LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 02: General Manager of Kensington Leisure Centre Martin Marshall cleans gym equipment as a man runs on a treadmill on the first day of re-opening after the latest lockdown ended, on December 02, 2020 in London, England. Last night MPs voted in favour of government proposals to enter England into a tiered system of lockdown beginning at midnight. Residents of Tier Two – High Alert can socialise with anyone they live with or who is in their support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place. Outdoors they must observe the rule of six. Pubs and bars must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals and must close between 11pm and 5am with last orders called at 10pm. Organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes will be permitted if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with. Schools remain open. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Last March when there was uncertainty of what a potential global pandemic could mean, I was running on a treadmill listening to DABABY with a sort of uneasy feeling about everything that was going on. While I normally get into a zone when I run to clear my mind, I couldn't shake this. It was an obvious distraction that had me thinking about other distractions like the toilet paper and cleaning product shortage. This day in early March of 2020 is when reality really set in. Up until that day we were going to the gym four times a week right after work. We always knew how busy it was going to be and knew familiar faces. On this day, hardly anyone was there and we didn't recognize a single person. That was our last day at the gym for a year.
About two weeks ago my wife and I decided to renew our gym membership. It was a dollar to renew and $10.00 a month after and we were ready enough to go back. After all, most of the only lifting I had done for the last year was either a cup or bottle, and to add weight I put them in a koozie. At least I was running to the fridge to grab said can or bottle. Anyway, when we arrived at the gym last Saturday it was bizarre. There were plexiglass dividers everywhere, machines were set up in a way that only allowed you to use every other machine, and when you were roaming the floor you had to wear a mask. Once we checked in, we received our own bottle of disinfectant and away we went. We only ran but it didn't take any time at all to get back into programming our run on the treadmill, setting it for 30 minutes, and hoping just one leg cramped up. For about the first five minutes I just kept looking around the gym remembering how I felt a year ago. While this run was a little weird, I was able to zone out and sweat out everything from the last year. It all smelled like tequila and taquitos.
I'm so happy to be back.
