Happiness is a morning workout

Carolyn E. Wehde

Carolyn E. Wehde

So many times I drag myself out of bed (sometimes literally), look longingly at my nice, comfy cocoon of blankets and then glare bleary eyed at the clock all the while wondering, what possessed me to get up this early? Unfortunately it’s then I remember: I wanted (or needed) to go work out. This is also when I question my own sanity because sleep definitely sounds like the winning option. My roommate is disturbingly cheerful and chipper and only laughs at me as I slowly put one foot in front of the other, although she might slide in a series of cynical one-liners mocking me, if she’s tempted. During the 15 minutes it takes to walk to the Wellness Center, we keep up a running conversation, and I contribute oh so energetically with a three-word max answer that would make a guy proud (sorry guys).

With my fourth year of collegiateness slowly slipping by like fog, I have noticed a few things, like the Wellness Center is almost always in a catacomb-like state in the early morning. However, my running theory on that is proving me wrong. I can’t decide if it’s a brand-new building with more cool stuff to play on that’s attracting more early birds or if people are more motivated to beat back the freshman 15 and the sophomore 20 this year.

In any case, I preferred it when it was empty. You could run around without accidently running someone over . . . well, there was that one time but she only got a bruise from the encounter . . . relax, I’m only kidding.

Thankfully, I don’t encounter many people I actually know (versus recognizing the regulars) and by the time I convince my body to let go of the comatose stage and actually try being somewhat conscious and coherent, I’m ready to do some talking.

I must admit, when it comes to running on the track, I’m not very good at running in between the lines, I tend to drift, which gets me into trouble when I start to do more than graze the protective railing. Really, I’m not trying to get someone’s attention on the main floor. I’m just close to putting myself over the edge to practice the art of free-falling.

But the one thing that amuses me most about the gym is the mirrors. You can watch people without actually watching them and setting off their internal creeper alarm. I admit, I’m guilty of the crime, but there’s more entertainment value to watch someone in the mirror and to see them realize that they’ve been caught. It’s like the kid getting caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. Although I momentarily despise myself for trudging to the gym so early every day, I do enjoy working out, even if it means sharing the same air space with more people.