Most of us have favorite routes to run and ride. We even have favorite places to swim, be they indoor pools or lakes where open water swimming feels fun and safe.

I like to watch the seasons change on my favorite routes. On the run and the bike, I switch from roads to trails to paths. Variety is good.

But so is familiarity. Knowing how long a route generally takes to complete is predictable and practical. We can plan for that. There are days when it’s fun to explore and there are days when not having to think is beneficial.

Today I was pondering my daily fitness life while scrolling through the menu on Direct TV. I stopped on the movie Erin Brockovich and watched the last 1/3 with the same appreciation and anticipation that I always do. Real or not, the depiction of the main character is both humorous and satisfying. We feel her struggles and root for her efforts to find justice for people beset by the negligence and corruption of a big corporation trying to escape responsibility for the pain and suffering it has caused some everyday people. And when Erin invites her biker boyfriend to witness a visit to a woman whose family members were afflicted with illness, there is real triumph and joy in the moment when it is revealed the household will receive $5M in compensation for exposure to poisonous hexavalent chromium, the substance the polluted the groundwater of an entire city.

I’ve watched that movie far more than ten times. The night before I watched a long section of Moneyball, the baseball movie in which Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill play a pair of risk-takers trying to make the Oakland A’s a contender by choosing underrated players based on statistics to form a winning team.

That got me thinking about the Top 10+ movies I’ve watched more than ten times. Here’s my list, not in any particular order.

1. Dances With Wolves, Kevin Costner
2. Gladiator, Russell Crowe
3. Erin Brockovich, Julie Roberts
4. Moneyball, Brad Pitt/Jonah Hill
5. The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg
6. Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz
7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Kristen Bell
8. Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon
9. Bourne Trilogy (all probably ten times)
10. Lord of the Rings (all probably ten times)
11. The Fugitive, Harrison Ford
12. The Parent Trap, Lindsay Lohan (guilty pleasure, sweet)
13. Superbad, Jonah Hill/Michael Cera
14. This is the End, Seth Rogan and crew
15. Midnight In Paris, Owen Wilson
16. Amelie, (many, many times…)
17. Open Range, Kevin Costner/Robert Duvall
18. Kill Bill 1 and 2, Uma Thurman
19. Moonrise Kingdom (and other Wes Anderson stuff, Fantastic Mr. Fox, etc)
20. The Hairdresser’s Husband (French film, amazing)
21. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (fun and mystical)
22. National Lampoon’s Vacation, Chevy Chase/Bill Murray
23. The Meaning of Life, Monty Python
24. The Holy Grail, Monty Python
25. The goddamn Princess Bride (not so proud of this one)

Honorable mention: Star Wars

Favorite routes. Favorite movies. I guess we need them all.

Have a good weekend.