Gym membership negotiations

40 mins, 8k's @ 5:05 mins/km

A solid run - a couple of niggles here and there as the legs continue to get accustomed to the tready.

Of more interest today was my negotiations with the Assistant Manager at Fitness First. As mentioned previously their first offer of six months membership at $45 a fortnight(equating to $92-93 a month) plus $100 joining fee was unacceptable to me. Today I met with the Assistant Manager, a pretty decent bloke actually and presented him with a written statement of my proposal for membership on my specific terms. After politely but firmly clarifying my terms verbally the AM lowered his offer to $30 a fortnight(about $65 a month) with a reduced joining fee on $59 on the condition that I take twelve months membership instead of six and give up reciprocal rights. This was not totally unexpected and I was comfortable with accepting that offer as the six months will take me to May next year when I hope to be in heavy training for the GC Marathon and perhaps in need of additional cross training apart from runnning. The lengthier membership will allow me to slowly wean myself off the treadmill with four, then three, then two sessions per week - if I have gotten over the bloody shin splints by then!! Ultimately, I would have like to have pressed the AM harder and tried to get him to waive the administration fee but at the end of the day I need Fitness First and their 9am Sunday morning opening times so I can stop off for a long run on my way to work. And of course, there is the added bonus of MJ and RooBoy both being members there also, so we can workout together every now and then.