snow day

Given the recent weather, it was clear that we weren't going to get our 20-mile run in today. This had both of us feeling worried. But the 8 or so inches of snow... and that fact that crappy LA Fitness STILL hasn't opened in Ballard means that we would either have to drive to the one up in Shoreline or try and catch a bus to the one down on Westlake. Neither was very appealing.

Wil had the idea that we should try to buy a day pass -- or a week pass -- at one of the Ballard health clubs and just work out there. A little googling and I found a 15-day free pass to Olympic Health Club, which I have always shunned because their "joining fee" is really, really high. But with a free pass.... well, we couldn't resist. We bundled up and slowly walked to the gym.

Got there, had a tour of the crazy layout of this hotel-turned-gym, and then got in a run. I had to stop at the halfway point and slow down to a walk as my right foot was hurting, but after 5 minutes of walking I was able to speed back up. We decided not to shower at the gym -- not wanting to go out in the cold with wet hair -- so got changed and then went downstairs. The membership guy hadn't been there when we arrived (given the snow), but we spoke to him on the way out. He was everything the cheezy/sleazy guy from LA Fitness wasn't: professional, calm, open... honest. There wasn't a "hard sell", a "this deal runs out this weekend", etc. It was a "here's our December/January special, here's what it costs". Simple.

So, unexpectedly, we are now considering swapping gyms. Now we just have to figure out how to cancel our membership at LAFitness as quickly as possible.

Sigh.

Walked around the market after our workout, buying a couple of things from the vendors who had braved the trip. No, we didn't *need* potatoes, but if you drive from Colville to Ballard, I'm going to buy potatoes from you. Lovely blue potatoes. Purple mash, here I come!