There is No Stopping!

My husband and I have been members of the Colorado Athletic Club for years. When Kent started getting bored with the usual gym routine - weights and cardio machines - we started going to an outdoor fitness class led by a man named John Gillingham. 

It didn't take long to figure out that John wasn't just any fitness instructor. For one thing, he was older than most instructors. He would have been about 75 years old when we started attending his class, but he had the energy and enthusiasm of a man half his age. Kent and I were about 40 at the time and John's class was filled with people who were approaching 50 as I am today. But John's classes weren't just for the geriatric set - they were and are as hard as you want them to be.

George Wallace Park Workout

One of my favorite things about John is the way he yells out things like "There is no stopping!" Or when people are chatting, "This is not a social club!" even though it really is. Or he will yell, "You look good!" then pause and say "Some of you." John pushes us to get the most out of our workouts but he also encourages us to take it easy and do only what we can safely do if we're battling an injury or the heat. He encourages new members and is especially understanding of those who aren't used to a rigorous workout. 

Weather permitting, and sometimes even when it is cold or rainy, John's workout classes are held in the park. We run up hills and do quad killer reverse hill runs. We do squats and lunges. We do push ups and triceps dips. We skip. We sprint. We jump rope. It is, as John says, "Serious Fun" even when we're doing a Workout from Hell. 

John has a great sense of fun and playfulness. In addition to the regular park workouts, John has an annual ice block contest to see who can ride an ice block the farthest down "the big hill." We used to have an annual "duck race" down a canal that runs through the park. He proves that you're only as old as you feel as he brings out the kid inside each one of us. He shows us that there's nothing wrong with looking silly once in awhile.

2008 Duck Race

Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.    Muhammad Ali


"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Mark Twain 

John also leads workout classes at Red Rocks amphitheater on Saturdays in the spring and summer. When I first started doing the classes at Red Rocks, we pretty much had the stairs and bleachers to ourselves. Today there are so many competing groups using Red Rocks for exercise that it can be difficult for everyone to enjoy it. Yet John does everything he can to make sure that we get a good workout at Red Rocks, even adjusting his workout plan at the last minute.

Part of John's improvised workout on 5-18-13

In addition to his classes, John organizes several Club Outdoors events every year - bike rides, hikes, trail runs, and snowshoeing. He's given me and Kent the opportunity to go on a lot of adventures that we wouldn't have otherwise experienced with a great group of friends that we would not have otherwise known. Because of John, I have also discovered how much I enjoy trail running. 

I've heard John tell new students that there are a lot of Type A personalities in our class. There are certainly a lot of competitive, extroverted types and even a couple of competitive introverted types like my husband. I'm a not so competitive introvert, but John has always made me feel comfortable in class. He even gave me one of his special awards one year for being the most improved female athlete. I keep that road runner rock award on my desk at home.

In the decade that I've known John, many people have come and gone. People move away, they get married and have kids, or they just stop coming to class.  Some people come back out of the blue; for John this is like a family reunion. We have gone on hikes in the mountains and run into people that John knew 20 or 30 years ago. He doesn't forget people.

John, we wish you a happy 85th birthday! Thanks for the fun, the fitness, and the friendship. It has been emotional!

Update 6/21/2013:

Pictures from John's 85th birthday workout class in the park.