The Breakfast Club

Wed, Feb 16
5:30am, Track at LifeCenter
Ran 35 minutes; 3.34 miles; Pace: 10'32"

Good run today! As I was running today I was people watching again as I am wont to do. It helps keep away boredom and it is just fun. Today I made special note of the different populations of folks that frequent the gym at this early morning hour and I thought I'd introduce them to you. First, let me start by saying that this is probably the most dedicated group of people who use the facility. I mean, by routinely coming to a gym at 5am takes a severe commitment (and maybe a touch of insanity). I also want to make mention of how friendly they all are. It is a special camaraderie that you can feel when you are there. It is like we are all in the same boat; there to get in our workout very early - it is something we have in common - in addition to the crazy gene, that is. So with that being said as a primer, here is the cast of characters who are a regular part of the early crew:

"Boot-Campers" - Well you have already met us in other blog entries. There are usually three of us - ladies in our late 30's and 40's (EARLY 40's!). We are there two days a week for this boot-camp class and we take no prisoners!

"Retired Racquetballers" - These are the gray heads that are bustin' it in the courts in pairs or even quads. They have the proper headbands, eyegear, towels and occasionally let out the loud grunts that echo as they slam or are slammed against the glass.

"Cardio Crew" - This is the group of men and women who work out in the special cardio room filled with treadmills and ellipticals. I'm not sure how those machines are different than the ones in the main cardio area, except that they are in a special room behind a closed door. Maybe they block out the noise? No clue, but there are definitely frequent flyers in there.

"Spinners" - Three mornings a week there is a spinning class that goes on. Now I have to admit I have never entered this area. It is shrouded with mystery for me as it is always very dark in the there, people are focused, the leader is intense, and the people always come out sweaty and whooped! Maybe I should try it!

"Middle-Aged Musclemen" - This is the group of men who are probably in their late 30's and 40's who are the lifters. They are usually partnered up and pretty much stay in the weight room. They are not overly big, but I imagine just trying to keep in shape and prevent or get rid of the middle-age bulge.

"Cross-trainers" - These dudes are similar to the musclemen, but a little bit more fit and/or hard core. There is a group of about 5 or 6 of regulars who do a variety of boot camp-esque exercises together. They use boxes, jump ropes, weights and variety of other interesting things to mix it up. They are a very friendly bunch to me and my fellow bootcampers. And their bootcamp "class" is free....hmmmm...

"The Skinny Minis" - These are the ladies who routinely read and use the stair climber, bike or other equipment for what appears for like 8 hours. They are skinny probably because they live at the club...but they get their reading in!

"Stretch-Arm-Strong" - This dude is a character and I have to call him out. He is an older gentlemen with super skinny grandpa legs and really long arms. When he stretched his arms out today he almost smacked me in the face on the track! He always wears supertight t-shirts and you can always find him drinking coffee in the lobby, post-workout.

"Track Runner" - There is this one woman who runs the track in the mornings with her iPod, and who occasionally belts out a song lyric as she is running. She is odd..and, oh wait...that's ME!

See, all of us in the Breakfast Club have our quirks. It must be the crazy gene.