Rude Jazzercisers

Jazzercise classes are held at the North St Paul Community Center almost every morning. We usually manage to arrange our schedule to avoid those, because of the noise. The entire facility is really just one huge room and the Jazzerciser leaders seem to love loud music and, even more, love to hear their own voices shouting above that music. Today we had to be there during the din, or not go at all.

Normal conversation was almost impossible, even in the other end of the facility. It’s as if Jazzercise leaders are a slightly different breed of human, born or raised to have no consideration for others. Perhaps they are trained that way. I’ve watched them turn up the sound when the facility managers asked them to turn it down, and I’ve seen them mock people who were protecting their ears as they ran by on the overhead track.

Most of the people in the Jazzercise class are women. I’m the first to admit that women are as intelligent as men, or more so, and usually wiser than men. But if that’s true, then who are these women who pay money to stand directly in front of those high-decibel loudspeakers without ear protection? I hope they make better decisions in other areas of their lives.

Anyway I “ran” another 34 minutes on the elliptical machine, about the same amount of time as I would actually run at this point in the marathon taper if I were running. 450 calories expended, about 175 strides/minute, level 8. The good news is that I felt a little discomfort in the lisfranc ligament of the left foot, a chronic and ignorable problem, but nothing from the plantar fasciitis. Here’s hoping that I can finish Grandma’s on Saturday.