Go Time | Blog | Midtown Athletic Club

In high school and college, I was the classic bookworm. I studied. I co-edited my high school paper and wrote for my college one. I read stacks of books and wrote short stories and poetry. I ate whatever I wanted, and didn’t give much thought to what I was putting into my body. My eating habits were awful. I was the only vegetarian I knew who didn’t eat vegetables.

One day, I stepped on the scale and was horrified by the number staring back at me. I turned to my sister, a long-time runner, and asked her about her sport. She encouraged me to lace up my sneakers and get back into shape. That was almost seven years ago.

I ran 30 miles a week and was in the best shape of my adult life. Running had given me back my strength, my energy, and my body. I was addicted. On the one day a week I did not run, I felt as if I had accidentally worn my slippers to Wegmans. Something was just off.

I set a goal to train for a half-marathon.

Of course, my journey has had detours. My detours are now three and 17 months old.

In 2006 my daughter was born, and 30 miles a week, plus a full-time job, plus freelance work was no longer possible. Instead, I ran 20 a week, and while it wasn’t enough, it had to be enough.

Image Courtesy of Timtak

In 2008, my twins were born. And a life that seemed chaotic before their arrival suddenly morphed into the very definition of mayhem. Running was squeezed into the crevices. Five miles one week, fifteen the next, and three the week after that. I had no schedule. No rhythm. And certainly no speed. They had colic for six months. I functioned on less than five hours of broken sleep a night until well past their first birthday.

My runs suffered.

And in October of last year, I stopped running. We moved. I had taken on a number of large freelance projects. I had three children under the age of three. I told myself that there wasn’t time. That I would start again soon. That there would be plenty of time for running in the future.

It was the wrong decision.

Running makes me a better writer. It makes me a better mother. It makes me a better human being. It is something that is mine, and mine alone. Whether I am on a deserted road or on the treadmill at Midtown surrounded by fellow runners, I am completely centered, focused, and driven. My outside distractions, my kids, my deadlines, my mountainous piles of laundry cease to matter in the slightest.

I needed to find a way to bring running back into my life.

In February, I joined Midtown. The club has, in many ways, given me back my life. I am “me” again.

I drop off my children in Kidtown, where a wonderfully kind, patient, and dedicated staff takes incredible care of them. I can complete my runs knowing that they are in a safe and fun environment, which means so much to me. The social scene of the club is something I’m looking forward to enjoying as well. My family and I attended the Bunny Brunch recently, and we all had a blast.

And the half-marathon plans are back on. I’m running in the Rochester Half-Marathon in September.

My Midtown story isn’t that different from yours, minus, perhaps, the Twinsanity. Each of you has made healthy living a priority. Each of you belongs to Midtown (or would like to) for a reason. Whether it’s the pursuit of a lifestyle change, a fitness goal you want to attain, or a sport you want to perfect, Midtown is serving an important purpose, and I would love to hear about it. Write a comment, use the form on the Contact page, or send me an email at Kristi@meetme-atmidtown.com.

This blog is for you, Midtown’s members and future members. It will feature member profiles, an “Ask the Trainer” series, commentary on current health news, and special posts, such as “Midtown’s Best-Kept Secrets,” which will highlight aspects of the club you might not know about. And of course, I want to hear your ideas, too. If you have a suggestion for a post on this blog, please share it.

Welcome to your blog. I hope you’ll return often.

Comments: (10)

1 COMMENT FROM Mom24@4evermom April 7, 2010 at 7:20 am

I’m very, very jealous. I’ve never been a runner, and in truth, I have no desire to be, but I do love working out in a gym. I love it for so many of the same reasons you love blogging, but most of all because it feels good to concentrate on me and let everything else fall away for a while. Alas, where I live, the rec center we belong to, does not have a great childcare facility and it makes it impossible for me to get there at a time that works for me and my family.

Kuddos to Midtown for realizing how integral good childcare is to a gym.

Glad you found you.

2 COMMENT FROM Lisa April 7, 2010 at 3:58 pm

As a wellness coach and college instructor, I am exposed daily to the reasons people have for and against making fitness a part of their lives. One of the strangest (and most common) things I hear is that people don’t want to spend the money on a gym membership (but they’ll drop $80 in an evening on cocktails or over $100 a month on cable TV). Having money be a barrier is often symbolic of the priority a person places on their wellness (or their secret/unknown desire for barriers). I have a membership to Midtown. I do not have cable TV.

I like Midtown for several reasons:
1. It’s clean
2. The equipment works
3. People who go there totally “get it” that fitness is essential
4. The locker room is always clean and doesn’t smell like corn chips!

Atmosphere is important. Midtown has it—It makes me want to be there, and that makes me work out more often.

3 COMMENT FROM Kristi April 7, 2010 at 7:03 pm

Mom24-Midtown is really a family-oriented club, and they realize that good childcare is a big deal for parents who want to stay healthy. I’m sorry your rec center doesn’t make this a priority.

And I completely understand about the need to focus on yourself. I think everyone needs to do this where health and wellness are concerned.

Lisa- I could not agree more. Investing in a health club membership is investing in yourself and in your health. The benefits far exceed the cost of the monthly membership, whose dollar amount, incidentally, is nothing compared to what you will spend on medical bills if you don’t take care of your body.

Thank you for sharing the reasons you enjoy Midtown. The positive atmosphere of the club can’t be beat.

4 COMMENT FROM Mom24@4evermom April 7, 2010 at 7:49 pm

Oops! That was supposed to be running.

5 COMMENT FROM Paul April 9, 2010 at 12:16 am

Hi Kristi

I am 42 years old. I will be 43 on June 1st. I smoked for just shy of 30 years.

A little over 2 weeks ago, my son caught me in mid-drag. He’s 3, and for 3 years I kidded myself into thinking smoking was OK as long as I didn’t do it around him.

3 days later. I quit.

5 days later, I walked into Midtown for the first time. I joined.

I estimate that I have tried to quit smoking between 70 and 90 times in the last 30 years. The longest I ever made it was 11 days. To be fair, I quit for a year and a half in high school, but at that point I was not addicted to nicotine, so I don’t even count that.

I had promised Robbie years before he was ever born that I would quit when I had kids. I promised his Mom, now my ex-wife, that I would quit before we got married.

I really meant to. And I really tried. Hard. And, at least by my standards, often.

But when my 3-year-old saw me with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth, it was too much. It probably helped that my Dad had his latest in a series of heart attacks on March 1st.

I’ve also been “slender” all my life. I have a narrow frame, and have always been thin. My lifelong friend, nicotine, is also a famous appetite suppressant.

When people look at me, they don’t see someone who “looks” out of shape. I’m 5’8″ and, at least two weeks ago, was 150 lbs.

But I was becoming a fat thin guy. The spare tire had started a couple of years ago, and my 6% body fat at age 22 had ballooned to over 20% by age 40. My guess is it’s probably around 25% now.

I don’t know all the reasons why I was finally ready to quit smoking. I don’t even know why I feel a sudden urgency to take care of my health that I never felt before. Probably the classic “mid-life crisis.”

That’s OK. Sure beats buying a Corvette and a toupee.

But I do know that fact that I have quit and joined Midtown means I have gone from destroying my health every day, to doing something positive for it every day.

If you are smoking and you have not been able to quit, know this: your quit day will come. Help will come from outside yourself (but it will still be the hardest physical thing you ever do), and you will make it.

If you have quit, and have found a better way through fitness, I’d love to hear about it. My son is my inspiration, but he can use some help. So can I.

All the best,

Paul

6 COMMENT FROM Kristi April 9, 2010 at 1:17 pm

Paul,

You deserve to be commended for quitting smoking. I am very familiar with your struggle. My father has smoked for over 40 years. I wish every day that he would quit. I want him to see his grandchildren grow up.

Kudos to you for making such an important life decision – to choose health for your own sake as well as for your son’s. I can only imagine how difficult this is for you, but you have made an inspiring and a powerful choice, and it’s a battle you will be able to win.

I truly hope that this is the last time you will struggle to quit smoking. I hope discovering the benefits of a healthy lifestyle at Midtown translates into a better future for you and your son.

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story.

7 COMMENT FROM Mike April 9, 2010 at 3:12 pm

Love your story. Nothing like mine, yet somehow it is my story as well.

About 4 years ago I weighed 300 pounds (I’m a 5’11″ man). I had lost my job, lost my relationship and everything in my life was a mess. I joined a gym (not Midtown . . . not quite the place for the recently unemployed) and got to work and soon I was running daily. This morphed into 5k races and eventually marathons (5 so far). The running really fed my competitive juices.

Over the course of several years I dropped down to 190# and felt amazing. The career is back on track and better than before and I have a new wonderful person in my life. Yet, over the past year as the economy has taken a hit, my life has taken a similar spiral downward. I work more hours than ever, I hardly see my partner, and I’ve gained about 30# of the 100 I originally lost.

I joined Midtown last fall and the first few months were great, but I’ve totally lost my drive and focus. I have a marathon coming up in two months and I’m hardly prepared to run it. For me it is all about making choices and taking care of myself. I hope to turn the corner soon and start making ‘me’ a priority and get back out on the road!!!

Long live running!!!

8 COMMENT FROM Kristi April 9, 2010 at 7:35 pm

Mike-Congrats on your weight loss! That is a huge accomplishment, and something you should feel very proud of.

I can relate to losing motivation. At times, it is incredibly difficult for me to arrange my schedule to get my runs in. I do not have a set time that I run each day (although I certainly would like one), but instead it’s a constant juggling act to find the time to run. I often think how much easier it would be to just throw up my hands and quit again.

But then I remember why I started running again. How much better I feel. How great it feels to put myself first, at least for an hour or two a day.

Making “you” a priority again is so important, and I hope you can find your motivation again soon. Good luck in your marathon!

9 COMMENT FROM Melissa April 10, 2010 at 9:07 am

I’m just now starting to make running a habit. I currently run two miles a day and hope to stretch that to five. But I feel the same as you: when I am running, everything else ceases to exist. I can feel my body changing – growing healthier and stronger – and it’s an addictive feeling.

Keep up the good work, Kristi!

10 COMMENT FROM Kristi April 10, 2010 at 12:18 pm

Melissa-You will be surprised how easily you can tack on miles to your runs if you stick with it. Good luck with your program!