside.

But when you're nursing a running injury, you gotta do what you gotta do. Right? Of course.

Thanks to the gentle urging of a friend, and her generous offer of a trial membership, we were introduced to a brand new fitness facility in town. A quick tour did, indeed, whet the appetite. Hmm. The air inside was fresh and cool. The equipment sparkled and moved oh-so-smoothly. The folks there, looked, well, pretty normal. No weird clothes, no grunting and groaning. There wasn't even any "sweat" in evidence - maybe just a little healthy perspiration. The music was invigorating. There were no line ups for any piece of equipment. The staff were relaxed, friendly, and very professional.

Yes, I'd give this a try.

And I did - the next day. Running on the treadmill didn't even aggravate the achilles. That means getting back to running - one precisely measured percent of grade at a time. Gentle progress means healing. The exercise machines - pure science. Add the expertise and motivation of a personal trainer - I can already feel those biceps awakening!

And, once again, there was the reminder - good things come out of being open to new experiences and opportunities. Hard to imagine the down side of that. The fitness centre - I'm in! :)

Duncan.

Image: Trail running in Banff National Park - a favourite place, and an old hometown.