Apolo Ohno’s Silver Speed Skates, 2002

Yea I know, they are not exactly sneakers, but they are silver. Silver Sneakers is a fitness program that we get through our Medicare coverage. I exercised this benefit for the first time today. The Heights is our local community center and I worked out in its gym for an hour. The Heights is currently undergoing a major renovation. The pool, track, basketball court and locker rooms are all closed, but the weight room is still open and I used the machines there. I mainly used the tread mills, but also some of the weight machines. Being my first visit, I tried to take it easy, expecting to get muscle soreness no matter what. Construction is scheduled to be completed early next year. During my mid-morning visit most of the other patrons looked like they were also Silver Sneakers members. This program allows us access to many other fitness centers too. I think next time I’ll tryout the nearby YMCA. It has a pool, which is probably not closed. I hope that working out this winter will help with my health and fitness next year.

I’ve watched a movie, Brittany Runs a Marathon (Amazon Prime) that tells the story of a young woman who turns her life around as she prepares to run the NYC marathon. Based on a true story, Brittany is an overweight party animal who is starting to get health warnings from her doctor. She starts small, barely running a city block, but persevering through many setbacks and with the help of her friends eventually finds herself lining up on the day-of-days at the starting line of the NYC marathon. Throughout the movie Brittany struggles with her own self image, always being her worst critic, often self destructively. In the end the movie is inspirational, offering a path forward, by following in her footsteps.