Princess Fan Club

My first step to prepare for the princess half-marathon is to slim down.  I have been dedicated to the gym now since December, and truly hard-core since the first of the year.  I am very privileged to belong to an extremely nice gym, probably the best in town.  It is large (plenty of equipment including a pool), clean (locker rooms not excluded), well maintained (the equipment always works, from TVs to treadmills) and the staff is great.  

I go to the gym early--I am there by 5:30 AM for 90 minutes of cardio during the weekdays.  The crowd is small, only a handful of dedicated people.  Everyone is a regular.  Most of the group is older than I am, usually by several years.  There are some interesting personalities, and they are sort of fun to observe as I chug along on the elliptical or treadmill.

One thing I did not expect to get with my monthly membership is a fan club.  That's right, a fan club.  There is a group cheering me on every morning.  Since about the second week of January, they have been greeting me with good morning smiles and words of encouragement.  I get thumbs up when they think I can't hear them over my headphones.  Sometimes they even whip me with their sweat towels, which I could live without.  However, every day I get a "you are doing great" or "you can do it" or something of the sorts.   One of the guys, David, even referred to the group as my fan club one day.  I think he is the club president, he rallies the crowd every once in a while. 

At first, I must admit, I was mildly offended.   I am not really comfortable being someones special project or novelty.  But they are so genuine and supportive; I know it comes from the right place.  It is very motivating, and I am sincerely grateful.  Sometimes I am embarrassed by the attention, but again, at it's core it is sincere and motivating.  And really, deep inside, I don't think I am offended/embarrassed by them.  I am ashamed of myself--for allowing my fitness to get so poor and becoming the sort of person that could be some one's special project.

More than once at 5:00 AM, I have rolled over, turned off my alarm and for a brief moment, considered skipping the gym.  But then I remembered-- I can't disappoint my fans.

PS:  I will be out of the country next week.  I have a couple of posts scheduled, so please stop in!