About a week ago, on Monday August 21st, I tried to go to the gym after work around 4pm to get in a quick workout before pool league. I've been going to the U of A Rec Center for 15+ years, for over a decade since I graduated and basically ever since I've been living in Tucson.
That Monday, I couldn't even find a place to park. There's only a handful of metered parking spaces (30 or so) and everything else is restricted parking without a parking permit before 5pm. My annual membership was also up for renewal that day, and so I started to question why I still go to the U of A Rec Center. Honestly, during the school year it is just way too crowded. Even my go-to time of 10pm to close was crowded. A lot of the kids are obnoxious and impolite. Several times I'd ask to work in with somebody and they'd actually refuse to let me, suggesting I use a different machine. I'd hold doors for the girls and they'd walk right by without even acknowledging the small favor. It got to a point where I was like, "I'm 34 now, I just deserve better than this lifestyle."
So I recently explored options around Tucson. I ended up going with LA Fitness since they have several gyms around town that I can access (including gyms in Phoenix and Scottsdale). I've been going for a week now, and while it's different, it's definitely more relaxed and I don't have to deal with the immaturity I got while going to a University gym. Oh and hey, look at that, tons of free parking! While I'll miss the pick-up basketball at the U of A, LA Fitness still has a court that I can get my game on whenever I'm feeling it.
And so ends an era of working out at the U of A. Crazy I lasted 15 years there, but I guess times change and you need to adapt accordingly. We'll see how long I stay at LA Fitness, but for now, I'm there for the next year.
