The Leisure Athlete
“Hey, the new neighbors are moving in. They look like they’re our age and seem fit.”
This was my enthusiastic call to my husband, Garrett, seconds after I pulled out of our driveway. The house across the street, empty for months, was now brimming with activity.
We have come a long way from our old days of scoping out new neighbors, hoping for children of ages similar to our own. As active empty-nesters, we now focus on the potential of sharing recreational activities with the adults.
Living in Colorado, we spend a lot of time playing outdoors. The sign of being true Durango, Colorado residents is evidenced by a bike rack on the back of Garrett’s truck and a water-ready paddle board in our garage.
Another sign of our Durango active lifestyle is referring to the seasons of our preferred sports.
“I think I will take up cross-country skiing for the winter season.”
or…
“When the summer season is over, I’ll swap out the paddle board for my skis in the garage.”
My recreational play includes road biking, mountain biking, hiking, and paddle boarding for the summer months. Winter is downhill skiing, with a plan to join the rock-climbing gym and try out cross-country skiing this year. Running, strength training, and yoga are year-round.
Some of these activities are done solo for me, but most I enjoy with friends (and neighbors).
Garrett has a narrower sports focus with his bikes, skis, and weights. Although he will hit the roads and mountains alone in his summer and winter sports, he also enjoys them with others. His goal is to improve. Garrett trains to be better.
My goal is to enjoy life. Next is my desire to cut minutes off my time.
Garrett teases me on the social aspect of my ‘training’. When running with others, we always talk. All of my activities, when shared with others, have more of an element of fun than they do a training exercise. I love being part of a community of people trying to be a better version of ourselves. Sporting while taking in the beauty of the outdoors is my favorite gathering.
When it comes to sports, it would appear that Garrett and I are the same. Both are active, taking time for our favorite forms of exercise. We are similar in execution, but we are different in motivation. Garrett seeks to master his sport. Well, not so much for me. I enjoy small victories with improvement, but my overall measure of success is in the joy of the experience and if my overall well-being is positively impacted.
Newer to the mountains of Colorado, our neighbors have influenced us in trying new things. Garrett has taken on mountain biking with a vengeance while keeping up with elevation challenges on his road bike. His training partner on both bikes is our neighbor, Jim. He and Jim met atop a cycling climb and have trained together ever since.
I have tried new sports with Jim’s wife, Emily. Like our husbands, we strive to stay in shape while enjoying the great Colorado terrain. But unlike our husbands, we don’t consider our mountain biking and paddle boarding a training exercise. We are going for a good workout while enjoying conversation with beautiful scenery as our backdrop.
At a mountain film festival recently, a movie caught my attention. Played in between the typical high-energy athletic feats caught on camera, this short clip featured a female comedian. Although she was sporty, she was not a pro athlete. Following the launch of a downhill skier, she followed by zig-zagging in large side loops rather than following the downward line. I appreciated the ski line she deployed down this steep mountain terrain.
She deadpanned at the movie's end, referring to herself as a leisure athlete. This title resonated with me. I could relate because that is exactly the kind of athlete I am.
The dictionary defines leisure as “The freedom provided by the cessation of activities, especially time free from work or duties.”
The dictionary defines an athlete as “A person trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.”
My definition of the combination of leisure + athlete, the leisure athlete, is “Skilled enough in sports to enjoy them in my free time.” That is me—the leisure athlete.
Competition is not the reason I do sports. The social aspect, enjoyment of the outdoors, and my desire to look better in my clothes motivate me to spend my free time in exercise.
My leisurely athletic ways have gotten me comfortable paddle boarding on the river. Once added to a group text of paddle-boarding friends, I didn’t want to miss their group outings. And I needed to be able to stand up and paddle confidently. So, I worked on it by getting out there, repeating, and training with friends. Now, I am enjoying these group outings like an old pro.
Running with my Badass Ladies Group (women over 55 who put in the miles and occasional races) gives me my fix of socialization while running, a concept Garrett cannot wrap his mind around.
“Why would you talk while you run? That means you should be running faster.”
No, Garrett, not for the leisure athlete. I run to socialize while getting exercise (and in that order).
Would my new neighbor be interested in my running group or joining our paddle boarding texts? She could try the rock-climbing gym with me this winter. Or does she know about the Nordic Center?
Garrett’s question on the athletic scope of our new neighbors was less broad.
“Did you see a bike or skis in the garage?”
No, I never thought to look.
