I had good intentions of going for a run yesterday. First, I left my running kit at home, so I landed up missing time trial. Then I got home early enough but blamed the chilliness of the afternoon and not knowing what to wear. Then my iPod was flat. I casually tweeted about it (as one does) and received this reply:So I went to gym and came home smiling. Not because I felt great having run 5kms like I wanted to. Not because I got home all sweaty and red in the face (which I love). Not because I scored an extra point with Vitality. But because of these reasons:

The thin woman with the prosthetic leg was on the stretching mat. At first glance you don’t notice it but look long enough and you see the metal linking the shoe to the shorts. She reminded me to be grateful that I have both my legs and can run. No excuses.

Crazy face (that’s what I call her) was on the bike as she is every evening. Dressed in an over-sized T-shirt with hair tied back and an alice band, she pushes herself on the bike for a full hour until she is dripping in sweat. Eyes closed, her body bobs to her own rhythm on the bike. 

John Coffey waved me hello. If you’ve seen ‘The Green Mile’ you will know that I am referring to a huge black man who is so big but has a heart of gold. My Coffey is usually on the treadmill walking on a level 5. It’s slow but it doesn’t matter. He’s still doing more than most.

It wasn’t the skinny chicks checking out their hair in the mirror or the muscled okes hoping you’d see them lifting weights. It was those three unlikely characters that left me quite inspired. It’s as if they were placed there on purpose for me last night to remind me that there are no excuses to skip gym.

I’m glad I went.