Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Modest goals

I went to the gym tonight. Normally, that wouldn't be very interesting, but during the institutes we start early and leave late, so it can be hard to find time to work out. One of my coworkers is a morning person and is happy to work out at 5 am or other ungodly hours, but I can't do that. Unlike my dad, I do wake up fully human in the morning; unlike my mom, I'm not perky at that hour.

I was actually the only person at the gym when I got there, although another woman did come in while I was there. The owner said it was always that quiet in the evening. The gym is pretty new, and it must be a hard sort of business to start up. It's not like, say, a shoe or bagel or hat emporium, where anyone could stop in and buy a small amount of the goods. Even among the audience of people who 1) actually go to the gym 2) think your gym has enough amenities but isn't too expensive and 3) find your location to be convenient, a lot of those people will be in membership contracts elsewhere and unable to switch. I would think it would take a year or two for your potential clientele to even evaluate your product. And it's not like you can start business slowly; you can't start with one treadmill and build up. So, yeah, it's quiet there sometimes, although evenings right after work it's pretty busy.

The main point is, I did get my workout in, even if was a shorter one. This is a good thing with all the stress and food of the institutes. I don't suppose I'm keeping up with the group of my fellow students who is trying this 12-week-to-triathlete-status crazy workout program - but then, I don't really want to do a triathlon.

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