13 April 2010

An Ode

Goodbyes are never easy. Last week I had to say goodbye to a dear friend of mine that has seen me at both my best and my worst. Ohh Cybex Arc Trainer you are missed! Last week my gym membership at Northwestern’s gym ended and I had to say goodbye to my beloved workout machine. For anyone who knows me really well also knows about my obsession for working out and for this machine. It puts no stress on my jacked up back (I have a herniated disc) and it allows me to burn more calories than any other machine that I have found. I have loved this machine since my days at Gold’s Gym in Provo. It was on this machine that I would wake up at 6am and memorize scriptures before my mission. It was on this machine during my senior year at BYU that I nursed my hurt knee back to health (I tore my LCL playing soccer.) Then my love affair with the Arc Trainer continued when we moved to Brooklyn and they had 2 machines in our gym. There is a chance that I often requested that people follow the rules of only 30 minutes on the machine so that I could have my own precious 30 minutes. It was hard to leave Brooklyn for many reasons and knowing that I would be leaving this machine only put salt on the wound.

And then when we moved to Evanston my heart grew full when I discovered Northwestern had four Arc Trainers in their gym. What I didn’t anticipate was that the professors and students at Northwestern also loved the Arc Trainer. In order to guarantee that I could get on a machine, I would have to arrive at the gym ten minutes before it opened and then race to the machines before others got there. Jeff would often get me a towel at the gym since I didn’t have time to get one myself if I wanted to secure getting on the machine. I worked out on the Arc Trainer 5-6 days a week throughout my whole pregnancy. But now my Arc Trainer is nothing but a memory.

Arc Trainer please do not be mad at me that I have replaced you with this machine at my other gym.

For now, we say goodbye but I certainly hope that we see each other again and very soon.

5 comments:

nensaburger said...

I hate the stair climber. It's like the steps to heaven....you feel like you'll never get there!

Side of Jeffrey said...

I know this hurt you Caitlin - but one day we'll be rich enough to get you one in our house and OH THE GLORY OF THAT DAY! Also, maybe Evanston Athletic Club will wise up and buy one.

Pamsky said...

This is a sad, sad day. I really should give it a try at the YMCA. Oh wait, I don't go there. But if I did, I would.

Sparklebot said...

We have two of those arc trainers in our gym in our building. No one ever uses them. Leo and I have both tried them--but even on the longest setting, our knees hit the front. I guess we are too tall.

Heather said...

I love that after all this time the arc trainer is what gets you to write a post. Classic.