Tourists

I've had some conversations and seen some posts about 'the tourists' at the gym, or the hordes of people that flock to the gym ripe with resolutions of getting in shape for the new year. It becomes next to impossible to find a parking spot and one has to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to any spin class in order to get a bike. Sure, it's a bit of a pain, but truly, the 'tourists' don't really bother me. First of all, I'd honestly feel like an asshole complaining about someone doing something to better themselves, even if it doesn't last past March. Also, if you consider yourself enough of a workoutaholic where you think it's ok to refer to someone else as a 'tourist', you can probably deal with a little bit of inconvenience in order to work out. We've all woken up at 5 AM for workouts, ran in the rain, ran in the snow, ran when it's hot as hell, is it really that big of a deal to have to get to the gym a little earlier? Probably not. Also, somewhat selfishly, this time of year probably means some people there in worse shape than I am and then I can OWN my spin and Pilates classes like a champ.

I guess I'm taking this on as an issue because I think about how I've felt at times being referred to as a 'slower' runner. So, I guess to some people, I'm a 'tourist' at running, comparatively. I know enough not to stand near the front at a race, because, well, that would just be stupid and I would consider it well-deserved if I did that and got trampled. But, it got me thinking...what is that magical barrier that determines whether you're 'fast' or not? I've set a goal for myself of running under 22 minutes this year in the 5K distance. I feel like I would consider that fast. And I think I can do it (although, I've got a LOT of work to and have to actually go sub-23 first). But, in the meantime, I hope no one calls me a tourist.